Hello Boils and Ghouls, welcome to SNL in review: Halloween edition as stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze hosts Saturday Night Live this week with musical guest Foo Fighters.
Typically, episodes like tonight produce sketches that tap into the macabre. SNL has a checkered history of this, like David S. Pumpkins or the infamous Fear appearance. Horror comedy is an illusory type of humor, with a lot of hits and a lot of misses. Joining me tonight is former cast member Gary Kroeger. His favorite horror comedy is Beetlejuice, which is fitting since one of his first SNL episodes was hosted by Michael Keaton in Season 8… on October 30th, the Halloween show. He says: “All I remember about the Michael Keaton show is thinking we had let him down. He was there every day and stayed late into the night, fully committed to being part of the process, but I don’t think the show particularly showcased his talent.” So.”
Nate Bargatze hosts “SNL.” NBC
I asked Gary what the audience should expect with a stand-up host like Bargatze in charge tonight: “A stand-up host is the host where the writers feel the most free. You feel like there’s no reason to limit what they’re doing because it’s still going to be funny. Stand-ups know how to deliver jokes, so they never lose the comedic thread of a sketch. When I was on the show the best examples were George Carlin and Eddie Murphy. Both went beyond simple definitions, but you knew where the joke was no matter what they did. And when a skit went wrong, they had the instinct to save it. Don Rickles was another example. Rickles simply decided to go off script in one sketch, and the result was hysterical even for those of us in front of the camera. I proudly remember that I didn’t break my character!”
We hope tonight’s show is just as hilarious! (And maybe include a few scares too.)
Opened cold
In an interesting development, Mikey Day plays President Joe Biden and celebrates Halloween in the Oval Office. This is classically executed – I can’t tell if Day has his own view of Biden or if he’s taking his cue from James Austin Johnson. Let’s get ready for more of the same, with Donald Trump as the presumptive 2023 GOP nominee.
A new aide enters the room – actually it’s the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson (Michael Longfellow). He is very boring and has a “grown black son” (Devon Walker). Kroeger shares: “The new political impressions are absolutely solid! As nuanced as ever. We have a new Speaker of the House and I think SNL is going to have a field day with this ultra-conservative clown in a tin hat from Louisiana.”
Another surprise! Christopher Walken shows up. He plays the ghost of Halloween. In South America they might call him Papa Pumpkin. This is his first appearance on the show since 2008! Pretty interesting cold open. A look into next year.
More on Day: In my opinion, it’s difficult to make a truly fresh Biden. Kroeger says, “I loved doing impressions of political figures. In addition to Mondale, Ted Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy, I did Yassir Arafat on a Donahue parody… With Mondale I was looking for a personable approach… I developed impersonations by listening to hook phrases. That’s what I did.” It doesn’t take me more than a few days of listening to someone’s recording to find the phrase that gets my vocal cords in the right position. But it’s more than just a voice, you’re also looking for something to exploit in your personality. For me, Bobby Kennedy was always trying to please his brother, and that – with Joe Piscopo as JFK – gave me perspective on the sketch. With Teddy, unfortunately, his need was to free himself from his guilt.”
monologue
Bargatze comes out to talk about the future, picks up his daughter, and puts on fairs – really solid bits that I assume come from his stand-up act. He says that when he was a child in the 80s, his father was a magician – when you could fight an orangutan with your fist. The crowd loves this episode.
Bargatze is a little nervous, but is holding up well. This is obviously a breakthrough for him and he delivers. It’s fun to give someone less traditional a chance to host (“I’m as shocked as you are that I’m here,” he tells viewers). In earlier stages of the show, the bookers had to be more creative with their decisions. I recommend watching this monologue to get a feel for why it has become so popular. It’s a solid block of stand-up and just plain fun to watch someone make the most of their moment, like the Mark Walhberg film Rock Star.
Gary Kroeger says: “I loved Nate Bargatze when I first saw him a few years ago. He is the non-comedian, the comedian The situation is the source of humor. He is an everyman who is not every man. The way he admits his shortcomings is so relatable that you laugh at him, even if his jokes aren’t told in a classic set-up/punchline format. He is at the forefront of stand-up work, even if his approach is very different. He’s not wildly observational or overly satirical; rather, he’s the funniest guy on the grill with the hysterical story about what just happened to him. ”
“Cooking Show”
Participants visited a historic black church to learn about the origins of soul food. A few years ago, Louis CK might have played Nate Bargatze here. “Yeah, I’m sorry,” Dougie (Bargatze) says in a twist after being announced as the winner. He is a white man from Rhode Island. The judges (Kenan Thompson, Punkie Johnson) are very confused. “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshi’s appearance is another sign that the show is circumventing the strike by using other types of performers.
“Trademark horror”
This fall brings a spooky new vision of horror! This trailer is essentially A Christmas Prince Meets Mama. Two almost-human actors with human-sounding voices bond in their quaint hometown in this hilarious parody of terrible tropes. Hallmark took over the market at Christmas, now it’s heading to Halloween. This is funny! Look at it.
Former SNL cast member Victoria Jackson says, “Tonight I LOVE SNL! Nate Barghazi delivered a smart, funny, great monologue and the first two sketches were excellent!”
“Washington’s Dream”
In a new country, questions abound – with these Revolutionary War soldiers quizzing George Washington about the metric system, temperature scales, and George Carlin-esque trivia about the game of football. Remember when Russell Brand played George Washington? (Fallon also once played the first president on Update.)
Kroeger says, “The cast always seems to be more ensemble driven than in years past. Maybe it’s just because it takes time to emerge as prominently as previous stars, but I’m looking at James Austin Johnson and Michael Longfellow. Molly Kearney is great.” . Chloe Fineman is the emerging, if not already emerged, presence on the show. And Mikey Day! And Bowen Yang! In short, the show has no shortage of new talent.”
Jackson says she liked “the brilliant ending of the George Washington sketch – which must have been written or heavily influenced by Nate – and had a brilliant racial reference to the ending. Racism was treated comically in some sketches, the cooking show sketch. Nates.” “The expressionless face and the fact that he stays in character really makes me laugh.”
“sea beach”
This parody song is a direct concept of JAJ’s stand-up. When he puts it, it’s a parody of post-9/11 country music and how awful and corny it is. This music video still works, but I think the context makes the concept work even better. It’s funny to see Dave Grohl here.
Jackson says, “I’ve lived in Nashville for 11 years now. The Lake Beach music video was spot on.”
“Trick or treating”
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher (Sarah Sherman) warns children against becoming walkouts during the actors’ strike. This is barbed – I like it! It’s footage, and Sherman is genuinely funny, mimicking the quirky nanny star turned work manager.
SAG-AFTRA recently released guidelines for members who want to “celebrate Halloween this year while showing solidarity with the strike.” The union encourages its members to “dress up as characters from non-filmed content, such as an animated series.” It was mocked and criticized – Drescher also gets hit, but Sherman lands a nice union-friendly moment by grabbing a piece of Kit Kat bar breaks off…metaphorically speaking.
This is a classic. But let’s go a little deeper. Tonight’s episode continues the show’s focus on stand-ups and non-actors this season as the actors’ strike, which has drawn some criticism, continues. I asked Gary his opinion as he is an actor and proud trade unionist. He has this nuanced view: “A show has an obligation both to its audience and to the company of actors. With a comedy show, the obligation is to bring comedy to the screen. But you also have to show solidarity with the union.” That protects you. The loophole you mention is of course the SAG Net Code covering talk and reality actors, but I think it’s a stretch to put comedic actors in that category. Still, that is the loophole, it is there, so why not use it “The question is: does this reduce the effectiveness of the strike? I think it does…” [still] If I was on SNL, I would probably be right there working on the show and would love to be on it.”
Foo Fighters – “saved”
Pretty cool to see Walken introduce the performance! This review has great energy. The performance is powerful and vital and reminiscent of the band’s classic material.
Kroeger is on record as a fan of the Foo Fighters. He notes tonight: “But We Are Here is particularly significant because it is the first album since Taylor Hawkins died. Without giving a review of the album, I would like to say that it is probably her most personal music, but still just as driving as her previous work. And Dave Grohl now holds a special place in the pantheon of rock and roll. It’s an ambassador for everything that came before, while still remaining on the cutting edge of modern audio relevance. I think he’s comfortable in his own skin.
“Weekend Update”
Colin Jost has several funny jokes about new House Speaker Mike Johnson. Sarah Sherman plays Jost’s agent JJ Gordan. Work has been slow during the strike, but there are still opportunities – like starring in the Jurassic Park porn version and playing Jared Fogle in a Netflix biopic. We see the usual jost-slams that Sherman does in her other update segments, but it’s fun to see her as a character. She finally gets some moments this season!
“Airplane Birth”
Chloe Fineman is in the middle of a flight about to give birth – her husband (Devon Walker) asks for a doctor. The other passengers volunteer their professions and discuss which job is more difficult. This is very funny! Chloe Troast plays a teacher. She trained future lawyers and doctors! Everyone boos them. (Kroeger says he doesn’t know Troast yet, but looks forward to watching her development on the show.) Mikey Day and Heidi Gardner have great moments here. But Dave Grohl shows up and steals the show – who remembers the great “Learn to Fly” music video?
Foo Fighters – “The Glass”
This is a great ballad – and THEIR duets! Great. She was already the musical guest in 2020 when Adele hosted. By the way, Kroeger enjoyed seeing Mick Jagger on the show last week. He says: “Mick Jagger is the king of all ambassadors of what has come before and yet remains relevant. And the Stones’ new album is, as many critics have said, a return to the Stones’ classic sound. I love it.”
Please do not destroy the video
John Higgins and Martin Herlihy eat Dawg Food, the new Hello Fresh. Dumb!
Final thoughts
– Well, what did you think? Vote here or below! (My opinion? Great episode, one of her best in a long time.)
—Interested in hearing more from me? Do you love SNL in the mid-80s? Check out my recent conversation with Rob Riggle!
—Thanks as always to Gary Kroeger! Please check out The Gary & Kenny Show on YouTube and podcast platforms including www.garyhasissues!
– And thanks to Victoria Jackson, who called this episode “the best show SNL has done in a long time!”
– RIP Friends star and former host Matthew Perry! In a classic move, his death is acknowledged during the bedtime round.
Check back throughout the episode for updates.
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