Cold Open: I actually don't mind Forte's Bush as much as most here do, and the way they ended the sketch saved an otherwise dull open. It was an improvement on the first episode's open at least.

Monologue: Will's James Lipton is outstanding. This will almost certainly be the funniest thing on SNL this season (unless he hosts).

Colonial Williamsburg: It wasn't really laugh out loud funny, but I thought it was solid. The apocethary line was good.

Swimming instructor: Okay, I was wrong. This is funnier than the monologue. That was some outstanding physical comedy.

Kim Jong Il: At least this seemed short. I imagine we'll be seeing even more of it due to world events.

A-holes: The treadmill thing was hysterical, as was the Astro thing.

Band: I don't listen.

Weekend Update: There was nothing special here. At least they only gave us one bad guest this week.

Mexican Restaurant: Terrible. Did Armisen sneak into prop storage for the Austin Powers movies and steal one of Dr. Evil's outfits?

House of Carters: This was actually a pretty accurate and funny take on something topical. I'm starting to have just a glimmer of hope for SNL.

Harpoon Man: I liked it. It was bizarre and amusing.

McMillan Family Moment: Short and sweet. Nice.

Operation Bearshark: The intro scroll really got me excited. Bears and sharks are funny. This sketch wasn't, though. If you're going to sew a shark head onto a bear suit, at least show us everything. Again with the breaking of the wall...they need to stop it. Pointing out that your suckass sketch sucks doesn't put you in line for a medal. It just shows that you're bad at your job.

Anotehr McMillan Family Moment: Another short and sweet sketch. I approve.

Band: I still don't listen.

Yet Another McMillan Family Moment: A great way to end the series.

This was a much better episode than I expected. Even with the couple of poor sketches, this is an easy B.

Bush interview -

Monologue - Reilly doesn't get much in before Ferrell steals it.

Colonial Williamsburg - Reilly does a good job, but it's just not funny.

Swimming Instructor - Not funny.

Korean Central Television - This makes me realize how funny Poehler thinks she is.

Two A-holes work out - Unlike others here, i've enjoyed these characters since they started doing them, and I think it really helps that they aren't hammered into the ground by doing them every. single. week. However, this wasn't as funny as past skits.

My Chemical Romance - And someone was complaining about last week's guest? Boy, how I hate MySpace.

Weekend Update - Really, really lame. I don't think I laughed once. That whole "note reading" thing when Amy left was painfully drawn out. Though, I did chuckle when Keenan mentioned something about hoes. Guess it didn't make that much of an impression.

Jennifer -

House of Carter - This skit was almost as much of a waste of space as the real-life clowns are.

Harpoon Man - I don't think Samberg is comedy gold the way he and some people on here think, but I did slightly chuckle when it turned out he was a whale. Or maybe I sneezed?

McMillan Family Moment - I laughed. Not a hearty laugh, but enough to give it a

BearShark - Umm, no.

McMillan Family Moment II - Not funny. But I did chuckle when he tossed the X-Box on the oreos.

My Chemical Romance - Bad, but mercifully short.

McMillan Family Moment III - Bad. Just bad.

I don't have anything bad to say about Reilly. He was a good host, but he suffered from the lack of material. That's really not his fault, so he gets a

As for the rest of the show...do you think they could cancel this? Or are they exempt from ratings?

I liked Harpoon Man.

mmmm...

Cold Open
I don't pay much mind to Fox News and have no real idea who Brit Hume is, but it felt 'standard' to me. I loved the ending though. "Good enough for me."

Monologue
I think it was a good move to bring Will in for this one. I was laughing the entire time. When he broke out the "I have an erection" line, I about lost it. Even my wife was laughing at Ferrell's JL impression.

Colonial Williamsburg
Pretty good skit. I lvoed Keenan's 'bell ringing' aggression... and he kept character the entire time. I have a feeling that if Horatio had had that part, he would have been cracking up after the first ring. I liked this skit.

Swimming instructor
Most uncomfortable skit of the night, but the funniest of the evening as well. "Strap in!" and "I've got to adjust my penis" were great. Kudos to Will Forte for playing it straight. That was great. I could have done without the scrolling explanaion at the end... that almost killed it for me.

Kim Jong Il
I still they only do this 'cause someone found the "Pat" suit.

A-holes
I really like Sudekis and Wiig in this role. The Jetson's stuff was great. Second best of the night.

Weekend Update
Aside from the Mcconaughey impression (which was great)... it was okay.

Mexican Restaurant
This first 10 secs of this skit was from the bouncer skit two weeks ago (with Farrah Faucett), I thought I had heard it somewhere before. Reilly in drag was scary. But it made me laugh. They should have saved this sketch until the next time "The Rock" hosts.

House of Carters
Perfect. Made me

Harpoon Man
Made me laugh... but I will never eat fishsticks again.



McMillan Family Moment
Funny.

Operation Bearshark
When "The Zinger" didn't show up in the first 15 seconds, I knew this skit was doomed.... and I was right.

Another McMillan Family Moment
Funny.

Yet Another McMillan Family Moment
A little too close to home.

I'd give this episode a solid B. Best of the season. I laughed alot and thought that Relliy was a good host. Not many folks could pull off the swim instructor part and he did rather well. Kept waiting to see Will pop up again, but that was okay.

My Chemical Romance is weird.






... oh, and for those of you who are keeping track the next host/musical guest combos are:

10/28/06 - (H) Hugh Laurie (M) Beck
11/04/06 - The Best of Darrell Hammond
11/11/06 - (H) Alec Baldwin (M) Christina Aguilera
11/18/06 - (H) Ludacris (M) Ludacris
12/02/06 - (H) Sascha Baron Cohen (M) Fergie
12/09/06 - (H) Cameron Diaz (M) TBA

Another SNL that makes me wonder what sweet devil I owe to keep me watching this dreadful show.

From: Goldberg74
10/28/06 - (H) Hugh Laurie (M) Beck
11/04/06 - The Best of Darrell Hammond ...wow
11/11/06 - (H) Alec Baldwin (M) Christina Aguilera
11/18/06 - (H) Ludacris (M) Ludacris ehh.....
12/02/06 - (H) Sascha Baron Cohen (M) Fergie
12/09/06 - (H) Cameron Diaz (M) TBA... she's been good before...
Good few weeks coming up.

I missed this because I was at a Beck show, good to know he's on next week. Hopefully Hugh Laurie can overcome the writing.

I second your ratings. A couple of bright spots in the first half hour were followed by over an hour of purely unentertaining dreck.

I am seriously concerned that even a brilliant comedic talent like Hugh Laurie has a chance on this show.

Those should be good hosts. Unfortunately, this season is off to a bad start. I would rank them:

3. Dane Cook - Wretched. Absolutely terrible.
2. John C. Reilly - I like Reilly, but this episode was not good.
1. Jaime Pressly - "My Name Is Earl" is painfully unfunny. I absolutely hate it. And this episode was not very good, either. But sadly, this is probably the best episode so far.

Funny you mention it because the swim instructor role seemed like it could have easily been written by/for Will Ferrell. I gave the skit a in my recap, but it was closer to so-so (is there a emo-con for that). The visual was good and props to JCR for going that far, but I think Ferrell would have gone the extra mile to make it an instant classic. Rielly (and the script) played it too strait.

I missed a 2 A-Holes skit. Damn, that's the only thing I am even interested in on this show anymore.

I like 2 A-Holes, but this was probably the worst one they've done. You didn't miss much.

The reason this ep was at least watchable was Reilly. MAN, did he give it his all, even the real crappy skits. He's so talented he just leaves the rest of the cast in the dust 1/2 the time.
I too LOVE Wigg as one of the a-holes. I used to live in NYC and worked part time as a personal trainer in a REALLY jappy gym and I personally knew several women who were EXACTLY like her! I mean, it's eerie. And for some reason she just looks so, so freaking hot as that character, I don't know why.

Cold Open: One-joke skit, but the joke wasn't that funny in the first place.

Monologue: I laughed when I saw Ferrell as Lipton, but I didn't think the monologue was all that funny.

Colonial Williamsburg: Another "one-joke" skit. Reilly's character is racist, ha-ha. Not funny.

Swimming instructor: There was some physical humor here worth a few homo-erotic giggles. Not bad.

Kim Jong Il: Horrible.

Two A-Holes: I don't find these characters at all amusing.

My Chemical Romance: I think they should break up with the chemicals.

Weekend Update: The highlight of the night. Most of the jokes are very funny, even though the Flavor Flav bit stops the momentum in its tracks. Really, Flavor Flav is such a parody of himself already that an impression of him is unnecessary. I laughed hard at the Taurus joke because I am in my 30's and I drive a Taurus.

Mexican Restaurant: Horrible. I kept expecting Reilly to screech "I'm Carol!" Almost made me want to say "Horatio Sanz, come back, all is forgiven."

House of Carters: Haven't seen the show, I don't get it. Mercifully short.

SNL Digital Short “Harpoon Man”: I thought this was pretty funny.

McMillan Family Moment: Awful and pointless.

Operation Bearshark: Bear City, come back, all is forgiven.

McMillan Family Moment (Part 2): Ugh... Again?

My Chemical Romance (Performance 2): Still bad.

McMillan Family Moment (Part 3): They have got to be kidding.


This episode was horrible, so far the worst of the season. Reilly was a good host but the writing (sans Weekend Update) was simply awful.

Final grade: D-

I was changing my old modem in for a new one, and they had "For The Love Of The Game" playing on a big screen TV in the lobby... John C Reilly is the catcher!

He is in everything!

Maybe I'm mad but I find Wigg doing "Astro" impressions really funny.
"Ry-rel-roy..."
had me cracking up.

and NOTHING was worse than that Dane Cooke ep. nothing...

Cold Open: Special Report with Brit Hume: Oh look, a Bush open.

Monologue: Great start with Ferrell doing an oddly confused Lipton, but then it shot downhill with a pointless song.

Colonial Williamsburg: Reilly sells a sketch where he hides his true racist behind his colonial reenactment job. Average comedy, but great stuff from Reilly.

Swim Instructor: Reilly goes all out as a swim instructor preparing to teach the sheepish Forte to swim using a land tandem apparatus. Decent physical comedy sold by Reilly's enthusiasm.

Korean Central Television: Oh look, it's a woman acting like a famous man. That's funny, right? Right?!? No jokes and terrible impression.

Two A-holes Work Out: I love this sketch, but this wasn't as strong as usual. Still, pretty funny. "Babe, do your Astro voice." "Zoinks."

My Chemical Romance: Welcome to the Black Parade: Not my kind of music, but they have style and energy, which is strangely lost on many SNL guests.

Weekend Update: Meyers's McConaughey impression was pretty good. He's getting better behind the desk. Otherwise meh, but not embarrassingly bad like others.

Jennifer and Robert: Kudos to Reilly for almost selling one of the biggest WTF go-nowhere sketches with a great performance. Almost.

House of Carters: Short enough to actually work, skewering all these idiotic shows.

SNL Digital Short: Harpoon Man: Reilly is "Harpoon Man", and Samberg is the musical narrator talking shit about him. Bizzare, which is exactly what I've grown to enjoy from these. I liked it.

McMillan Family Moments: Oreo Cookies: Reilly tries to teach Samberg to eat an Oreo and then goes crazy when his nearly grown son is lazy and disinterested. Short enough to be mildly humorous.

Operation: Bearshark: They fooled me. I thought this would be a "Zing" sketch. Nay, I thought this would be a sketch. Where's manbearpig to save the day?

McMillan Family Moments: Part II: Little brother Jarvis (Keenan) is a little too enthusiastic about eating his Oreo, setting off Reilly again. Short again and a good companion to the previous one.

My Chemical Romance: Cancer: First song had some style, but this one is just bad. Way doesn't have the vocals for such a basic song.

McMillan Family Moments: Part III: The tables are turned with Reilly as the son and Sudeikis as the father. Incredibly short, so it works.

Nothing really inspiring this week, but Reilly was fantastic, and it was arguably the best of the season with only a few completely dreadful sketches. Still, it's barely average comedy, so C+.

das

the ending for swim instructor (the voiceover) ruined it for me... a bit too over the top.

Ludacris as host/musical guest might be a train wreck waiting to happen.

What are your goals?

I want to own a horse?

No, I mean your physical goals?

Oh, I want to physically own a horse.



I love the a-holes sketches. And Kristen Wiig is damn hot.

Followed by that Borat fucker. While watching those two episodes, I might have to find my happy place and think About Alec Baldwin. I might even skip the two of them.