"The benefit of a stand-up comedian hosting Saturday Night Live is that they, thankfully, know who they are; the drawback is that they may be less adept at sketch performance. First-time host Nikki Glaser was no exception, but, in my opinion, it wasn't a problem last night. Glaser is a longtime stand-up with a couple of specials and a consistent smattering of TV work"
"A year ago, "Beauty and Mr. Beast" might've done really well, but at this point in time, society is ready to let Mr. Beast die (metaphorically). I appreciate that "Sorority Meeting" was trying to be silly, but it's hard to divorce the premise of "hunting out a frat guy sneaking into a sorority house" from the vile anti-transness that's so deeply embedded in our culture and promoted by the people in power."
"But other than that, I would put it among the stronger episodes this season. (I know there's only five so far, but still.) It was joke-dense throughout, with premises veering away from the predictable and into the strange and surprising - "Mechanical Bull" and "Pinwheel" for sure, but I was also really loving the silliness of "Spirit Tunnel Anxiety." That woman was shaking her body like she was being exo"
Nikki Glaser, a longtime stand-up with specials and TV credits including Not Safe with Nikki Glaser and The Roast of Tom Brady, hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time. Her bubbly, non-threatening persona and sharp joke-writing led to a tight monologue and committed performances. Her relative inexperience with sketch work produced some flubs, but writers accommodated her by assigning two digital shorts and more forgiving straight-man ensemble roles. The episode contained misses like a fraught "Sorority Meeting" premise and a time-sensitive "Beauty and Mr. Beast," but remained joke-dense with surprising premises such as "Mechanical Bull," "Pinwheel," and the silly "Spirit Tunnel Anxiety."
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