After a one-week hiatus, Saturday Night Live returned last night with the promise of a really weird show — or at least, that’s what we imagined when we heard Steve Buscemi was hosting. True, the episode seemed to contain an inordinate number of fake mustaches, but we felt Buscemi was a little underused. It’s kind of ironic — his monologue was about how psyched he was to have achieved success as a leading man after being pegged as the “creepy guy” character actor for so long, and then in almost all of the sketches he was the object, the guest, the frame — but very rarely the star. Sigh! Don’t worry though, he still got some good play, and though the show as a whole didn’t live up to either of our two favorite episodes so far this season (Melissa McCarthy and Jason Segel), it was definitely above average. Click through to watch our picks for the best and worst sketches of last night’s SNL, and let us know whether you agree or disagree in the comments!
The Best:
Coach Bert
One of the most cuttingly topical sketches we’ve seen all season, tackling the recent Penn State and Syracuse University sex abuse scandals, this bit was more conceptually funny than laugh-out-loud hilarious. But unlike many SNL skits, this skit seemed to get funnier as it went on. You have to admit that as he suggested in his monologue, Buscemi does look mighty creepy — and that moustache isn’t helping anyone.
Dateline
Like so many good SNL bits, this one rests almost entirely on Bill Hader’s capable, creepy shoulders. He may be even creepier than Steve Buscemi.
Ed Vincent’s Sex Symposium
Who can resist a mustachioed, ultra-70s Paul Brittain giving intensely awkward sex tips at the Raymondville State Park Econolodge? Though some of the visuals were a little over the top (and in some cases not quite size-appropriate), the overall effect was something you might expect from a grimy ’90s VHS you find in your aunt’s basement. Which is pretty hilarious.
Ornaments
This was the 12:55 am sketch, and boy is it weird. It’s weird enough that we think it was by far the best use of Buscemi all night: a slow burn that started off normal enough (except for that nagging question of ‘who is this strange man and why is he talking to us?’) and slowly devolved into bizarre nonsense.
The Worst:
Playskool Surprise Lady
We’ve never warmed to this character of Wiig’s, so excited about something mundane that she becomes insane, screeching, and unintelligible. It’s just not very funny, and in the end there’s zero payoff, even though you just suffered through five minutes of the stuff.
Cold Opening: Obama in One
Yeah, yeah, the President has no power. This sketch felt like a civics lesson at the beginning and an exercise in randomness at the end, but was boring the whole way through.
Frozen Mexican Dinner
No. You can have all the rock and roll wigs you want, but poop jokes are still stupid.