The Jeremy Renner episode of SNL was a very long three weeks ago and usually when there is a longer break, the show’s writers, who were recently nominated for a Writers Guild Award, come back with a renewed vigor that makes for a great show. Last night with Jamie Foxx was no different.

It started off strong with the cold open. Jay Pharoah’s Pres. Obama impression is on fire. At the beginning of the season I was a little nervous but seriously, it has just gotten better each and every time he’s come out. That combined with Bill Hader’s picked on John Boehner, was hysterical. Poor John Boehner, his milk is thrown in the trash and they held him down and took his pants.

I have to say, Jamie Foxx if the most comfortable I’ve seen anyone while doing the monologue this season. Even Louis C.K. seemed a little out of his element even though the monologue that week was stand-up, exactly his element. I imagine it is partly in thanks to Foxx’s time spent on the timeless classic, In Living Color, but he looked right at home. I cringed just a bit when he sat down at the piano because seriously this has been the season of the musical monologues, but this is Jamie Foxx! He can certainly sing, this we know. And I’ll admit, his cheekbones did seem more defined after he sang a little ditty.

If you are like me and had never heard “Birthday Song” and had no idea who the dude was that showed up at the end of the monologue… that was an artist named 2 Chainz. Learn something new everyday.

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an episode in which there were two game show sketches. I’m not complaining by any means because I happen to be a fan of game show sketches, just thought it was odd. The first “Bitch, What’s the Answer?” was quite amusing in it’s simplicity.  I think it’s the mark of a good episode that when the second worst sketch of the entire show is actually funny. Make no mistake though, this was a low point which makes one wonder- why on earth do you lead with the bottom of the barrel? So unusual.

I’m about to say something critical of Taran Killam. I hate saying critical things of Taran Killam.

This sketch has got to go. It’s third on my most hated list (right behind Fred Armisen as the disgusting talk show producer and The Californians) and it has just run it’s course. Jason Sudeikis is actually the funniest part of this one but even he can not save it. It was barely funny when they first did this sketch, it’s not even remotely funny anymore. Just put it out to pasture already. Please.

Again, a pre-taped piece is one of the better ones of the night.
I’m sort of surprised that it took them this long to write this bit. Maybe they knew Jamie Foxx was coming up so they shelved it until this week, who knows? What I do know is I loved it. When “Madea” was telling “Alex Cross” to look her in the eye and Jamie Foxx was going crosseyed, I damn near pissed myself I laughed so hard.  The premise was equally ridiculous and genius all wrapped up in hysterical.

Ne-Yo can be described with these few words: Fly girls, WTF are those pants, perfect fedora, stage too small for that many dancers, “she is” sound like “shit”. The end.

Weekend Update was perfect this week. Perfect. Perfect picture of perfection. I take that back, there was one blemish in the near perfect complexion and that would be “Chicken Sandusky”. I wonder where it was written that SNL, and Seth Myers especially, is required to make the whole Jerry Sandusky thing funny. It seems as if they are trying really hard to find the joke and have been doing so all season. Give it up guys and gals, it isn’t working.

You know what is working? Jamie Foxx as a Ding Dong.

Between “snack profiling” and “snack brother from a different batter”, I was dying. Even my husband who is not much of an SNL type of comedy fan, found the “call me dong” line hysterical. I was also really impressed that even though it was obvious Jamie Foxx was moments away from losing it completely, he kept it together and was able to finish the bit without only a few little breaks. That’s tough, once you get the giggles it’s difficult to regain composure. At least I’ve never been able to do it.

Even though this episode had very little female presence, what little it did have was divine. Aidy Bryant is slowly but surely starting to get in more sketches which just makes my heart sing. Her Mrs. Claus was both brilliant and disturbing. I don’t know about anyone else, but the idea of Santa’s grooming situation downstairs is not something I want to think of at all. However when she mentioned Criss Angel: Mind Freak, I guffawed. Quite loudly. I don’t know who wrote her bit but good on them. It was so much fun.

Usually I’ll chuckle a time or two during the actual “news” parts of Weekend Update but there was twice this week that I was actually laughing. The first was the “Obama insults Israel” line about Fox News and the National Christmas Tree and the second was this:
I don’t know if it was because it was just so unexpected and/or so ridiculous but damn was I tickled by this. It wouldn’t have mattered what that tweet said, the name “muffinbuster14” alone was enough to set me off. I’m still laughing about it today.

The “Tree Pimp” was somewhat entertaining but outside of Keenan Thompson humping a tree, it wasn’t all that great. Well the tree humping and then Fred Armisen making out with the tree in his car. Freaky.

There are sketches and parts of sketches that have worked their way from SNL into everyday lexicon. I imagine there are many people who would recognize John Belushi as the Samurai and Martin Short’s Ed Grimley. In more recent times, Turd Ferguson is pretty well known as is Chris Farley’s “van down by the river”. I think three of the last four (Tree Pimp being the fourth) sketches have potential of becoming that kind of catchphrase.

There were a lot of people (internet people) who were pissing and moaning that there was way too much “racial humor” in this episode. Well that’s just ridiculous. It was humor, plain, simple, and funny humor. Of course some of it had a racial tone to it but it’s no different than when people who are from other countries host the show, their culture is usually worked into different sketches. When it comes to “Dylan McDermott or Dermot Mulroney” the race component is only a small part of the joke. Yea yea, it’s funny that white people think all black people look the same and all black people think white people look the same but with this one? No one can tell these two apart! I can not tell you the number of times I’ve watched a movie or TV show that one of them has been in and wondered to myself, now who is this again?

If “Rupert Everett is the gay Dylan McDermott” was comedy gold then “Derbel McDillet” was platinum. I’m sure my neighbors thought we’d added a hyena to our animal collection because I was laughing like a mad woman. I’d almost go so far as to say that Derbel McDillet is funnier than Turd Ferguson. Derbel McDillet- that shit’s funny.

If ever there was a sketch that you could point at and say, “yes that was written by people conscious thanks solely to copious amounts of caffeine and nicotine”, this was it. “Maine Justice” worked only because it was so over the top and so asinine that it couldn’t be anything but hilarity. Even with how stupid this sketch was, it was enjoyable. Especially to watch Jason Sudeikis who seemed to genuinely have a good time as the Col. Sanders look-a-like judge. Sadly, I think it’s been awhile since he has enjoyed this job as much as he did in the past so it was nice to see that again. Of course there have been rumors flying around for over a year whether or not he would be leaving, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him announce he was done if not in the next weeks, in the next few months. He will be missed but hopefully he’ll go on to have a successful movie career, even perhaps team up with his Horrible Bosses and now “Maine Justice” co-star, Charlie Day.

The ‘stupidest, most ridiculous, how on earth did this make it on the show, yet funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time’ award goes to “Swavorski Crystals”. Give Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong credit for this sketch’s success because it was all in the timing. Anyone can make a joke about ex-porn stars shilling Swavorski Crystals but these two took that joke and made it their own. Although Cecily Strong forgetting her name and Vanessa Bayer losing her foot because it “broke off in a butt” were funny, I think we can all agree that “Anal” was the funniest thing uttered in that entire sketch, if not the entire show.

It is rare that SNL ends on such a strong sketch, but it was a refreshing change that is for sure.

Overall, very strong episode. I love this kind of episode where you could see the host easily being a cast member each week. I would not be opposed to seeing Jamie Foxx as an SNL regular. Actually I’m surprised he’s only hosted twice! That needs to be amended. Perhaps in another couple years we’ll see him back on the SNL stage. For now, I’m just going to go rewatch this episode and laugh at Derbel McDillet some more.

Next week is Martin Short and Paul McCartney which has the potential to be quite a good episode.

Until next time!