“Saltburn” and “Euphoria” actor and apparent “girl” Jacob Elordi hosted “Saturday Night Live” in an episode that inverted the usual “sexy host” dynamic (see: Emma Stone, Ana de Armas). Instead, several sketches showed female cast members fawning over the handsome and very tall Australian actor. They included a “Bachelorette”-type sketch in which Elordi’s height alone ensures him a win on a show featuring pint-sized singles called “Crown Your Short King”; one about an AA women's group that accepts a man (Elordi) just because he's handsome and a sex addict (he was as bad as they come); and an article about an acting studio with a celebrity guest (Elordi) who has never had to audition or have problems as an actor because of his good looks.
It would seem like an egregious buildup (we get it: he's handsome!) if Elordi had blown the barn doors off the show's other sketches that weren't about his physical appearance. Instead, he struggled with microphone issues throughout the episodes, delivered flat comedic line readings, and never seemed in his element anywhere except in the monologue, where he was sincerely honored to be the host. He is a good actor, as demonstrated by “Saltburn”, but as a guest host performing comedy sketches…? Let's just say he was great in “Saltburn.”
Elsewhere on the show, Ego Nwodin played Katt Williams in an ad for an eight-hour version of his infamous “Club Shay Shay” interview, “Entertainment Tonight” brought in lip-reading experts to misread images of celebrities, and a wedding goes wrong. when Hinge's Garrett shows up to interrupt the proceedings.
Elordi was joined on the show by musical guest Reneé Rapp, who starred in “Mean Girls,” in both the stage and film versions. She performed “Snow Angel” and “Not My Fault,” the latter with Megan Thee Stallion, and was introduced by original “Mean Girls” star Rachel McAdams. McAdams also appeared in the acting studio sketch as a student named Natalie Partman who has the misfortune of looking like famous actress Rachel McAdams.
This week’s cold open returned to politics after the final “SNL” cold open of 2023 veered into pop culture with a mock awards show after a disastrous cold open the week before that focused on campuses university students and hearings on anti-Semitism. James Austin Johnson turned heads with his reliable and still very accurate impression of Donald Trump. But the shine on his performance may be wearing off a bit, despite Trump's victory in the Iowa caucuses last week. Appearing in U.S. District Court in Lower Manhattan, Johnson's Trump referred to his Republican rivals, including “Ron DeStupid” and “Darling Nikki.” [Haley], promised that he is fine mentally (“He's doing very well cognitively. I'm more cognitive than ever!”) and stated that “he's back like 'Mean Girls!' ” before regretting that actress Lacey Chabert will not appear in the new “Mean Girls” movie. She encouraged seniors to “stay alive until November, pull that lever and drop dead.” Maybe it's the fractured Republican presidential race or Trump's many grueling trials, but the part just didn't feel as fresh or fun as previous openings with Johnson as Trump.
In the monologue of what Elordi described as “the first and so far best show of 2024,” the actor referenced the viral TikTok videos inspired by “Saltburn” and did a Q&A with the audience, which, again, she focused on how attractive he was. actors. He ended with a non sequitur, naming an earlier film in Elordi's career, “The Kissing Booth,” which led to Kenan Thompson appearing as a man who apparently kisses a noble elephant on his property. It was in response to Elordi's question: “Can you name another animal that kisses?” The monologue ended sincerely with Elordi thanking everyone, including the audience, for his success. “Thanks to you, I am here. So thank you, thank you very much.”
Best sketch of the night: Alaska Airlines is grounded
Alaska Airlines burned out, unsurprisingly, given the negative attention it received after a hole opened in the side of one of its planes mid-flight earlier this month. In a mock commercial, the airline flips the script on the incident by telling passengers who suffered the trauma: “You didn't die and you have an interesting story… Other airlines let you watch movies, but in Alaska, you're in! the movie!” The airline promised a $50 commemorative photo, similar to what you'd get on a Six Flags roller coaster, with every flight and said it plans to employ “Sully” Sullenberger (Johnson). The final insult of the sketch? “Even better than Spirit!”
Also good: the bowling alley animations become more dramatic
You know those cheesy animations that appear at the bowling alley when you hit a strike or throw a ball into the gutter? A couple on a date (Elordi and Heidi Gardner) are offered increasingly elaborate and dramatic mini-movies featuring cast members dressed as bowling pins. They include a sad divorce (for “DIVISION!”), a beating for not respecting unions (“STRIKE!”), and a press conference for a serial killer who has killed NINE. An incredibly dumb idea that only rises to the level of second best sketch of the night due to a lack of other viable candidates.
'Weekend Update' Winner: A Courthouse Jumper Speaks Out
Devon Walker appeared as South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who recently dropped out of the presidential race, but was surpassed as the best part of this week's “Weekend Update” when Punkie Johnson appeared as a defendant in a viral video , who jumped and attacked a judge during a trial. Like the defendant, Deobra Redden, Punkie Johnson expressed surprise that the judge wasn't surrounded by glass (“Even CVS shampoo has a glass, man!”) and praised his own athleticism in the video. It wasn't the best “Weekend Update” guest segment lately, but as with the rest of the episode, there were few options this week.
