'SNL' recap: Michael Keaton hosts, Alec Baldwin returns as Fox's Brett Baer

Hey, Coneheads – that's it SNL50 reviews: Summary of the anniversary season. A decade ago, SNL It was celebrating its 40th anniversary, and a high watermark of that season was Michael Keaton's triumphant return to host after a two-decade absence. His monologue with Taran Killam and Bobby Moynihan remains a personal highlight, especially as it foreshadows the ultimate revenge of two of his signature movie characters, Batman and Beetlejuice.

talking, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — a long-delayed sequel — is out in theaters and apparently not terrible. I did not see it partly out of fear. If nothing else, it justifies Keaton's fourth hosting appearance. Former cast member Gary Kroeger recently mentioned to me: “SNL Understands its legacy and its roots. Bringing back classic hosts and musical acts anchors the show to the past but also keeps it relevant. Michael Keaton and last week's Stevie Nicks have brilliantly redefined themselves as artists and SNL Recognize that this is a real plus for the show and its legacy.”

Kroeger also noted that when Keaton first hosted in Season 7, “He was so big night shift, But the real peak of his career was still ahead of him.” The second time Keaton hosted, he was riding Batman ReturnsIts pace, before disappearing for a few years in character actor-land, finally hits a comeback Birdman – which brings us back SNL40 and now, tonight. SNL LORE, you will love it. Buckle Up: Billie Eilish returns as musical guest for her fourth time.

cold open

Lego Man Brett Baer – inexplicably played by Alec Baldwin – interviews a “very intelligent, very thoughtful” vice president, Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph). He is interrupting and bullying. Harris is looking to go viral – he even quotes from Adam Driver's now-iconic line Megalopolis (Which costars Chloe Fineman!) The crowd applauds Rudolph several times.

Baer shows a confusing clip of quotes from former President Trump (James Austin Johnson). big And freaky fridayAs well as a “brilliant” Ja'Biden (a returning wing Dana Carvey). Baer returned to Trump at his Univision town hall as he danced to gay anthems like “It's Raining Men” – a famous song co-written by Paul Shaffer!

It's pretty good – check it out! Good pacing, funny moments — the one-liners and dialogue actually crack for once. My one criticism is clearly, no one is waiting for or needing more Alec Baldwin on the show. He's not even the last Beetlejuice! I think it's great that he plans to reunite with her Beetlejuice costar, Geena Davis, at a comic con in New Jersey, but will we see her with Keaton tonight? Or not? i am confused

Gary Kroeger said of this season's cold open, they've “become an institution. Expect second relevance, a fun-to-watch impression, and a comment — or comments — on their candidacy status. That's where satire finds itself, and sometimes, that satire can be interpreted in different ways based on the character of each viewer. One person may perceive a trait as a criticism, and another person may see it as a charm. For me, it's more interesting to not be sure what the actor/writer has in mind, so I can apply my own opinion.”

monologue

Keaton recalls that when SNL Beginning in 1975, he was a P.A Mr. Roger Neighborhood. In a weird moment, Andy Samberg (who's not a cast member) and Mikey Day come out as Beetlejuice and tell him, “It's showtime” — the last time they did that for his monologue, folks. Weak!

I enjoy their interpretation of Ken Samberg's cold opening this week – it's weird to shoo a cameo in just one word. And Sarah Sherman's moment is beautiful. But meh — check out this idea from Killam and Moynihan; It's better.

Kroger recalls: “I felt we let Michael Keaton down. He came to play and hang out and was available 24/7 that week to come up with ideas. He was game for anything. I believe we were split between two studios and timeslots because of the election coverage on 8H, and those shows lacked, in my opinion, the same energy. I thought we wasted a really funny and down-to-earth guy by not giving him enough work.”

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“TV Shop”

Two happy hosts (Day and Heidi Gardner) meet Cookie Guy (Keaton) for a Halloween-themed infomercial. Ah, yes, here's a tried and true premise, folks. Keaton has a cookie that looks like a nipple – lots of innuendo and puns follow. MA-TV is projected onto the screen; It is so suggestive. “Do these cookies come in different races?” asks a caller. An order comes from Pelican Bay State Prison.

Please Don't Destroy – “Skydiving”

It's high jumping in an airplane — our heroes John Higgins and Martin Hurley are celebrating a birthday — but the vibes aren't right. Coach Ben Marshall never feels weird, but today is off. Another instructor, played by Keaton, is having one of the worst days of his life.

It's a dark premise and the audience doesn't seem to know what to make of it.

“Forbidden Romance”

An interracial couple (Igo Nodim and Andrew Dismooks) gathered their parents for their blessing. Publicist Kenan Thompson understands more than Michael Keaton's father.

Dismukes said, he wrote a song to express their love. And he goes for it with a ukulele: the original story of Train's “Hey Soul Sister.” The crowd is muted, but you have to respect Dismooks' promise. If nothing else he wins over his parents — they love their grumpy, creepy white boy tone. In the process, he defeats Kenan. He takes back his blessing.

“tiktok”

SNL — even reluctantly — facing that it's 2024 is always a good thing. It's fairly hit-and-miss — there are lots of references and hyper online deep cuts. Still, I much prefer this format to, say, a game show or commercial parody So props for staying modern, even if the format is a challenge.

Another “very patient, very thoughtful” reference. And JAJ's Trump presence (who, like Billie Eilish, dazzles Bowen Young's singer) alongside Rudolph's thirsty, prone Kamala Harris. Dana Carvey's Biden also pops up to dance. But it's fun to see a definitive final moment about how the new cast members use and addictive tendencies of the app.

Billie Eilish performing “Birds of a Feather”.

First: Fun camera work and blue sky background. “Birds of a Feather” was released this summer as the second single from Eilish's third studio album, Hit me hard and soft. It's about deep love and longing for a lasting connection. cute

Weekend update

Election 16 days left! Colin Jost compares the closing messages of the two presidential candidates.

New cast member Emile Wakim came to narrate the election and hails from Lebanon. Great stand-up material — subtle, comments on growing up as a Christian Arab. “We're like black dudes with anime backpacks.” A moment bombs, but he immediately recovers, blaming Colin. very sharp

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show recently returned for the first time in four years. Sarah Sherman arrives at the update desk — the show was praised for its diversity but she quips, in true Sherman fashion — “Where's my Midwest 4A?!” He wants to see regular women in normal underwear, not 10s. He has one request: let him join next year!

“The 90s are back!” Yes! Well, maybe. I appreciate the sentiment.

“The Uber Game Show”

Sherman and Bowen Young head to the airport for a trip to Miami, but their rideshare driver (Naodem) has concerns. a lot the thought! Well, conspiracy theories. The ride becomes a game show — Sherman and Young are captive participants of Naudim's wacky ideas and commentary. Michael Keaton also joined.

Billie Eilish performing “Wildflower”.

The candid “Wildflower” was also on her latest album. He previously played it live at COLORS.

“Horror Choreographer”

We're filming the latest Michael Myers slasher, and the stuntman, Jackson (Mikey Day), is getting very theatrical. Her Broadway coach (Keaton) sees the character as sensual, not stern. The director (Dismukes) felt that the killing was too “sassy and flirty” and not deliberate enough.

Shout out to former Michael Myers actor Tony Moran, who I once met in Salem, Mass.!

“Tableside”

Two families are together in a restaurant and “vibrating!” Suddenly, Dad (Keaton) thinks the waitress (Gardner) is an old flame from Morristown, Mass., where he summered stocking as a young man. They connect with old flames and lost loves. Love the haunting music.

final thought

• What did you think? Vote here. Today seems less crowded…

• Bringing Baldwin back to play Bear is so inexplicable. I have PTSD from that Trump era of the show. Kroeger shared with me: “I don't care about celebrities being brought in to do political impressions. I'm not debating its success or viewership, but I've always thought the cast should do everything SNL with very few exceptions. That's the magic of the show to me, to have a cast that can do anything in front of it.” Guess Jim Gifgan was busy preparing Al Smith for the charity dinner…?
• I have been reminded of that SNL There was a funny TikTok sketch with Billie Eilish in Scrubs in 2021, but I couldn't find it online. If anyone knows where it is, let me know!