This was a strange episode of SNL. Bill Burr was physically there but emotionally decidedly not. Here’s Burr’s 2020 stand-up monologue. See the difference in vibes? Maybe he felt stressed about taking the post-election hosting gig from Dave Chapelle. Maybe he had a vision of all the flack he’d get online post-show. Who knows.

The reactions have, indeed, been brutal. Elon Musk shared words about Dana Carvey’s impression of him (which I do think fell a bit flat but worked in tandem with “Hot, Jacked Trump”, which I cracked up at).

I genuinely don’t have the energy to fully break it down myself, so I’ll just share this quote from Vulture’s analysis that I think does the job.

“During [2020’s] monologue, he called out white women specifically for hijacking the woke movement and making it about themselves. Whether those jokes were valid or funny is debatable, but they inarguably offered trenchant cultural analysis and a point of view. His latest monologue, in contrast, is submerged in the swamp of vintage misogyny. There’s no political commentary lurking in material about how women might win more elections if they dress like they’re trying to get free drinks at a bar. All that’s there is an artless effort to provoke outrage — Tony Hinchcliffe with the world’s strongest Boston accent.”

Check out the cold open here:

The sketches

Most of Burr’s sketches lacked energy and felt forced. I liked Rorschach Test — the joke was unexpected and Burr’s delivery was really, really funny. I loved The Janitor! James Austin Johnson’s Robin Williams was excellent. I generally like the movie parodies, and the Bill-Burr-Boston thing was on display here in a great way (“Bahf”).

Calling Dad had good moments (“I think your car and my car should go to Ireland,”). Bowen Yang saved Trauma Support Group.

Sex Rock CD fell flat. I did enjoy the Andrew Dismukes-fronted Snakeskin moments (he’s been getting in a lot of musical moments this season) with hilarious moments from both Johnson and Sarah Sherman, but the garage scenes dragged.

Bald Guys was tough for me. I actually like the premise, I think it’s a really funny idea (plus, I’m always up for a song theme). But it didn’t feel like anyone’s hearts were in it. Burr was literally looking around the stage for the cut-off cue, and although the featured extras seemed to be enjoying themselves, everyone in the main cast felt like they were counting down to the end of the show. There just wasn’t an energy there, and it was almost uncomfortable to watch. I Got One fully missed the mark for me. It absolutely dragged and I have to admit I was super relieved when it ended.

The musical guest

I’ll confess I’d never heard of Mk.gee before this week’s show, but I thought he put on a fine performance. He sounded good and his set decor worked for his show, which isn’t always the case. I’ll be checking him out on Spotify this week.

Final thoughts

I feel like a Debbie Downer on this week’s episode, but a lot of moments just felt super off to me. I’m thinking back to a few weeks ago when I gave Ariana Grande a 2.5/5 and wishing I could go back in time. I guess I didn’t realize how low we’d go this season! It was a tough night in my opinion, with just a few sparkling moments shining through. I liked Mk.gee and thought there were a few great sketches, but this isn’t an episode I’ll return to.

My rating: 2/5