THE KELLY FILE: This isn’t a bad cold open, but it doesn’t really get going until Kate McKinnon’s Kaci Hickox starts talking about dishing out M&Ms to kids with her bare hands and until Moynihan’s Christie shows up at her house to have a slap fest. GRADE: C+
MONOLOGUE: Oh, how I love when the audience is uncomfortable. The monologue pushes all the buttons Rock intends to push as he goes on about the Boston Marathon, and he is absolutely fearless here; that’s what I like. He’s also very funny as well, and it’s clear that stand up routines make for the best monologues. GRADE: A-
HOW TO DANCE WITH JANELLE: I wasn’t too big on the sketch at the beginning, but it slowly progresses into something funny. It’s still not entirely polished, but Mooney and Rock play off each other very well, and it’s nice that Zamata gets a bigger role. GRADE: C+
GOPROBE FOR COLONOSCOPY: This is a short, sweet sketch with a funny concept, and it’s very enjoyable. I especially like the image of the old-time colonoscopy and the footage of a colonoscopy being used as a surfing background. GRADE: B
HOW’S HE DOING?: The first time we saw this, it was absolutely stellar. It’s a bit weaker this time, but it still brings in the laughs with the bit about Obama’s kids talking back to him because they want to keep watching Scandal. GRADE: B-
WEEKEND UPDATE: Pete Davidson’s “Resident young person” character isn’t as great as before, but his “All except for one thing” line is hilarious. Katt Williams and Suge Knight, however, don’t really bring the laughs, and the Jost/Che segments are fairly average. GRADE: C+
SHARK TANK: The crowd is out of this one, that’s for sure. I’m a big fan of pushing things, so I’m really glad about the creative concept here surrounding ISIS, but the sketch as a whole is not very polished. It’d be really hilarious to see an all-out bidding war for ISIS, let’s be honest. A for creativity, but certainly not for execution. GRADE: C+
SWIFTAMINE: Nice. Here’s a good concept that develops into something great, and Bennett’s doctor is a great deadpan presence; the contrasting inner messages are a nice touch. I also love Jones’s reaction to getting Taylor Swift vertigo. GRADE: B+
ROCK/JONES: Yikes. There’s a small bit in here where Jones looks at the camera and shrugs in that “What am I supposed to do now?” look. Everyone makes mistakes, but this almost kills whatever momentum the sketch might’ve built up (which is not much). It just ends up being an awkward back and forth between Rock and Jones. GRADE: D+
BANK ROBBERY: I love the concept here, yet again, but the joke begins to fade as the sketch progresses. It starts out very strong, but it sputters out. However, there’s always the visual of two bank robbers attempting to explain Confederate and Union soldiers to a scared kid. GRADE: B
WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE: Kate McKinnon has some weird things going on with her voice in this sketch. Anyway, it’s a segment that has a few jokes peppered sporadically throughout, but it doesn’t really gel into a fully formed piece of comedy. In fact, it’s a microcosm of the entire show tonight, what with all the clumsy acting.
PRINCE: Killed it.
GRADE: C+
IN TWO WEEKS: Woody Harrelson and Kendrick Lamar. What a pairing, and I’m definitely excited for it.
Photo credit: NBC, Saturday Night Live
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