SNL: Channing Tatum/Bon Iver

COLD OPEN
ZOË RICE: I was utterly enchanted by this view of two years into the “future,” and I may have to use “May divorce be with you” in conversation somehow. I found it a bit deflating when Newt acknowledged the fantasy as “crazy ass,” but that’s quibbling.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Strongly agree. When the demise of Newt’s campaign is addressed in future historical documentaries, a clip from this skit will be mandatory.

MONOLOGUE
ZOË RICE: I am admittedly unfamiliar with the Channing Tatum oeuvre, but it’s not hard to see his greatest talents rest from the neck down. The monologue was rather a throwaway, but it seemed catered to that greatest talent.

HOWARD MEGDAL: And I was fine with it here- didn’t think it was all that amusing, but the monologues seldom are from non-comedians. Little did I know this would be the sole humorous theme of the night.

GETTING FREAKY WITH CEE LO GREEN
ZOË RICE: I’m still not sure why this is a sketch. What’s there really to spoof about Cee Lo? We know he’s kind of freaky, so the sketch is just confirming what we already know. Perhaps there could be more to it, but Kenan doesn’t have the chops. Hader’s character added little, but Tatum gave a strong McConaughey impression. So…we’re just keeping him naked, is that it?

HOWARD MEGDAL: Exactly. And man, he does not have the basic ability to read cue cards or to be funny. What exactly is going on here? There have to be thousands of guys who work out a ton with better comedic timing, no?

SPIKE ORIGINAL
ZOË RICE: Heh – a fun take on Downton Abbey. Perhaps our Perpetual Post reviews have been taking the wrong track! Very enjoyable.

HOWARD MEGDAL: I really did enjoy this. I wonder how many people took this as a shot at Downton Abbey? To me, it was obviously a shot at people who weren’t smart enough to get Downton Abbey. Not that it’s molecular physics, either.

NBC FOOTBALL
ZOË RICE: A cute way to lampoon the Super Bowl. I imagine it would have been funnier if I knew who any of the people were.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Yes, but also seeing that ludicrous inset graphic on NBC shows helped, too. Too bad more people don’t watch Rock Center yet…

SECRET WORD
ZOË RICE: And the not-so-secret verdict is that this sketch has far overstayed its welcome. We’re way past the point of mercy. Just let it die.

HOWARD MEGDAL: I am consistently surprised they bring this one back. Again, what is the target? I feel like SNL needs to ask itself that before airing every single skit. If the answer is, “Some amorphous sense of a 1960s actress totally self-unaware”, ditch it.

BON IVER
ZOË RICE: I’m getting a vibe of the Say Anything soundtrack meeting Kenny G. And although that sounds like a potentially disastrous mix, the song wound up being quite pretty, and even prettier once the harmony kicked in.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Really? Her? This just felt like it dragged on forever.

UPDATE
ZOË RICE: As usual the bright spot in an otherwise mediocre episode. I do suspect Moynihan’s Guy Fieri impression is much funnier to someone who’s ever seen Guy Fieri, which I have not. The Lana Del Rey spot by Wiig was a perfect response to all the criticism (even if I agree with much of it). Wiig nailed it. I noticed on Lana’s episode that during the goodbye hugs, Seth could be seen saying something like, “I’m a real fan.” I wonder if he indeed is. Either way, I’m a fan of the impression.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Yes, perfect response to Lana Del Rey, though I’m on Team Brian Williams. And Guy Fieri is just fantastic- Bobby Moynihan is the Jared Jeffries of the SNL cast. No, I’m not one of the fans who boos him, either.

REBECCA’S BAT MITZVAH
ZOË RICE: Earth-shattering? No. But cute and fun, which is the least I expect from Pedrad. My favorite part is the play on expectations when Tatum turns out to be playing a 24-year-old.

HOWARD MEGDAL: And Tatum is sexy dancing again. I have no objection- clearly, SNL writers didn’t think he was up for doing anything else- but I was surprised. Even with January Jones, they tried a few things. Maybe they learned from that?

TOM BRADY AT RUBY TUESDAY
ZOË RICE: There’s just not much here. Not even a spoof of Tom Brady.  I hope Moynihan doesn’t reprise this character.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Not Moynihan’s fault they gave him nothing, but what a waste of time. “It’s the Super Bowl, let’s loosely tie a skit around Tom Brady and a fat lady” is not the same thing as capturing the zeitgeist.

GO-TECHS FLEX
ZOË RICE: If I had low expectations, this would satisfy them. Perhaps this is as good as we can expect at this point. Not a bad sketch – with good work from Wiig – just nothing I’ll particularly remember.

HOWARD MEGDAL: I suppose so. Felt like filler. Didn’t laugh here. But it might simply have been the lack of momentum.

BON IVER
ZOË RICE: I’m getting Sting meets Peter Gabriel. And it works.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Does it?

BONGO’S CLOWN ROOM
ZOË RICE: So there’s no concept, it’s not funny, and we’re reminded that Channing Tatum’s only talent seems to be stripping? Unfortunately this episode-ender felt irredeemable.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Well, it would have been selling out the episode theme if we didn’t circle back to stripping one last time. If SNL was at all representative of Mr. Tatum’s talents, I’m thinking his long-term career prospects are maybe 2-3 years, max.