Rob Morrow | Nirvana SNL Review

Cold Open

• I already got a cheap laugh from Phil’s eyebrows as Oliver Stone. I’m not familiar with Oliver Stone, so that’s probably why I found them funny.

• Jeez, I knew Kevin wore toupees during his tenure, but this specific one is particularly noticeable.

• Ha, this was around the time that George HW got sick in Japan. I can already tell this is gonna be really funny based on Phil’s seriousness during this.

• The VHS footage of Dana’s George Bush throwing up is HILARIOUS. And the cherry on top is Phil’s Barbara Bush climbing on top of the table.

• Phil’s suspicion over the table cloth being sent to the cleaners, instead of being in his possession is really funny, and Phil is giving a great performance here.

• I didn’t really care for the ending with Phil revealing the president wetted his pants, though.

• Overall, this was a really good cold open, carried by a solid Phil Hartman performance.

Rating: ***½

Monologue

• I’m liking Rob’s energy so far.

• Funny reveal of him being a background extra in a sketch in 1980, after making it seem like he was in a much bigger role.

• I’m getting good laughs from him acting like that small role was the reason he was brought to host the show.

Rating: ***

Sálon

• Right out the gate, it feels WEIRD to see Spade play this type of role. But knowing that this was before he broke out and developed the snarky personality he is now known for, I understand the casting to some extent. Also I’m LOVING Spade in this role so far, so I’m certainly not complaining.

• The concept for this sketch is really funny, with simply just saying the word “Salon” making your hair better. 

• Overall, a very fun pre-tape.

Rating: ****

It’s Pat

• Oh my god, that wig on Mike is BAD.

• Hey, it’s Pat!

• Julia’s delivery for this character is really funny.

• Pat: I feel so naughty!

• I know that this character hasn’t necessarily aged well, considering the main joke is Pat’s androgyny, but I’m getting decent laughs from this so far.

• I got a good laugh from Pat saying they love “Dude Looks Like a Lady” by Aerosmith.

• Good reveal of Pat being the only one with all their clothes on.

• Wow, that was pretty short. But it was still decent enough.

Rating: ***

Delta Delta Delta

• Eh, I’m not really caring for this so far. Melanie’s delivery is okay, but she’s mugging way too much, and Beth is very generic as this character.

• I got a good laugh from Siobhan’s running, but it basically died with the audience unfortunately.

• Siobhan is pretty good as this character, and all of these characters in general have good banter, so that’s keeping this from being a complete wash for me.

• Honestly, Melanie is annoying me in this sketch. I understand that’s part of the point, but she is still mugging for every single line she says, and is overdoing her performance in general.

• Ha, Rob to the rescue! His entrance was really funny, and I was impressed by his flawless, fast delivery of him talking about the upcoming party.

• Overall, there were some redeeming qualities, but this was pretty weak, and dull in my opinion.

Rating: **

Cowboy Song

• I’ve heard about this recurring sketch from this era, so I’m interested to see if I like this or not.

• I like the concept of this so far, with the Cowboys listing their New Year's Resolutions.

• Woah, I like that their resolutions are getting suddenly dark. Rob’s resolution in particular, really caught me by surprise.

• Overall, while I didn’t have much to say, I really enjoyed this. The dark resolutions were great, and the song they were singing was genuinely catchy, so it added a fun vibe to the sketch.

Rating: ****

Weekend Update

• I’m not entirely familiar with Kevin as an anchor so I’m curious to see how this goes.

• So far, I’m liking Kevin’s professional delivery.

• This is starting off with jokes about Bush getting sick in Japan, as expected.

• Good joke from Kevin about how the Democratic candidates debated on how they would’ve thrown up had they been the president, and not Bush.

• Another good one from Kevin about how when Bush went to Japan, the economy improved, but went back to normal when he came back.

• Good joke about how Saline breast implants, when pulled, harden and become taffy.

• I’m liking a lot of Kevin’s jokes here so far, and this type of professional anchor is something that Update nowadays has been needing.

• Melanie gets another showcase as Jan Brady from the Brady Bunch. I’m going to this with caution though, because I’m not familiar with that show.

• Melanie is going all out with this impression, and the audience is eating it up, but I don’t think this is anything great.

• Kevin’s string of jokes after the Jan Brady commentary were very forgettable.

• Victoria’s commentary is pretty forgettable, and the dumb blonde jokes weren’t anything great.

• Great joke from Kevin about an Elvis mail stamp weighing 250 pounds.

• I got a good laugh from the audio clip of Ed McMahon assassinating JFK, mainly because Phil’s impression of him always cracks me up.

• Overall, a decent Update. Kevin had a really good night, but 2 forgettable commentaries brought this down slightly.

Rating: ***

Lenin’s Body

• Rob buying Lenin’s Body is funny, and him trying to keep him stable while talking to Victoria is a funny detail.

• Good laugh from Phil revealing that everyone came to the store because they thought they’d be seeing John Lennon’s body.

• Decent reveal of Rob being at a fair trying to get people to hit Lenin’s Body in the head.

• Despite some laughs, this sketch doesn’t seem like it’s fully coming together. I like the concept, but there’s a weirdly empty vibe to this sketch that I don’t like.

• Ok, I did get a good laugh from the reveal of Rob shooting a movie with Levin’s Body.

Rating: **½

Movie Talk

• I like the relatable concept to this, with Dana being asked about his thoughts on recent movies.

• I really enjoyed how Rob anchored this sketch, and he was really likable in this.

• While I had barely anything to say about this, I really enjoyed it, and there was some fun banter here.

Rating: ***½

Chris Rock’s White Person’s Guide to Surviving The Apollo

• Hey, Chris gets a showcase!

• Great reveal of the title of the VHS.

• Ellen as the audience member: WHERE’S SINBAD???

• Nice to see Siobhan again, and her singing a Jennifer Holliday song is really funny.

• Overall, this was a very fun piece.

Rating: ***½

Insults

• Yet another sketch in this episode that I really enjoy the concept of. I love the idea of a group of friends only communicating in insults.

• Rob and Mike’s insults towards each other weren’t anything great.

• After Spade and Adam entered, this is really starting to take off. Adam’s line about picking his hairs out of Mike’s sister teeth in particular was HILARIOUS.

• Phil had a GREAT moment at the end of this, with an eerie ending line, and covering his face with the restaurant menu, while STILL holding eye contact with the camera.

• Overall, this was a very fun ensemble piece.

Rating: ****

Minutes Behind

• Rob’s performance in this sketch is solid, but this sketch is too one-note and low-key for me to fully enjoy this.

• The escalation to this is pretty decent, though.

• Great reveal of a time machine being in the bathroom Rob runs to.

• Good ending with Rob not being minutes behind.

Rating: **½

Thoughts

A pretty good episode as a whole, that had a consistent quality to it. One thing I really enjoyed about this episode were the very creative concepts on display, with sketches like Insults, Lenin’s Body, and Salon. Rob Morrow was also a likable host, who had really good chemistry with the cast.

Segments ranked Best to Worst

Salon

Cowboy Song

Insults

Movie Talk

Chris Rock’s White Person’s Guide to Surviving the Apollo

Cold Open

Weekend Update

It’s Pat

Monologue

Lenin’s Body

Minutes Behind

Delta Delta Delta

6.4/10