SNL has always been the place dramatic actors can go to prove they know how to do the funny stuff, too. Sometimes, that can come off forced. Other times, it really, truly works. Paul Mescal made it really, truly work.

The sketches that worked

• For me, the sketch of the night was “Gladiator II: The Musical.” No notes. No edits.
• You really can’t hate on a cold open that brings in so many, many favorites and fun moments. Even if Dana Carvey isn’t your cup of tea, you’ve gotta respect the generation-crossing impact for SNL fans! I enjoyed the “Church Chat 2024 Cold Open.”
• One thing I really respected about Mescal as host was his willingness to play the straight man, handing the comedy off to cast members when needed. A great example of that was “Brilliant Lawyer.” Bonus: Fun to see Carl Tart on screen!
• Consider me a Satoshi Gutman mega-fan. Is there nothing Bowen Yang can’t do? Watch “Spotify Wrapped” here.
• I loved Mescal’s restrained delivery in “Italian Restaurant Commercial,” but I hate to say I am just still not loving Ashley Padilla… Cannot put my finger on why. She’s just not my brand.
• I’m a big fan of Heidi Gardner‘s entourage of Update characters. She’s kinda the new Kristin Wiig in that regard! This week’s “A Mom Whose Son Just Got Famous” killed me.
• “Paul Mescal is Daddy” = Big yes.

The sketches that didn’t

• I do love seeing more Emil Wakim, but I don’t know if “Earring” landed for me.
• “A Complete Unknown Red Carpet“

The musical guest

Lorne Michaels probably wouldn’t have booked Shaboozey if he hadn’t agreed to sing “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” so we knew that one was coming. I personally loved watched “Good News” and felt his performances in general sounded great!

Final thoughts

I liked this episode. It offered up a new side of Paul Mescal and gave us some new classics! We also got to see a lot more of the new featured players, which is always great.

My rating: 4.5/5