There was a lot going on during the Christmas episode of Saturday Night Live this weekend, as Elvis helped us say goodbye to a beloved cast member.
“Elvis” star, Austin Butler, was host as the show paid tribute to Cecily Strong during her final night and the results were mostly pretty good.
The cold Trump-centric open has gotten tired. James Austin Johnson is always good as the former President but the writing was off here.
But Butler picked us right back up during a monologue that involved the perfect kind of holiday cheer and sentimentality. The dude has just got the right energy to carry a crowd.
The Phrase That Pays skit was terrific but mostly because of Heidi Gardner. Gardner was also the bright spot of that reverse “Its a Wonderful Life” skit. I called the Marzipan skit a fever dream on Twitter last night. It was wild but pretty laugh free.
Most people will tell you that the show kicked into high gear with The Oasis show featuring Butler as an older woman who fell in love with Jewish Elvis (that was trending last night) that showed off Butler’s comedic chops while also showcasing how special Sarah Sherman is.
Weekend Update was up and down. The “Pimps Funeral” line was bleeping great. While Krampus was not. Gardner would return as an insisting but posh Aunt Pat that also had me rolling (and shouting for Mikey Day).
We also have to mention how good Chloe Fineman was Jennifer Coolidge. Also Please Don’t Destroy remains undefeated.
Lizzo isn’t for me, but I can respect someone who always shows up to SNL ready to impress. Those performances weren’t boring and producers can feel good bringing her back after the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs missed the night because of illness.
Then we had to say goodbye to Cecily. The news broke that she was leaving earlier in the evening, but the show gave her a couple of times to bow. There was Cathy Anne during Weekend Update and then there was the Blue Christmas at Radio Shack, both which were really sweet including the Keenan Thompson remarks. She’s great and I’ll write full post about here work here. I know I’ll miss her.
A great Christmas show. SNL should be proud. Until next time!
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