Maya Rudolph returned to Saturday Night Live last night for her first time as host and put on a fantastic, cameo-filled episode that (happily) relied heavily on her many talents. In fact, there really weren’t any skits at all that we thought were terrible, which is almost unheard of for SNL. We even didn’t completely hate last night’s iteration of “What’s Up With That?,” which may be a first for us, and a particular stretch considering it included Bill O’Reilly. The only slight downside was that the forceful presence of Rudolph left almost nothing for any of the other women on the show to do — though that’s a price we were willing to pay for such a strong, consistent show. Click through to watch the best and worst skits from last night’s Saturday Night Live, and let us know if you agree or think we’re crazy in the comments.
The Best:
Bronx Beat
At this point, an Amy Poehler cameo is always more than welcome, and her fast-talk riffing with Rudolph is pure gold. We thought it couldn’t get any better, and then they started having a trashy sexually harassment-off with Andy Samberg and a large foreheaded Justin Timberlake. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds.
Maya Angelou’s Prank Show
This skit is all Maya Rudolph, and that’s all you need. Her impression is smooth and hilarious, and (unusual for SNL skits of any kind) we were sold at the premise.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Baby
Though in many ways just a typical (if topical) SNL impression vehicle, Rudolph was spot-on as usual, and Justin Timberlake’s Bon Iver was hilarious, if surprisingly cruel.
The Worst:
Super Showcase
While it was kind of hilarious to watch Rudolph and Wiig goof off and completely break down (and listen to Rudolph’s accent waver all over the place), there were a few minutes there where it felt like they were just having fun together on stage, and the audience wasn’t really invited. That said, we still laughed.
What’s Up With That?
Sure, we liked it more that we’ve ever liked one of these sketches before, but that still doesn’t bring it anywhere near the top of the list. We think this sketch is just lost on us for all time.
… and that’s kind of it. We liked everything else. Great job this week, SNL.