Most/Least Valuable (Not Ready For Prime Time) Player

Hader, as host, is out of the running, so the top spot goes to Moynihan, largely on the strength of underplaying and physical comedy. There wasn’t much point to the cold open except to reiterate that Kim Jong-un is vainglorious and insane, but Moynihan’s timing was spot-on (and those were some sweet dance moves). And in a small role in the puppet sketch, his underplaying (an underrated Moynihan trait) was a nice counterpoint to Hader (and Hader’s brilliantly designed puppet pal Tony).

Advertisement

Runner-up goes to Davidson, who is clearly being groomed for full cast status. The handsomely-produced Hunger Games/Divergent/The Giver/The Maze Runner/Snowpiercer young adult movie parody went on too long, but he was a solid anchor, he got his Update spot, and he had small but prominent roles in the “Inside SoCal” and “Cat In The Hat” sketches.

With Hader so heavy, the rest of the cast went largely begging, with Aidy Bryant having the least to do. She’ll be fine.

Advertisement

“What the hell is that thing?”—The Ten-To-Oneland Report

Advertisement

Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett’s métier is minutely observed, inarticulate weirdoes with access to video equipment, and I repeat that SNL is better for giving them five minutes a week to do their thing. “Inside SoCal” continued their dissection of young people without anything to say having every outlet to express themselves, with their news show from some guy’s basement reveling in zoned-out teens ill-advisedly turning their descriptive powers to art, love, and death. There’s enough residual understanding for the characterizations to leaven the satire somewhat, even when the best they can come up with is that art can, indeed, be pretty baller.

The actual ten-to-one sketch was the Dr. Seuss one mentioned above, which was as close as the episode got to using this slot as the dumping ground for half-realized premises its reputation suggests. Ten-To-Oneland is Mooney and Benett’s domain now—just give it to them, Lorne.

Advertisement

Stray observations: