It seems Lady Gaga had one directive for the writing staff and cast of “Saturday Night Live” ahead of her second time pulling double duty as host and musical guest: make it weird. Or perhaps more accurately: let’s give the audience a little mayhem.
Though her monologue tried to highlight her acting bonafides and how she was hosting during “SNL 50” as a performer and not strictly a singer, it was clear the theme for the evening would tie closely to her recently released seventh solo studio album, “Mayhem.” In addition to her bringing the house down with splashy performances of “Killah” and “Abracadabra,” both tracks off the new album, all of the sketches featured throughout the evening had a dose of anarchy to them, often finding humor in the absurd and straight-up out-there. In the end, Gaga delivered one of the silliest entries in recent memory that placed a spotlight on both her and the cast’s gift for niche sketch comedy.
As a Gaga superfan, cast member Bowen Yang seemed to get a bit of extra time to play opposite his idol, not only being featured in multiple sketches, but even getting to sing with the host for two of them. In the first, the pair play an odd-ball couple out for a date at a fine restaurant. The scene soon turns musical as Yang and Gaga start to dance, bursting into their own unique rendition of Eric Claption’s “Wonderful Tonight” that involves Gaga’s character shaving off her body hair and biting Yang’s nipples.
Though the fake commercial is a staple of “SNL,” each episode often featuring a new addition to the pantheon containing “Mom Jeans” and “Colon Blow,” it has gotten harder and harder for the variety series to keep this format fresh. However, by placing the spotlight on all the current female cast members, last night’s “Mascara Commercial” stood out as one of the best in recent memory. It not only perfectly mocks the faux-comportment involved in promoting makeup, but also creates a hilarious juxtaposition with crying women that speaks to the need for attention our society can’t seem to break.
As a frequenter of many a Friendly’s throughout my childhood, maybe this next sketch was just for me. The east-coast chain restaurant is a throwback to the great American diner, but with its “Birthday at Friendly’s” sketch, “SNL” contends there may be something more nefarious lurking underneath the restaurant’s bright red-and-white, candy-colored theme. Not only does it make use of the cast member’s wide variety of reactions — from Heidi Gardner freaking out to Yang being non-plussed when he probably should be screaming — but the sketch also reminds viewers why the “SNL” costume and production designers are the unsung heroes of the entire operation.
In a sketch that aired towards the back half of the episode, Gaga, Sarah Sherman, and Ego Nwodim are the perfect New York trio, sporting their favorite pair of red glasses and commiserating over how they accentuate their funky lifestyles. It may be incredibly specific, but everyone — particularly those who’ve spent time in New York City — know at least one of these kind of ladies. They always have something odd and overly fragrant cooking in their kitchen, the list of community groups they belong to is long and ranging from knitting to African drumming, and they are most certainly going to share too much without any prompting at all.
Because one duet was not enough, Gaga and Yang used the last sketch of the evening to offer one more number, this time making a plea for everyone to stop using Gen-Z slang like “slay,” “giving,” and “period” and just start speaking normally. As a Millennial who enjoys the occasional “king” or “mother,” even I couldn’t help but clap for this declaration, as well as a time for when we could all just say what we actually meant. Maybe it’s time I get my own pair of little red glasses…
As to be expected, Gaga’s musical performances were also an even unto themselves, not only offering thrilling design and movement, but also an entire use of the Studio 8H space. Check them out below.
