With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice doing well at the box office and Michael Keaton’s history cemented as a vet host (yes, I know people have beef with his 1982 show), this was a natural choice for the run-up to Halloween. I loved Keaton’s “Awkward Elevator Operator” sketch from the 1990s and know Billie Eilish is becoming somewhat of an SNL fan fave, so this ought to have been a great show. In reality, the energy was low and the sketches were hit or miss. Although I loved the Mikey Day and Andy Samberg Beetlejuices in the opening monologue, it didn’t feel like Keaton did. And maybe that set the tone for more of a low-key evening.

The sketches that worked

I’m jumping around in order because I have to start with the absolute, no-contest, undeniably best sketch of the night: Shop TV: Halloween Cookies. This is a recurring sketch with Day and Heidi Gardner, and it lands just about every time. This week’s was no exception. Keaton was so believable as the baker selling his zombie eye cookies, and I was cracking up when he started squeezing them.

We should expect the cold opens to keep the running guest cast until the election passes, and although it has lost a bit of its charm since the season opener, they’re still fun. This one did drag a little — saved by Alec Baldwin’s Bret Baier running “I can’t listen because I’m talking,” bit. Maya Rudolph as Kamala = always perfection, even if the lines aren’t killing.

I actually really liked the TikTok sketch! Favorite parts: Guest appearance from Billie Eilish, the Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump moments, the call-back to last week’s “Espresso” parody song, and the creativity of the bespoke TikToks partnered with the references to real TikTok accounts.

I’m all in on Emil Wakim and thought his Weekend Update spot was excellent.

I haven’t seen Please Don’t Destroy flop too many times, and their first short of the season was a solid 7/10 for me. It had all the classic twists and turns we’ve come to expect from their previous films and was just silly and fun to watch.

Low on my “what worked” list, but still making it in = Horror Choreography. Day was hilarious behind the mask and Keaton really leaned into the instructor role. This one was a winner for me.

The sketches that didn’t

Lowest point of the episode for me was Uber Game Show. I’m usually all in on anything Ego Nwodim-adjacent, but this one fell flat for me. And Keaton’s character felt strange, like he wasn’t all the way there for it. Sarah Sherman was the best part.

You’ve gotta give Andrew Dismukes props for going all the way with his vocal performance, and I’m always down to hate on Train, but Forbidden Romance didn’t land.

I saw where they were going with Tableside, but this is another one that just missed the mark entirely. Maybe it just wasn’t well-written, but it was another one where Keaton’s energy felt super low.

The musical guest

There’s no denying that Billie Eilish is a musical talent — she’s got a great voice and a unique take. It’s always fun when musical guests do something new with the SNL stage, and this was a great example. The backlit cloudscape, the under-stage camera, the shoes with the album name printed on the bottom, the slow reveal of the band… all very cool. “Birds of Feather” is definitely worth watching!

Final thoughts

There were some great moments — but if I’m being honest, most of them didn’t include the host. Keaton’s energy was low and he was underutilized by the script. That Shop TV sketch absolutely saved him! And luckily, there was lots of other good stuff: Eilish’s performances, pretty much all of Weekend Update, and a solid SNL short.

My rating: 3/5