I've said it before, and I'll say it again: “Saturday Night Live” is suffering from a case of very poor writing. What used to be a fun-filled ninety minute block of intelligent comedy has turned into an hour-and-a-half of wasted opportunities and sketches that just don't go anywhere. Ever since “Saturday Night Live” began airing new episodes in 2013, there has been a countless number of bad sketches and inadequate writing. In fact, with the exception of Justin Timberlake's episode this past March, there hasn't been a very memorable episode to air in the second half of the long-running sketch comedy program's thirty-eighth season.
Take this most recent episode with Vince Vaughn for example; which aired April 13th. The show, for the most part consisted of sketches that contained slim premises, the repetition of jokes, and periods of time that just dragged. For instance, one segment took place a junior prom and Vaughn starred as a rich man who donated money to the dance and attended the festivities in hopes to lift the spirits of the students in attendance. And Vaughn's character did so by dancing with some of the younger male students. While Vaughn and the cast bestowed good performances, there was hardly any jokes in the sketch; with the exception of the obvious one of a grown man dancing with young men; played by some of the male “Saturday Night Live” students. The sketch went on to drag at points; even though Vaughn did all he could to improve the quality of the sketch by exhibiting his comedic dance skills. Another sketch that wasn't entirely great was a piece entitled “Short Term Memory Loss Theater.” “Saturday Night Live” castmember Bill Hader played a physician who works with patients affected by short term memory loss. The basic joke of the sketch was that the stage performers, played by Vaughn and some of the “Saturday Night Live” castmembers, could hardly remember any of their lines due to their medical condition. There was hardly any surprises in the sketch; as the obvious joke of the performers' forgetting their lines was very foreseeable. The only laughs I got from the sketch were the performances of Vince Vaughn and “Saturday Night Live” castmember Fred Armisen, who portrayed two of the play's stage performers, as well as Bill Hader's portrayal of the physician; who got increasingly frustrated by the performers' constant forgetting of their lines. If it wasn't for the performances, the sketch would have been a complete misfire.
Image of (from left to right) Vince Vaughn, Featured Player Aidy Bryant and Castmember Bill Hader from "Short Term Memory Loss Theater" taken from http://snltranscripts.jt.org/12/12r.phtml
But the show wasn't all bad. There were some bright spots that stood out in the episode. For instance, for his monologue, Vince Vaughn, in an unexpected turn, went into the audience and interacted with some of those in attendance. Watching Vaughn interact with some viewers in a completely laid-back manner was a treat to watch Highlights included joking with a male audience member about his plans for after the show as well as jestingly ejecting another male viewer who had been waiting a long time to see an episode of “Saturday Night Live.” I was so happy that the writers basically just let Vince Vaughn do his own thing for his monologue rather than engage in another song-and-dance monologue or interact with a “Saturday Night Live” reoccurring character, Another enjoyable part of the show was a short film that featured castmember Fred Armisen as the lead singer of a fictional punk rock band; who, despite his anarchist ways, possessed a strong fondness for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The entire production values were very good and the “Saturday Night Live” castmembers in the short film did very well with their performances; especially Fred Armisen, who exhibited a good impression of British punk rock singers. The entire segment was very well-done, and was a good reminder that “Saturday Night Live” can still come up with creative short films.
Image of Vince Vaughn from his monologue taken from http://snltranscripts.jt.org/12/12rmono.phtml
Nevertheless, despite keen performances, the weak writing of the late night program is the show's greatest weakness right now. With three episodes left to air this season, I am worried to see how they play out. However, I will not be here to cover this week's new episode; which will be hosted by actor-comedian Zach Galifianakis. However, I will be back by Sunday night and I plan to watch the show online. Hopefully by Monday or Tuesday night, I will have a brief review of the show available on my blog. Galifianakis has done a fine job hosting his previous two episodes, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a good show. Hopefully, this will be a good show.
So thank you all for your patience and I hope you all have a good weekend. Thank you all for following my blog and stay tuned for more blogging!
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