(S35E12) First of all, Sigourney Weaver looks incredible. Believe it or not, she turns 61 this year, so that's something to think about as we slowly weep into our young but round, Cheetos-stained fingers. Secondly, Weaver managed to play a variety of characters that explored a wide range of wackiness, all without humiliating herself (it was a dangerous moment during that "Fifty and Freaky" sketch but we all knew Weaver's still a classy lady).

The writing was pretty consistent and suited Weaver well, and it was fun to see her do so many goofy things. It's not often Saturday Night Live brings in someone that of her status. Let's be honest here.

Hang tight, kids. Videos are coming as they are made available.

BEST STUFF

Cold Open: Of course, the mess with Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien had to be addressed, though I wouldn't have expected it to happen in this way. Darrell Hammond returned so that he could don a fake chin and play Leno. Usually, when alumni return to do guest appearances, there is thunderous applause that welcomes them home. This was not really the case with Hammond, as it still kind of feels like he hasn't completely left. In his final official season on SNL, he didn't have that many sketches anyway, so, at the rate he's making little cameos, it's kind of like he never said good-bye.



Anyway, Hammond's Leno was good and Bill Hader's Conan O'Brien was bizarre. The hair was great but serious-face Conan as played by Hader was depressingly funny. I think this is the first time we've seen a Coco impression, actually. I'm curious to know how someone like Hader would have done an "on" Conan.

Jason Sudeikis also appeared as David Letterman but he was only there to fling pencils and giggle like so much late night Salacious Crumb. Will Forte was there to smile and nod for all of two seconds as the oft-forgotten member of the situation, Carson Daly. And no Jimmy Fallon! I was surprised. Have they yet to nail that impression or did they just run out of white guys that aren't Seth?

I would have been pretty disappointed if this was all the did on the late night mess, but considering they also addressed it later in the evening, I thought this was a nice way to kick things off.

Laser Cats 5: This is probably the dream of sci-fi action lovers everywhere. Right? Running around with Ellen Ripley and shooting lasers at things and having her shout various sci-fi lines at you. Come on. Not part of that dream, though: Having Sigourney Weaver throw up in your face. Or maybe it is. I don't know what you're into.

Having James Cameron in the mix was fantastic, as were all the not-so-subtle or relevant nods to his films. I believe my favorite was the inexplicable Titanic band.



Weekend Update: While young Abby Elliott's impression of Meryl Streep was kind of cute (albeit not terribly accurate) and Andy Samberg's geese puns triggered both chuckles and groans, WU is on this list because of Seth Meyers breaking down the late night mess into a marriage analogy. Perfection.

Summer's Eve Lady Stars of Darts Championship: Douches! Did I not call it? I totally did. Once again, this was far from anything high-brow but it was still pretty funny. Sudeikis got to deliver the big lines but Forte also had some rather good ones ("Ohh, I wouldn't put darts anywhere near a vagina"). Let's see, they've done tampons, vaginal cream and douches. Care to place a bet on what will be next?



NOT SO GREAT STUFF

Avatar Chamber: Someone had to make those tiny legs for Bill Hader and design those suits for Nasim Pedrad and Andy Samberg, who then had to put on that elaborate make-up. A crew had to put hammer to nail and build that set and chamber. Those hours and hours of work... for one anal sex joke, and not even a particularly good one.



OTHER STUFF

Monologue: This was a pretty good indication of what to expect for the rest of the night. Weaver did well and chuckles were had here and there, but nothing shocking.

Internet Buzz: Not a mind-blowing sketch, but props to Weaver for not stumbling over those weird lines.

Heights: Same as above. Nice of Bobby Moynihan to finally join us, as well.

Riley: I was going to put this in the "Not So Great Stuff" list but I honestly have no idea whether or not I liked it. On paper, I guess it's kind of hilarious, turning a gravelly "You bitch!" into a light-hearted catchphrase. In execution, though, it wasn't spectacular. I wouldn't mind seeing him at least one more time, just to see if the character grows on me. I also spent the rest of the episode trying to figure out who Riley reminded me of, and it wasn't until the end that I realized it was kind of like the angry spirit of Divine possessed the body of a middle schooler. And now that I've mentioned Divine, I have an excuse to post a video. Ha!





Next time: Rerun next week. Then, the return of Jon Hamm. I'm trying to keep my excitement down because I don't want my expectations to get ridiculously high over the next two weeks, but it's kind of difficult. 'Cause, you know, it's Jon Hamm of John Ham fame.