SNL Review: Season 1, Episode 2

So I've already reviewed the very first episode of Saturday Night Live. We're diving right in to Episode 2 now. This is going to be a hard one to review because it's more musical performances than sketch comedy.

Singer-songwriter Paul Simon is the host. 

There's no cold open this time. Paul Simon performs "Still Crazy After All These Years".

I think instead of rating every single musical performance, I'm going to rate them as a whole.

Musical Performances- Not only did Paul Simon perform, so did Randy Newman, Art Garfunkel, and Phoebe Snow. I enjoyed all the performances, especially Simon and Garfunkel's. 

4.5 out of 5 stars

Up Against the Wallpaper Sketch- A fake ad for "Up Against the Wallpaper", wallpaper that pays homage to protests from the 60's. The wallpaper is covered in graffiti with popular anti-war and protest slogans from that time. Famous anti-war icon and one of the infamous Chicago Seven Jerry Rubin was in this sketch. This was a lot better than the fake ads in Episode 1. It wasn't the funniest, but I liked the irony of having someone who was vocal during that time poking fun at it. 

3 out of 5 stars

I couldn't find a picture from the sketch, so here's a photo of Jerry Rubin.

Weekend Update/Paul Simon Basketball Sketch- Chevy Chase begins with what will become a running gag. He's on the phone, oblivious that the show has begun. He finally gets off the phone and begins his report. This Weekend Update is cut short to lead into the next sketch. The next sketch involves a basketball match between Paul Simon and Harlem Globetrotter Connie "The Hawk" Hawkins. I didn't realize how short Simon is until I saw him standing beside Hawkins. The basketball match was pretty funny and entertaining considering Simon isn't a professional b-ball player. 

4 out of 5 stars

The Land of Gorch Muppets Short- I know I said I wasn't impressed with the Land of Gorch in my last review. This one was somewhat better. It had a couple of funny moments. It's still not great, but not a total dud either. 

2.5 out of 5 stars

Albert Brooks Short Film- I also said I didn't care for the short film in the last episode. This one was much better. Basically, Albert Brooks talks about how his Dad was always trying to film him and how embarrassing it was. This one had some funny moments and I like the dry, sarcastic humor.

Fun Fact: Albert Brooks voiced Marlin in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory!

4.5 out of 5 stars

I couldn't find a picture from the film, so yeah...here's Marlin!

Try Hard 1-11 Short- A fake ad for a battery called "Try Hard 1-11". We see some old people standing and the announcer says that the battery is strong enough to power a pacemaker. At the end of the ad, only one old person is alive. I dig the attempt at dark humor, but this fell flat. "Show Us Your Guns" from the last episode was way funnier. 

1.5 out of 5 stars

I couldn't find a picture from the sketch, so here's Paul Simon.

So what did I think of this episode? I enjoyed the musical performances, but it felt weird not having the cast there. Chevy Chase doing Weekend Update and the cast coming out dressed as the Killer Bees are the only times we'll see the Not Ready For Prime Time Players on this episode. I felt like there could've been a few more sketches with the cast along with the music. I'm glad there weren't so many unfunny fake ads, though. Also, the Muppets bit and the Albert Brooks film were much funnier on this one than on the first episode. 

Stay tuned for Season 1, Episode 3!