Saturday Night Live was back for a third time in this unprecedented COVID cautious season, with Issa Rae from HBO’s “Insecure” and Justin Beiber as it’s musical guest. And it was those two, along with an a surprise assist that gave SNL it’s first kinda-okay episode in months.
Really, it was impossible not to like Rae (I’m sorry. I mean, Mary J. Blige). Her monologue was sweet and a testimony of the recent craziness that has effected so many of us.
The cold open gave us another flat debate reenactment, that switched back and forth between the two dueling town halls from earlier this week. On one channel we had Jim Carrey’s Joe Biden in a Mister Rogers scenario and on another channel, we had Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump taking on an aggressive Savannah Guthrie played by Kate McKinnon. SNL was sticking up for their teammates on the Today Show here. Good for them, but it wasn’t very funny.
The bad date skit between Issa Rae and Chris Redd was funny but ended too soon. There was also a news discussion panel on supporting black political candidates that also featured a funny Rae, Keenan Thompson, and Ego Nwodim.
Weekend Update continued it’s stale run of bad jokes. They need a switch up over there. It’s been the same thing for years now on some weekends, they’re not even getting chuckles from a lot of us.
Bieber did a great job, with a pleasant surprise appearance from Chance The Rapper. The two time host also appeared in a package later in the show and still manages to be funny with each outing on the program.
This week’s SNL made me appreciate Rae but some of the funny is still missing. And I haven’t had that skit I go looking for the next morning because it made me laugh so hard the first time. Hopefully, that will return soon.