In conditions that were largely uneven Saturday Night Live season (shaky writing, over-reliance on cameo appearances, and a sizable rookie contingent that struggles to find their place and blend in with the more experienced players, to name a few problems), Melissa McCarthyHis sixth time hosting the revered late-night show was a highlight of the 51st season.
The stand-up actress took over Studio 8H with a cast of eccentric characters that elevated the basic ideas to bread-and-butter comedy gold. SNL A recipe that the Lorne Michaels-led heavyweight would do well to return to. As if the two-time Oscar-nominated artist needed someone to prove herself, her exit confirmed why she's one of the one of the brightest hosts in the history of the series.
After solid cold open with the absolutely edgy Colin Jost (repeating her impersonation of drunken and violent Fox News host turned Secretary of War and Defense Pete Hegseth), McCarthy took the stage for her opening monologue. One of the weakest parts of the night Only murders in the building The alum chose to showcase practical jokes, physical comedy and plenty of cameos from repertoire actors, resulting in a controversial opening that paid homage to New York City's magical holiday atmosphere.
However, since then the show has become a masterclass in comedic timing, sharp writing and great pacing. It's hard to pick a standout sketch from this night, but “UPS Delivery Driver” seems to combine what makes McCarthy such an indelible, reliable, and ridiculous talent with SNLBest Instincts: Sketches about seemingly ordinary people who are so extraordinary that it's as baffling as it is outrageously funny.
In the six-minute sketch, Donna McCarthy is called into a meeting by HR managers Carol (Ashley Padilla) and Ed (Mikey Day) to discuss a client complaint stemming from a series of Ring camera videos showing Donna committing increasingly cartoonish acts of vandalism over a personal grudge she holds after tripping in their front yard. Confronted with the evidence – randomly tearing bags, throwing out trash, launching a live bat through an open window – Donna feigns fainting and simultaneously rolls her chair out the door.
“If you fainted, how can you do it, Donna?” – Ed says irritably and monotonously. It takes a long time to take a break for the day, but there's plenty of opportunity in this sketch, with the longtime actor stifling a laugh here and there.
But the standout moment comes when Donna, having said she's “gone,” is confronted with yet another video of her urinating on a client's porch. After receiving an official police report from the buyer about her indiscretion, Donna quickly pulls the paper off and pretends to pass out again, causing Carol and Ed to repeat her name with varying tones of annoyance while the latter rips the paper from Donna's clenched jaws.
“So that's it, right? That's it. Are you going to fire me after I gave this company the best 17 days of my life?” Donna says, asking where she belongs if not in a UPS truck. Finally, the sketch ends with a brief ad for the USPS, which needs recreational drivers.
Another standout is “Free Sample,” which features McCarthy as a lonely woman who completely misinterprets an employee offering her a sample of goat cheese at a grocery store as a grand romantic gesture. The sketch represents one of the first major opportunities for new actor Jeremy Culhane to shine, as he finds a great rhythm as a bumbling low-level employee who, by the end of the sketch, is helplessly drawn to off-putting customer McCarthy.
Given the limitations and challenges inherent in the live format, SNLThe MVPs were probably part of the pre-taped footage. Tonight was no exception, with the exuberant “Helping Hand.” The sketch, a cheesy holiday ad, begins with an elderly McCarthy struggling to shovel snow from her front yard. When a neighbor's child sees her through the window, he comes to her aid, unaware of what this union will soon bring. Soon after, she spots a bully (Marcello Hernandez) knocking over a child's snowman, and rather than rebuilding it, her peace proposal is to tie up, blindfold and strip the aggressor, leaving him on the children's lawn next to a dozen snowballs so he can throw it at his belly (drawn with a bullseye). Things only escalate from there as McCarthy offers the kid a gun after being pelted with snowballs and prostitutes after being rejected by a classmate. The real twist ending, in which the child helps her get away with murdering her mother, underscores the message: “Kindness, pass it on.”
Other notable moments: A sketch featuring Bowen Young and McCarthy. like a stupid married couple from Yonkerswhose eccentric holiday decor isn't nearly as captivating as their sexual dynamic, and Standard sketch of a dinner party mainstaywhat gives Andrew Dismukes There's significant room to play as an overenthusiastic and melodramatic host who threatens to run away and drinks gasoline when his friends don't agree to the weekly get-together.
“Weekend Update” served up its traditional fare with some pretty solid jokes. The standout was Jost's joke that President Donald Trump had won “soccer's prestigious Peace Prize… and that's why the trophy shows Trump's gnarled hands dragging the Earth to hell.” Another focused on Trump's promise to release MRI results in October: “He just needs a little more time to spell 'genius' after 'stroke.'”
After new cast member Veronica Slowikowska and sophomore Jane Wickline teamed up for Sort of like a Cyber Monday digital shortdelivering a techno-hyperpop anthem in the vein of Charli XCX, the duo returned tonight with McCarthy joining their ranks. The “Cousin Planet” music video—about reuniting with both loved ones and weird cousins during the holidays—tapped into 2000s nostalgia with WordArt graphics, pixelated aliens, and distinctly absurdist Gen Z humor.
Last but not least, there was a musical guest. Dijonfirst performance. With the tracks “HIGHER!” and “Another baby!” the singer-songwriter stepped onto the coveted stage with confidence and ease. With hypnotic alternative/neo-soul tracks, the energetic, Grammy-nominated indie artist, who has produced some of music's biggest names, has enjoyed a remarkable career success following a steady breakthrough after over a decade in the industry.
