Israeli actress and Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot hosted SNL last evening with musical guest Sam Smith. There was a somber tone over the whole episode, despite it also being one of the strongest in recent memory. Country music singer Jason Aldean addressed the Las Vegas shooting in the opening of the episode and played a tribute to the victims as well as the late Tom Petty, singing “I Won’t Back Down.” Gadot was a charming and enthusiastic host, proving she can improvise with the best of them. See how it all went down last night, below.
The Best
“Jason Aldean Cold Open”
Jason Aldean pays tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting and performs “I Won’t Back Down” by the late Tom Petty.
“Gal Gadot Monologue”
A screen goddess and Times Square “actor” chat all things Wonder Woman. Leslie Jones didn’t get a ton of airtime last night, but when she did it was money.
“First Date”
Impeccable timing as always from Kenan Thompson. This is a great example of the kind of comedy SNL can pull of when it trusts that its audience doesn’t have the attention span of a toddler and waits a few seconds to reveal what’s really going on rather than spoonfeed us our funnies.
“Themyscira”
Lesbians, sisterhood . . . it’s all the same to Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant’s characters.
“The Chosen One”
Only Chad (Pete Davidson) can save Etheria, but he’s too busy on his phone to really care, “kay?”
“E! New Line Up”
Kendall Jenner getting lost in her own house (perhaps with a paranormal twist) and a show full of clips of Kanye dodging the camera sounds like something people would really watch.
“The Maiden and The Mice”
A trio of mice sasses back to a princess about the ragged dress they made her on this Cinderella spoof.
“Mirage”
One guy lost in the desert has a fantasy about his wife’s sexy trainer. The other . . . about the annoying bros who work at Jamba Juice.
“Safelite”
Just Beck Bennett doing the creepy predatory thing a little too perfect.
“Weekend Update”
The “Weekend Update” team covers the shooting in Las Vegas and gun control. Kate McKinnon’s badass RBG delivers some stellar “Gins-burns,” while Pete Davidson chats mental health. Can someone please give this guy some sketches? Pete’s genius is in his slacker persona, but he’s always paying attention and ready to deliver. Colin and Michael are finally just about there as a team of hosts who can intuitively play off each other rather than just read a teleprompter.
The Worst
“The Naomi Show”
An out-of-control teenager is healed when her boot-camp instructor becomes her dad . . . unbeknownst to him. The spirit of Maury was alive, but not wacky enough.
“Espionage”
Probably a better sketch if the webcam girls eating pickles thing (or whatever) had been pushed further and made weirder.
Musical Guest: Sam Smith