Saturday, November 3, 2012

All in all, That Wasn't a Bad Show. It was OK

Louis CK was a good host and did the best he could with the material he was given. 

The opening wasn't great at all.  It seemed as if that main joke was supposed to be the hand gesturing by the translators.  With the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, I was hoping for a more serious opening.  Maybe Mayor Michael Bloomberg could have made a guest appearance and talk about how New York City residents, New Jersey residents, and all people who live along the East Coast will overcome the effects the storm together.  Instead, we get a forgettable opening with Fred Armisen's weak impression of Mayor Bloomberg and Bobby Moynihan's brash portrayal of Governor Christie.  The opening wasn't terrible, but I wish for something more profound.

Louis CK's monologue was alright; but I think it could have been funnier.  I liked his jokes about the void of electricity; though  I do not find the idea of old women falling to be funny; though I do feel that Louis CK made me laugh towards the end of the monologue.  He gave a good performance; though I wish his routine wasn't entirely funny.

The "FOX and Friends" parody wasn't bad at all.  Vanessa Bayer, Taran Killam, and Bobby Moynihan gave very good performances and the writing was pretty funny.  Jason Sudeikis' Donald Trump impression was funny; though I did find myself slightly missing Darrell Hammond's portrayal of the public figure.  Louis CK played a good straightman and he interacted very well with the sketch,  I wish this sketch would forgo the usual ending of the segment for once; as I'm getting tired of the long list of mistakes that scrolls up quickly every time this bit takes place.  Nevertheless, this particular spoof of "FOX and Friends" was very well-performed and contained decent writing.  Though I wish that Louis CK got to do a bit more.

The "Lincoln" short film was great.  Now I've never seen an entire episode of "Louie," but I could tell from the opening credits sequence that it was a spoof of Louis CK's critically-acclaimed series.  The segment was very well-written and it contained jokes that were very edgy; moreso than the typical writing of "Saturday Night Live."  Louis CK was very funny throughout the filmed piece and I wonder if he wrote the whole segment.  It was a very creative piece and everyone in it bestowed great performances and lots of laughs.  Easily the best segment of the night.

The Australian Film Actors sketch was just an excuse for everyone to do Australian accents and partake in cheap humor.  Louis CK and Bill Hader gave the best performances in the sketch and Vanessa Bayer was alright too.  Fred Armisen was alright as the host; but the material wasn't great.  Louis CK does a good Australian accent and he looked like he was enjoying himself.  Not a great sketch in terms of the writing.

"Weekend Update" this week wasn't terrible.  Seth Meyers had some good jokes about power returning to NYC and he had a few more good quips throughout.  Jason Sudeikis' impression of Mitt Romney was great as always; and he interacted well with Seth Meyers- just as he does as always.  Featured Players Aidy Bryant and Cecily strong gave good performances as their characters; despite the fact that the material wasn't amazing.  I was happy to see Aidy Bryant finally get a major role and I hope she gets to do more as the season progresses.  Not a bad installment of "Weekend Update."

I have nothing to say about the mountain pass sketch.  The whole horn concept became tiring after the segment's first couple of minutes.  The sketch didn't go anywhere and it seemed as though the writers just penned the sketch in an attempt to fill time.  The performances from Louis CK and the cast were fine; but alas, they had nothing to work with.  The punchline at the end of the sketch wasn't funny and it appeared tacked on.  Just a very forgettable sketch.

The hotel sketch wasn't bad and Louis CK interacted very well with Bobby Moynihan.  The constant listing of all the charges got a tad tiring; but Louis CK's delivery made me laugh.  It was good to see a simple sketch that didn't rely on many gimmicks and it properly utilized the two-person format to fit the designated runtime.  The sketch ended at the right time and I did chuckle at the sight of the two performers smirking.  Not a terrible sketch overall.  With only a few kinks here and there, this was probably up with the "FOX and Friends" spoof and the "Lincoln" short film as the best parts of the night.

The bar sketch at the end of the show wasn't bad either; though it did go on a bit too long.  Louis CK and Kate McKinnon possessed great chemistry and they each had good lines.  Though I will say the piece was very predictable and the whole make-out sequence seemed to only be there to get a wild reaction from the audience.  This wasn't a terrible sketch; though I wish it was bit shorter and a little more unpredictable.

And that's the show.  Louis CK did well with the material he was given and he had good chemistry with the cast.  I was happy to see the show strongly cut back on reoccurring segments; as "FOX and Friends" proved to be the only segment that had already been previously executed.  Not all of the show's writing was great tonight; but I do feel that everyone made an effort tonight to make the audience and viewers at home laugh. 

fun. proved to be an enjoyable musical guest.  They have a good sound as well as a lot of energy.  I was happy to hear the band play their hit song "Some Nights" and their second song was enjoyable too.

While this wasn't an entirely great episode, I did laugh at different points.  Tonight's episode was much better than the ones hosted by Christina Applegate and Bruno Mars.  I would like to see Louis CK host again.  And hopefully, the next time he's on, the writing will be slightly better.

That's my review.  Thank you all for following me and stay tuned for more Nater-Tainment.  Good night everybody!

No comments:

Post a Comment