Molly Shannon Brings Her Irresistible Charm To A Scattershot Saturday Night Live
Molly Shannon may not be one of the first names you think of when reflecting on "Saturday Night Live" legends, but she should be. She's one of the few cast members to see a recurring character given their own movie, and although it's not one of the late night sketch shows better big screen productions, it's hard to deny that Mary Katherine Gallagher is one of the most famous and beloved characters from the show's history.
However, those hoping to see Mary Katherine Gallagher return in the latest episode of "SNL" walked away disappointed, because the character only returned by way of two aside references rather than a full blown sketch revival. Instead, Shannon opted to bring back one of her other famous recurring bits with a little help from musical guests, the Jonas Brothers. It was one of only a few bright spots in an otherwise meandering and scattershot episode of "SNL," one that begun with a real dud of a cold open and never really gained any momentum. However, it was interesting to see Please Don't Destroy recycle one of their short form comedy bits for a longer adaptation on "SNL."
So let's dig into the highs and lows of Molly Shannon's latest hosting stint on "Saturday Night Live."
What was the best sketch of the night?
Valets – All right, I'll be the first to admit that the pacing on this sketch was a little off here and there, but the premise and the absurdity of it all was funny enough that it overshadowed the shortcomings. First of all, the three rules of being a valet are dead-on. Secondly James Austin Johnson, Molly Shannon, and Kenan Thompson bungling it every single time just got more and more funny.
Johnson's lead-off with a thoroughly inappropriate penis joke started things on a hilarious note, then Shannon quieted things down with an awkward take, and Thompson sealed the deal with his sudden shouting of, "Pass!" Of course, Thompson outdid himself with his second attempt, where he shouted, "I'mma steal your car, you Black b***h!" Devon Walker couldn't help but instinctually respond with a laugh that involuntarily burst from his lips as he ran off set. Plus, the little jog at the end of each botched try really tied everything together. Of course, this sketch didn't have a great ending, but that's typical of "SNL," so we're not super mad about it.
How was the rest of the episode?
Sally O'Malley – While the rest of the episode struggled to maintain any consistency in the hilarity, Shannon's reprisal of her Sally O'Malley character was another welcome high point. It was a bit of a surprise that O'Malley returned instead of Mary Katherine Gallager, but perhaps there wasn't a good enough opportunity to make it work. Admittedly, it's a little strange for Shannon to be playing this character now that she's 58 years old, a full eight years older than the 50-year old character she originated back in 1999, when she was just 34 years old. Maybe aging O'Malley up would have been a more refreshing approach, but "SNL" characters kinda need to stay frozen in the time in which they were created, so we get it. Instead, we get to see the Jonas Brothers turning into their own versions of Sally O'Malley, but rather than sporting a full-on camel toe, they've got some hefty codpieces underneath their red jumpsuits for maximum bulges. This wasn't exactly a raucously hilarious affair, but it was still pretty great.
Pregnant Co-Worker – It's not often that we get entire "SNL" sketches based around fart gags, so we must cherish them when they happen. In this case, a seemingly pregnant co-worker enjoying a baby shower in the office has her ruse revealed when an impossibly long passing of gas results in the deflating of her belly, which doesn't actually have a baby in it. The cause is catfish sliders, which creates in a hilarious refilling of that gaseous belly, something that caused a rare breaking of character for Heidi Gardner. This was childish and silly, but the lead-up to the fart and the aftermath that followed made it land for me.
Side note: Even though catfish sliders are mentioned by name, the prop that Shannon is given as her lunch order doesn't look like catfish sliders. It looks like some kind of pita. Was there a punchline change that the prop department couldn't quickly accommodate? Maybe we just can't see the details of the sliders. But I digress.
Trump Easter – At this point, it should come as no surprise that the political cold opens don't work out very well for "SNL" these days. Even with James Austin Johnson's pitch perfect impression of Donald Trump, more often than not, any sketch utilizing the indicted former President of the United States of America just doesn't land very firmly. In this case, it feels like we got a half-assed holiday introduction to make way for a standard Trump monologue. For a little bit, I was hoping we would get a full fledged Easter sketch focusing on The Last Supper, but I was also uneasily anticipating some kind of contemporary political spin, and that's exactly what happened. Though the commentary on Mikey Day's background posing from Johnson as Trump added a chuckle-worthy meta spin, it ultimately felt like a lazy attempt at timely punchlines that just wasn't necessary. It would be nice if "SNL" strayed away from forcing political cold opens and just put a good sketch up front instead.
How was Molly Shannon as an SNL host?
Do we really need to assess Molly Shannon's ability to host "Saturday Night Live" at this point? She's only hosted one time before, but she's also a seasoned cast member of "SNL," and it should come as no surprise that her return to the old Studio 8H stomping grounds was wonderful. Plus, it was nice to have a monologue that actually did something different from the usual talking on stage bits that have dominated this season. Though she stayed on the mainstage, the musical bits and the cuts to other cast members, as well as Lorne Michaels and a Martin Short cameo, made for a nice change of pace. However, it should be noted for the record that Shannon did seem to stumble here and there, sometimes upsetting pacing or flubbing a line or two, it's no worse than what any average cast member does on any given night.
Please Don't Destroy recycled one of their previous sketches
Here's something interesting to note for people who may not be familiar with the comedy of Please Don't Destroy before they joined the ranks of "Saturday Night Live." Their contribution to the show this week, a sketch imagining a video game centered around Molly Shannon, was actually an extended adaptation of a longer bit that featured a video game focused on "Divergent" franchise star Shailene Woodley. Please Don't Destroy previously posted the sketch to Twitter as one of their frequently viral short form bits:
Playing the new Shailene game pic.twitter.com/yl2fU8wuWz
— Martin Herlihy (@martinmherlihy) May 26, 2021
Of course, since "SNL" has money to spend, the video game interface is much more involved and doesn't merely overlay graphics on top of actual talk show footage. There's proper video game style animation bringing the game to life. It all feels like an excuse to have Molly Shannon do a hilarious rap, which includes the second reference to Mary Katherine Gallagher of the night (after the monologue), but that's not a bad thing. I'm not sure if this version of the sketch has the same chaotic energy of the original, but it's a polished version that shows some of Please Don't Destroy's previous comedic efforts can work with a bit of an "SNL" facelift.
That's all for this episode of "SNL." We'll be back next week after Ana de Armas makes her hosting debut on "Saturday Night Live" on April 15. For more on each new episode of "SNL," be sure to check out "The Ten to One Podcast" right here.