“Saturday Night Live” recap: Host Ryan Gosling and special guest Emily Blunt bid Barbenheimer farewell

The "Fall Guy" stars performed an opening monologue number with a variation on Taylor Swift's "All Too Well."

Hey, there. It’s SNL in Review — your definitive resource for all things season 49. I’ll always call things as I see them. Here, nothing is watered down or on the take. That’s my promise to you.

Ryan Gosling is back for his third stint as host. (Of course, he popped up during last week’s monologue as well!) His latest effort at 8H follows a big moment for the La La Land star: He recently earned his third Academy Awards nomination, even performing at the Oscars for his song, "I'm Just Ken," from Barbie.

I am joined tonight by former Saturday Night Live cast member Gary Kroeger! On Gosling and the Barbie phenomenon, he shares: “Gosling's performance at the Oscars was a perfect example of how comfortable he appears in any situation; it was sublime. Even if it wasn't a complete surprise, it appeared as so, and encapsulated everything we've come to admire about him. Great performance that managed to convey the theme of the film: a discovery of who we really are.”

To that point, Gosling has put up some good (and satisfyingly silly) work during his past time at the show. Let’s see how they utilize his comedy chops tonight!

Cold Open

Here's a surprise: the Pentagon. We're talking verified alien abductions. Ryan Gosling has had another close encounter and tagging along is his Barbie costar, Kate McKinnon. Yes, Colleen Rafferty returns.

I love recurring characters, folks. I do! But this ain’t it. The repetition of it, the self-satisfied giggles, Kate mugging. Her last appearance as a cast member which used this template was a fitting farewell for Rafferty and Kate. But, hey, let’s focus on the positive: Gosling commenting on his same outfit is funny. And this isn’t a clunky political cold open, so if this is your bag, I do not judge. 

Monologue

The crowd loves Gosling. You feel that kinetic energy. He’s here to promote The Fall Guy, not joke about Ken. Okay, well, he'll talk about it a little bit. That’s to say: He will sing about it. Gosling singing a version of Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well“ is the type of stuff that breaks the internet. (The song plays a role in his new movie, FYI.) He’s got the Ken fur coat on when his Fall Guy costar Emily Blunt (who hosted in 2016) comes out to scold him — he isn’t promoting their movie, he’s defaulting back to Ken. Again. “You have to move on, it’s time,” she says. She nails him with a bottle, then a chair.

Gosling is hilarious — this is more my speed! And Molly Kearney as Einstein while Blunt croons her own Oppenheimer-flavored “All Too Well” is very entertaining. It’s time to say "Farewell to Barbenheimer!" But...“Ken will never die!” Gosling shouts, as extras dance as Oppenheimer and Barbie.

Gary Kroeger says: “Being a Ryan Gosling fan is no longer optional; it is required. Seemingly without effort, he has emerged as the go-to young man of the best of men; a human Ken Doll for whom our fantasies of what the perfect man should be are attached, but also the living reality of a thoughtful, feminist, faithful, and impossibly handsome, matinee idol. Have I gone too far? I don't think anyone — literally anyone — will disagree. They may simply add more superlatives. His comedy is impeccable because it seems effortless, as well. He doesn't try to be funny; he exists inside a comedic premise. My favorite performance of his has to be Crazy, Stupid, Love. Another actor may have been unlikeable as a ladies' man, but somehow with Gosling, it just makes sense.”

The Engagement

Gosling’s Harrison accidentally proposed to his girlfriend (Chloe Fineman) after their dog died. He regrets it, and confides — in whisper — to an acquaintance, Brad (Andrew Dismukes). His plan to get out of it? Start a new life with a new face in Istanbul. What will Brad do?! Click and find out. If you want!

Kroeger is a fan of Fineman and Ego Nwodim this season.

Get That Boy Back

The show goes Cowboy Carter — or is this more Carrie Underwood? The female cast gets revenge on their exes: Chloe Troast haunts the parents of Chris Stapleton, messes with his shoes. It gets elaborate, enlisting Gosling. Decent showcase for Troast here — obviously she has the singing chops, and lands the derangement that the role requires. 

Can't Tonight

Gosling's character, donning longer curly locks, is from Tennessee but alongside his pals Marcello Hernandez and Kenan Thompson, he busts out a Cuban accent. Seeing Marcello kill like this, eclipsing his featured player peers, is wild. The crowd loves him.

The group of friends wants to hang with a bunch of famed dogs at the club. The original dog from Beethoven! This is goofy but doesn’t really click for me.

Beavis and Butthead

Bobbi Moore (Heidi Gardner) is hosting a town hall on the AI revolution. Is it a menace? She welcomes an expert professor (Thompson) who is immediately distracted by a member of the audience: Gosling is strikingly similar to the cartoon character Beavis. He has a blue shirt and blonde pompadour just like the '90s MTV icon. Things naturally escalate — and Gardner breaks seeing Mikey Day’s Butthead. This is extreme breaking, too, not a quick smirk and accidental chuckle. The show is very amused by itself, I guess with Gosling setting the tone.

“I've been noticing lately how much I like Mikey Day... Heidi Gardner is emerging,” Kroeger said. Shout out Bobby Hill, by the way — King of the Hill needs its reboot to come out!

Fun fact: Beavis and Butthead once appeared on Weekend Update opposite Norm Macdonald back in 1996. I think they also came on TV Funhouse once when Jon Stewart hosted. The creator of Beavis and Butthead, Mike Judge, obviously contributed shorts to SNL in the early 90s.

Chris Stapleton — "White Horse"

This is Stapleton’s third time performing on the show. Kroeger says, “I love Chris! The first time I heard him sing — probably on SNL — I was blown away by his voice. I did an immediate deep dive into him and was surprised to learn that he is well-versed as a composer, too. I like his kind of country music. I don't like all country music. But I don't like all rock & roll, either. Stapleton's artistry is, to me, a recapturing of authentic country. Obviously, he wanders into bluegrass, blues, and rock, but that is the kind of country music I like; a synthesis of styles.”

Weekend Update

Freemason jokes! This starts off a bit awkward. Michael Che is channeling Norm a bit with his O.J. Simpson joke — also his (applause-producing) Mike Johnson one-liner.

Resident boyfriend Michael Longfellow comes on to discuss “weaponized incompetence,” which was popular on TikTok this week. “This is me… now,” he deadpans as J.Lo. He addresses the women directly, I am sure some members of SNL Twitter will love this — instant meme. Good to see Longfellow get another decent shot here; his point about duvets hits home!

Another Colin Jost callback to his dorky high school years!

But I’m burying the lede! Caitlin Clark appears on Update! After an apron joke from Che, Jost shows a supercut of his co-anchor's many digs at women's sports in previous episodes. “Unlike Che, I support women,” Jost says. Clark has prepared a few jokes of her own for Che to read, all insults directed at him — ah, another joke swap, the defining bit for this era of Update. Fun! 

Doctor

Gosling and Bowen Yang are strange medical professionals “comforting” a family grieving over the loss of their patriarch. More goofy energy. 

Chris Stapleton — "Mountains of My Mind"

Stapleton’s latest album Higher came out in November. This was the album closer — very gentle and soulful. 

Erin Brockovich Deleted Scene

TCM is revisiting a scene from the film Erin Brockovich. Fineman is Erin, with Gosling in the Aaron Eckhart role. They even have the clothes down right!

Going off the numbers cliché conceit, Gosling riffs on the alphabet and other triggers: Friends, for instance.

Twenty-five years ago, Gosling wasn’t in Erin Brockovich but he was filming Remember the Titans!

Final Thoughts

—What did you think?! Vote vote vote! Gosling is pretty infectious, though the incessant breaking made me roll my eyes. Tighten it up!

—Huge thank you to Gary Kroeger for his commentary! In addition to his podcast, Kroeger is giving talks as a lecturer across the Midwest on an array of topics. If you are in the area, check it out! (I am sad I missed his recent performance as Dean Martin!)

—Last week’s episode was a resounding success, at least in my eyes. Check out the poll results: almost 1,300 votes with 61% selecting A for Kristen Wiig! 

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