EPISODE REVIEWS
Chris Farley / The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
October 25, 1997
Not a bad show, considering that Chris Farley was the chosen host.
[OPENING] Farley gets permission to host
"He's still got the eating problem, I won't lie to you about that," Tim Meadows explains to Lorne Michaels as he rallies in support of Chris Farley as a potential host. Chris comes in to defend himself, as well as show off his sponsor, none other than our good friend Chevy Chase! Chris tries to destroy a non breakaway table, and Lorne decides to let Chris host the show after all. A funny opening for the show to come.
[MONOLOGUE] Chris Farley
The band is playing, the spotlight is up, but where is Chris? Lorne's worst fears have been realized, now there's no host, so he hurriedly contacts Chris Rock. In protest, Tim Meadows decides that he's going to host the show, a la Eddie Murphy from when Nick Nolte was supposed to host. As Tim reaches the stage, Chris Rock emerges from the shadows and announces that Farley is hosting (he'd been making out with Ana Gasteyer in his old dressing room - "Eeuggh!"). Seeing the three guys onstage was great, clearly the best monologue of the season so far. A little lengthy, since it combines with the opening, but I liked it, it had a real feel of excitement to it.
Grade: A (for opening & monologue)
[COMMERCIAL] Yum Bubble Genital Herpes Gum
I'm glad it was short (42 secs.), but apart from the flashy colors, I couldn't find the actual joke within. Try a parody of the Volkswagen Guys instead, you know, the one where the two dudes pick up the chair? Do a parody of that, but have them pick up a prostitute instead.
Grade: C-
[SKETCH] Morning Latte
Regis & Kathie Lee, no doubt, and a humorous parody of their format. Cheri and Will's characters were especially clueless, and obviously can only hear themselves talking. I loved the way they kept asking Farley, "What was that?" "I said, I love Italian food, can you tell?" "Hahaha, how funny is that? How funny is that!" Then came the part where they got serious for a moment, because of an article about some school kids who were killed. Then came the finish: Farley presents Cheri with a copy of "Men In Black", which he acquired from Will Smith, but Cheri wants to know when he saw him: "I TOLD YOU I RAN INTO HIM OVER THE WEEKEND, YOU STUPID BITCH!! Uh ... just kidding!" Now, how funny was that? Pretty damn funny, that's how funny!
Grade: B+
[SKETCH] Mary Katherine Gallagher
I liked watching Molly and Chris dancing together, I kind of enjoyed the plot where she wanted to dance with Jim Breuer but he called her a dog and Farley kept insisting that she is a real woman. That was pretty funny, perhaps even a little touching. However, the pratfalls looked fake this time around. Mary is a funny character, as long as the falls, etc. look real. Maybe they'll look better in a dress rehearsal copy? I hope to see more believable falls next time.
Grade: C+ (for the effort)
[COMMERCIAL] Martha Stewart: Living promo
Hard to go wrong with a Martha Stewart parody! I loved the toilet paper ghost in her ex-husband's tree! And the flaming manure gag was also great: "I do this to my neighbor on a daily basis." This is my pick for best sketch of the night!
Grade: A+
[SKETCH] Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker
You know, I've never been a fan of this character ... I chuckled some on the Halloween episode from 1993 with Christian Slater, maybe because it was funny watching Matt step on flaming manure and fall through the window. This time around, he's motivating a spinning class, credit to the writers for not making it obvious right away; I thought it was going to be a Tim Meadows vehicle about an aerobics class! I thought Will Ferrell played off of Farley well during their scene together. I was thinking that because someone suggested long ago that Ferrell is the new Farley, assuming the role of the screaming cast member. Personally, I think Will has more talent and self-control.
Grade: D+
[WEEKEND UPDATE] with Norm MacDonald
A lot of great jokes this week, although it shocked me to learn from Norm that Garry Trudeau was in New Orleans this past weekend. I live in the neighboring town, and there was no coverage of this event. What I wouldn't give to meet Garry Trudeau! The "Don't I know it!" liver gag was the best, and I had a feeling a still photo of that would appear at the front of this "SNL" page! The "Women Can't Drive" joke about the 8-year old girl was Norm's bravest joke this week. The audience reaction was almost as funny as the joke! Tracy Morgan's bit was hysterical, and I loved the clips of his recurring character, The Other Black Guy, who smiles real big during the good nights. If NBC didn't cut off the good nights so quickly each week, I think I might have spotted that character. No wonder no one has seen Tracy Morgan, the Other Black Guy, all season: NBC cuts his recurring sketch! I think it's part of a conspiracy, don't you!
Grade: A-
[MUSICAL GUEST] The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
I don't know what song this was, I couldn't make out the words, but for whatever reason, I liked it. The band seemed to be having fun, too.
Grade: B (for holding my interest)
[SKETCH] Goth Talk
I'm not a Goth Talk fan. I can see why this is funny, because there really are people who walk around like this 365 a year, which also makes it frightening and disturbing. I laugh at Jim Breuer's portrayal of the older brother, but this is not one of the sketches I'm going to tape and watch 20 times. I'll watch it each time it's new, and laugh at it, but this one freaks me out every time, which I realize is the point, so good job, writers!
Grade: C
[THE LOST DEEP THOUGHTS] by Jack Handey
This has potential, but I think this one went over my head. I like the ones that really make you think, the ones which, afterward, make you say, "That is deep."
Grade: C (for loving potential)
[SKETCH] The Sally Show
Great Sally Jesse Raphael impression by Ana, and I loved the photo of "Baby" Chris, with his head poking above the baby body, the highlight of the show. Cheri was funny as the baby's mom, which anyone can see as a reality stretch (I'd hate to have to see Farley's real mom, wouldn't you?), but this sketch had me laughing hard. It was fun watching Tim get his arms ripped off, too: "Give the man's arms back to him!"
Grade: B+
[SKETCH] Hank Williams Jr. records Monday Night Football song
I'm not sure how to sum this one up. Farley portrays Hank Williams recording the "Monday Night Football" song, but Will and Tim think he's an idiot. Needless to say, Hank records the song anyway, and everyone loves it. Alright, it's almost the end of the show, these sketches can take place.
Grade: C-
[SKETCH] The Super Fans ... where are they now?
The N.O. Times Picayune had a front page article about this sketch Saturday morning, so my anticipations were higher than they should have been. The quote Ditka provided in the article made it sound like he would be playing the part of a reporter for the Picayune, and I waited all night for this one. I can't say I was pleased with what I say. If not for the article in the paper that morning, I might have enjoyed it more. However, I did enjoy two things: 1) Rob Smigel on camera; 2) Ditka saying the Saints "suck." That made the sketch tolerable!
Grade: C-
[SKETCH] El Nino fights on The Weather Channel
"Translated into English, El Nino means ... THE Nino." This seemed like a copy of Chris Farley as the North Wind, late in the 1992 season. It was from one of the "Updates" that year, ring any bells? The wrestling match with Ric Flair was funny, as was the Weather Wrestling Channel logo at the end. It seems obvious that the night was over at this point.
Grade: C-
OVERALL:
A decent enough show. Better than Brendan Fraser, in my opinion. Now, THAT was a turkey of a show! Not bad for a show hosted by a screaming fat guy! Looking forward to Jon Lovitz in two weeks!
Grade: B-
Episode Review written by Patrick Lonergan
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