Will Ferrell has been doing the Will Ferrell thing for so long (playing embarrassingly self-absorbed fools, both fictional and based on real people) that it's easy to forget that when necessary, he can still serve as glue on “Saturday Night Live.”
Hosting the show for the sixth time since leaving the cast in 2002, Ferrell had plenty of those goofballs to portray, including a “Naked Man” dad whose underwear is exposed on his butt when he meets his daughter's boyfriend. But in sketch after sketch on the show, he showed his usual 100% commitment to each character, even when he played himself in the monologue doing a bit about a mistaken identity with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. (Smith stayed throughout the show, sitting in with the “SNL” band and playing drums for Paul McCartney.)
The ability to stay in character, no matter how absurd the premise, served Ferrell well once again, whether he was playing a doctor who Accidentally cut off a man's penis. (Mikey Day, trying hard not to laugh), a halfling in a “Lord of the Rings”-style fantasy clip who betrays his fellowship, a gibberish-speaking mechanic, and a cruel high school drama teacher (along with another former cast member, Molly Shannon). retaining a cast list for “Grease.” He also made a surprising appearance outdoors as the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein.
Ferrell was an ideal closer for season 51, which focused heavily on developing relatively new talent in the cast, including rising stars Ashley Padilla, Jeremy Culhane and Marcello Hernandez. Ferrell hit it off with each of them and everyone else, doing the Will Ferrell thing, which still works tremendously well after all these years.
Musical guest Paul McCartney appeared in Ferrell's monologue and mechanical sketch, and performed a new song, “Days We Left Behind,” as well as “Band on the Run” and “Coming Up” at the end of the show as the credits rolled.
After an absence of a few weeks, President Trump (James Austin Johnson) returned sleepy from his trip to China. After failing to apologize for not bringing Vice President JD Vance (Culhane), Trump falls asleep on a gold bar from Switzerland before being visited by Epstein (Ferrell), who makes a series of jokes and insinuations about his association with Trump. When Trump bemoans his low approval rating in his 30s, Epstein responds: “Thirties? Disgusting, call me when I'm 17.” But Epstein, who claims that hell is “very, very hot” and includes Joseph Stalin and John Wayne Gacy, is there to show Trump the future, one in which former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (Padilla) sells vacuum cleaners on the Home Shopping Network and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) and FBI Director Kash Patel (a returning Aziz Ansari) co-host a bro podcast while sharing a giant beer pipe. Trump believes the podcast is a sign that the war in Iran will be over by then. “We came second,” Epstein assures him. The two then launched into a cover of “Just the Two of Us” before nearly kissing before launching into “Live from New York… It's 'Saturday Night!'.”
Even eagle-eyed viewers might have needed about a full minute to realize that the person on stage delivering the monologue was actually not Will Ferrell but Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, who has been making a Gag extended for over a decade. about their striking resemblance. Ferrell followed him, wearing the same gray suit, stating: “He pushed me backstage. And I fell hard. Lorne (Michaels) had to give me mouth to mouth.” Ferrell tried to do a complete reboot of the monologue but couldn't get the vibe back. He turned to the audience to ask questions, but only found McCartney there, who still couldn't distinguish between the presenter and the drummer. Ferrell listed many of the songs McCartney has written (which weren't performed on the show this time), but noted that there are some great songs he didn't write, including “Timber” with Pitbull.
Best sketch of the night: did you at least check the gearbox of your Rav4?
In a piece called “What It's Like to Talk to a Mechanic,” Ferrell plays an automobile expert who tells a clueless couple (Day and Padilla) that their vehicle needs a lot of work. But it uses completely strange terms like “dong rod joint” and “camber” that is out of control and rotten to describe what's wrong. Another specialist (Hernández) arrives, describing the car's breakdowns with funny noises and partly in Spanish. “A new trans person is needed,” he declares. He also expects them to return every six days and attend his private party. A third mechanic (McCartney) discovered that the steering wheel was on the wrong side and that his “drunk and dim” was “just fine.” The level of absurdity continues to rise, but it will sound familiar to anyone who has ever felt like their mechanic is speaking a completely different language. The sketch's only misstep is the ending, which comes off as a cheap joke.
Also good: that white flag he was carrying should have been a warning.
It's been a bit shocking how good some of this season's pre-filmed pieces look, including this one, a Midnight Matinee sketch from “The Lord of the Rings” called “Bobbin's Sacrifice.” It features, with pretty good special effects and costumes, a full cast of orcs, elves, and dwarves during a castle siege, as well as Ferrell as a small, hobbit-like halfling named Bobbin who bravely volunteers to destroy a bridge separating the heroes from the monsters. However, once outside the castle gates, Bobbin proudly declares in song that he is changing sides. And not just change, but offer the orcs plans to the castle and give them magical items that he stole from his friends. Things don't end so well for Bobbin, but at least he goes out memorably and with a song in his heart.
'Weekend Update' Winner: How Do You Apply to Be Blast Boy?
“Update” traditionally has a joke between co-hosts Jost and Michael Che in which each writes jokes that the other has to read. This edition wasn't too surprising: Jost was forced to spit racist jokes about black vampires (referring to “sinners”) and use his Staten Island ferry to send blacks “back to the homeland.” Che was forced to make light of the sexual abuse accusations against Michael Jackson. The segment ended up being one of the weaker jokes, ending with a threat to have a barber cut Jost's hair on live television (it didn't happen). Surprisingly, the joke wasn't as funny as Culhane's return as Mr. On Blast, a guy with takes that are far from engaging. Example: “AI? More like PU” “Metaverse? Why don't you read a Bible verse?” Mr. On Blast enhances his weak jokes with highly entertaining dance moves accompanied by sound effects. This time, the character used a new catchphrase: “Devoted!” in reference to being Christian and Jewish, and brought out bearded dancers called Blast Boys. Culhane was on point and is sure to return next season for more fun like this.
