EPISODE REVIEWS
Matthew Perry / Oasis
October 4, 1997
OVERVIEW
Matthew Perry should have been a great host. He's hilarious on "Friends" and seemed like such a natural. But I really disliked this show. I'm one of the biggest fans of the show and haven't missed a new show since 1988. Very rarely do I dislike a show but Matthew Perry's show stunk. He wasn't having fun, the timing was waaaay off on a few skits and nobody really seemed to be trying. One of the worst "SNL" episodes I've seen with the current cast.
[OPENING] Spartan Cheerleader wanna-bees Craig & Arianna
Matthew Perry would have been a PERFECT cheerleader, but with just the two of them the ideas are running out. I love the cheerleader a lot, especially the look on Will Ferrell's face, but they've just about done everything possible with it.
Grade: C-
[MONOLOGUE] Matthew Perry
Really lackluster- showed absolutely none of his wit and acting talent. The payoff was okay with the fat dude dancing but he didn't have to rely on a lame taped bit to get laughs.
Grade: D+
[COMMERCIAL] Cookie Dough Sport Drink
Not a bad commercial, had the right feel of one of those sports drink commercials. The Cookie Dough payoff wasn't the strongest they've ever done, but a worthy commercial. One qualm: I don't believe Chris Kattan ever played sports-- that was a little tough to buy.
Grade: B-
[SKETCH] Celebrity Jeopardy
The best skit of the night, always a good one. Will Ferrell is great as a bewildered Alex Trebek and the skit lets the actors show off their impersonating skills. Burt Reynolds is always good. I've never seen anyone imitate modern day John Travolta but Darrell Hammond had the voice right. Matt Perry had the facial expressions right as Michael Keaton but that was about it. Keep the celebrity Jeopardy skits coming!
Grade: A-
[SKETCH] Sarcasm 101
There was just so much wrong with this sketch. The timing was off, especially Norm MacDonald. And what was with the camera angles, they were goofy and the editing was choppy. Could have been good but looked like a dress rehearsal. At this point in the show I was starting to wonder if perhaps Matthew Perry isn't as talented as I thought he would be.
Grade: D
[SKETCH] The Ladies' Man
I give Tim Meadows credit for trying new characters but this one just wasn't terribly funny. Still I've always liked him as an actor.
Grade: C+ (for effort)
[SKETCH] Space the Infinite Frontier with Harry Caray
Will Ferrell just cracks me up no matter what he does, and last season's Harry Caray was one of the best skits of the season. This one wasn't as good, but I liked seeing the return of Harry. Once again Matthew Perry didn't impress me much.
Grade: B
[WEEKEND UPDATE] with Norm MacDonald
Norm MacDonald is just the funniest anchor ever, and I've seen them all many times. He absolutely does not care what the audience reaction will be. This one wasn't his best because there weren't enough tasteless jokes, but I can never give Norm less than a
Grade: B+ (simply because he's always a highlight even when the show is bad)
[MUSICAL GUEST] Oasis
I was getting some food & didn't listen to them. Sorry.
[SKETCH] MTV News: Goat Boy press conference
No more KINCAID!!! Okay enough of that, Will Ferrell once again shone through as Willie Nelson and Matthew Perry finally did something funny as Julio Iglesias. Goat Boy was less annoying than usual, so that's always a plus. Better than I expected it would be.
Grade: C ("B" for the part without Kincaid)
[COMMERCIAL] The Kevin Franklin Show promo
Once again Tim Meadows tries new characters but nothing special. The only reason it was funny is because Tim is so likable.
Grade: C+
[SKETCH] "Friends"
As with Sarcasm 101, there was just a lot wrong with this skit. Granted Chris Kattan was funny as David Schwimmer but a Friends skit could have been really funny. It shouldn't have been some Colin Quinn bizarro showcase that this turned into. Plus Matthew Perry really blew a line "Kattan stick to characters that talk" when it should have been "that don't talk." Ouch.
Grade: C - disappointing
[MISCELLANEOUS] The Go Lords
Now this was kind of innovative. I'm not sure why I liked it but it was tasteless and funny and kind of creepy could be a good recurring skit if not overused. Proceed with caution.
Grade: B+ (ya can't go wrong with a Chinese whorehouse)
[MUSICAL GUEST] Oasis
Skipped them again. Oops.
I was pretty disenchanted by this point so I went to bed. Good riddance Matthew Perry episode.
OVERALL
This is my first review so I hate to say this, but I hated this episode. I am always defending the show to people and I think the current cast is possibly the most talented ever. But Matthew Perry and company didn't appear to be trying very hard. I've noticed they have a tough time producing quality episodes when they don't have a week off ... check out and see if a pattern develops this season. I once considered Matthew Perry to be a perfect candidate for host but he looked really awkward and none of his talent on "Friends" showed up. Plus he didn't have half the charisma that the surprisingly fun Sylvester Stallone showed. All in all I was very disappointed by the overall effort.
Grade: D
Episode Review written by Mario Lanza
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