Thoughts on Jon Hamm/Michael Buble

What did you guys think of last night's show? Did Hamm hit a home run like last time? How did the show compare to other shows from the season? Best sketch? Worst sketch? Were you feeling Sergio as much as I was?

Comment, comment, comment!

SBS REVIEW -
Cold Open - So this was a refreshing change from some of the political cold opens that we've seen, in that there were attempts at comedy made here as opposed to mere transcriptions of Obama's speeches with a few sarcastic remarks here & there. I liked the inclusion of video from the actual State of the Union address and of course the ubiquitous Brendan Fraser clip, and I loved the whole "Shame on you, Martha Coakley!" schtick. I felt like it began to drag a little towards the ends once they started talking about jobs, but overall nice effort!
7.5/10

Monologue - Loved it! As a huge Mad Men fan, it was so fun to see Don Draper in various other situations, my favourite being Def Comedy Jam. "They need to wash they ass." Also loved the disdain with which he treated the kids from Late For Class! Great job from Hamm!
8/10

1920's Party - Loved the premise, not so much the execution. I kinda wished Kristen Wiig's character would have actually sang as opposed to just missing her count and such. I did laugh when she continued to count past the introduction, or when Jon Hamm's character nodded to tell her to come in, to which she nodded also and said "Oh, hello!" I loved the Alleycats at the end, but overall it just seemed like a bunch of missed opportunities.
6/10

SNL Digital Short - I proclaimed my love for Sergio the morning after the show aired and very little has changed. It was so absurd and random, but I liked that there was a proper story in the sketch, and also welcomed the absence of a rap. The production value was also really high, and I want to give props to Tim And Eric, Awesome Show! Great Job! writer/director/editor Jonathan Krisel who directed the short!
8/10

Scott Brown - Loved this! Something about Jon Hamm doing a Boston accent is very appealing, but this was so well done. It featured Congressmen & Congresswomen Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank & Robert Byrd all having fantasies about the new guy Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown. Hamm was so hilarious here, and the fantasies were so great, my favourites being Barney Franks (jorts!) and Robert Byrds (flapper girl!) Too great.
8/10

Weekend Update - Strong update this week, with great jokes. My favourites? Myspace being the internet's abandoned amusement park and Seth's shock that the cast of Jersey Shore are getting paid. We saw Nasim Pedrad impersonate Sonia Sotomayor. Did you guys know that Sotomayor is from the Bronx? Or that everyone on the Supreme Court is a "white guy"? If not, you might have enjoyed this bit. As someone with a very rudimentary knowledge of the justices on the Supreme Court, I found this a little obvious and just not that funny. I kinda feel like Nasim should not be on Weekend Update, it rarely turns out well. As for Snookie or "Spalding" - loved it! Bobby did a terrific job and highlighted why he needs to do more on the show. "Oh, my mom! I miss her! I'm gonna go send her a drunk text!" I loved the subsitute Snookie - a cone with a Snookie wig. Hilarious.
8/10

Game Time with Randy and Greg - So I do not share the same appreciation for the Game Time sketches that others seem to have. For me, they're just a little one-note - Greg's an alien, Randy tells viewers that Greg is not an alien, viewers call up and say he is. That's literally the sketch. However funny it might have been as a one-off sketch, I just don't feel like they work as recurring sketches. And also, given that Bill is at the centre of these sketches, he's not actually given a whole lot to do.
5/10

Hamm & Buble - Oh, I loved it! It was like a better Jon Hamm's John Ham sketch. I laughed any time Jon pronounced Michael Buble's name "Michael Bubbly" and Michael Buble proved that he's got some serious sketch comedy chops. The idea of a pork/champagne restaurant makes me laugh a lot too. Major kudos to Hamm & Buble.
8/10

Stenographer - Don't really have a lot to say about this one. The whole "I can't find my crackers thing" was just kinda odd and seemed like it would be funny at an improv show, but on a written show it didn't work. I liked the whole bit about her finding "sleep-driving" to be the funniest thing she ever heard, but all in all, it just didn't work. Also, it had maybe the worst ending ever. And SNL sketches are renowned for their bad endings, but this was just like "Let's take a court recess so _____ can find her hairbrush." Cue confused audience clapping.
5/10

Closet Organiser & Follow-Up - So when I initially saw the commercial, I was like "Meh." But the follow-up in the bar made it so worth it. It was so well-executed and funny. I loved the "I'm from Israel" awkward chatter bit, and I loved Tarkey's blow-up and the "I hope you die today." bit. Nice work!
8/10

Barnes and Noble - Funny premise, but it was a little short or something? I liked the ending best "Barnes and Noble figured out they had to sell a product, so they chose books. This has been American Entrepeneurs on CNBC, and this whole time I've been Madonna." Other than that though, meh. Typical end-of-the-night sketch.
5.5/10

OVERALL -
We all knew Hamm was a great host, but this time he really solidified his status as a terrific dramatic actor who really ought to be in more comedies. He's game for everything, and his love for comedy/SNL really shone through the entire show.
As far as an MVP of the show goes, none of the cast were overly featured on the show, so I'm actually gonna give it to Bobby Moynihan for murdering it with Snookie. Note to Lorne - get Bobby on the show more!
Once again am I worried by the conspicuous lack of Jenny Slate and Abby Elliott. Nasim is getting enough screentime for a featured player, and I wonder why they aren't giving Slate in particular stuff to do. Doesn't bode well for her in my mind? Could we have a Michaela Watkins/Casey Wilson sitch on our hands come Season 36?
Overall, the show was an improvement on Sigourney Weaver's mediocre show and Charles Barkley's over-hyped show. Hope Ashton Kutcher does as well as Hamm!

Overall mark - 8/10