Saturday Night Live Report Card: Season 43, Episode 10: Sam Rockwell

A busy week for Three Billboards star Sam Rockwell gets even busier this week, as the newly-crowned Golden Globe winner hosts SNL for the first time this week. He's not necessarily an obvious pick, but it's a pick I'm happy they've made. He'll now join fellow Oscar contenders Saoirse Ronan and James Franco hosts during SNL 43, and let's hope that he's more Saoirse than Franco.

Cold Open: Morning Joe Michael Wolff:
Obviously, appearances by Bill Murray and Fred Armisen, two beloved SNL legends, overshadowed the Morning Joe part sketch. But I'm gonna talk about that anyway because I clearly loved that they had Bill and Fred on (and beyond my excitement that they were there, both were hilarious). I watch Morning Joe, and I'll just say that these are very good impressions (though, clearly, the crazy is amplified). They're definitely good enough to carry their own sketch and I'm glad to see it back. This was probably a better sketch then the first one, which I loved, and I hope it appears again.
My Score: 9/10

Sam Rockwell Monologue:
It's been a few days since I watched the episode, and I can honestly say I had to rewatch this one to give any sort of analysis on it. It's a very forgettable monologue, and the only thing I could remember about it was that he sang "A Little Less Conversation." After watching again, I know why. That's about all he did. Still, it wasn't the worst monologue of the season. That isn't saying much considering some of the monologue material we've seen this season, but it's all the positive I can say about it.
My Score: 6/10

Science Show:
All I can say is that this was pretty f***ing good.
My Score: 8.5/10

Tucci Gang:
SNL has already done a Gucci Gang/Lil Pump parody in some form before, but this was a more direct parody of it than the other one. This one sees Lil Pump rapping not about Gucci, but about beloved character actor Stanley Tucci. I'm a bit offended at the lack of a Feud mention, but that's understandable and I'm only deducting two points for it.
My Score: 8/10

Fashion Panel:
This was a good sketch that started out very well, got a little less good, and then improved upon Kate McKinnon's entry. Poking fun at E!'s gender pay gap and oversensitivity. I really appreciated her impersonation of F****** M********, which was really fun. It wasn't the most accurate impression, but it sure was entertaining. The mention of fictional  E! series "Fat Whores of Miami Beach" takes the cake though.
My Score: 8.5/10

My Drunk Boyfriend:
I didn't really care for this sketch. It was super forgettable, and I didn't find it all that funny. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something was lacking here. It had the makings of a good sketch, but it didn't go anywhere meaningful.
My Score: 7/10


Weekend Update:
The superb Oprah and Stedman segment really overshadowed the rest of this Update, but that's mostly because the rest was just good, not great. Some stuff landed better than others, and some jokes were already outdated, so I'm quite glad that they threw in Oprah to make what otherwise would have been a pretty dull Update a bit livelier. Leslie Jones' Oprah was great (#EmmyForLeslie), but it was actually Chris Redd's
My Score: 7.5/10

Captain Hook:
I found this to be pretty enjoyable, despite not really being all too memorable. The weirdness of the Lost Boys never really struck me until now, but the sketch definitely made it clear that it is, indeed, pretty strange. It was mildly funny, though nothing too hysterical.
My Score: 8/10

ATM:
This was a pretty thoughtful sketch, up until the end. Then, you realized that the sketch only happened because Rockwell's character had to get money for his lady of the evening, and in made some of the commentary in it a little less impactful. It was still funny, and the ending made it even more funny, but it was still a pretty strange ending.
My Score: 8/10

Marcus Comes to Dinner:
This definitely wasn't your cookie cutter SNL "meet the parents" sketch. I definitely wasn't expecting it to go "there" after the beginning, but it sure was hilarious. The reaction of Aidy Bryant's character at the very end of the sketch was really hilarious and was probably my favorite part of it. This sketch wasn't perfect, but I did find it enjoyable throughout and it was easily the sketch of the night (not including the Cold Open).
My Score: 9/10

Genetics Lab:
This wasn't great comedy or anything, but it sure was cute. It wasn't the funniest sketch in the world either, but come on, it had a PUPPY in it!!! Who doesn't love puppies??? Monsters. That's who.
My Score: 8.5/10

Chantix Commercial:
For much of its runtime, this sketch deviated from being annoying to just plain boring. It's not very common for me to dislike a commercial parody, and those are-nearly guaranteed to be hits and not misses for me. This one, however, was a decided miss. It wasn't anything too bad, but it was just-okay. At the very least, it was an improvement on just about everything in SNL's final episode of 2017.
My Score: 7/10

Wrap-Up:
In the end, this was a pretty so-so episode. It wasn't terrible or anything, but there just wasn't anything that really "popped" other than the Cold Open. Much of the episode was just forgettable. There wasn't anything that bad, and most was just harmless fun, but that rarely makes for a good episode. With a host as talented as Rockwell, I was hoping for a better episode. It was still entertaining enough, but I can't say I wasn't disappointed.

Grade: B-
Score: 7.5/10
Pass or Fail: Pass
MVP of the Week: Sam Rockwell
Sketch of the Night: Cold Open: 
Morning Joe & Michael Wolff
Worst of the Night: Sam Rockwell Monologue

Top 5 Hosts of the Season:
1)
 Chance the Rapper
2) Saoirse Ronan
3) Tiffany Haddish
4) Kumail Nanjiani
5) Gal Gadot

What did you think of this week's SNL? What was your favorite sketch this week? Let me know in the comments and vote in the poll below!



*Photos courtesy of NBC.com*

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