'Saturday Night Live' Recap: Thor Ain't No Bore
Saturday Night Live kicked off its 40th season with a Marvel superhero named Chris: Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt. Now, halfway though the year, they’re hosting another Marvel superhero named Chris: the Mighty Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth. At this rate, they’re more or less obligated to close out the season with a visit from Captain America, aka Chris Evans.
Given that Evans already has a couple of comedies to his credit — most notably the underappreciated 2001 spoof Not Another Teen Movie and the 2010 cult favorite Scott Pilgrim vs. the World — one could argue that he should have jumped the line ahead of Thor. In the Marvel movies, Hemsworth has always been a perfectly pleasant and handsome slab of action hero, but let’s just say there’s a good reason why Robert Downey Jr. is considered the “funny” Avenger. Based on his SNL gig though, Hemsworth has been holding out on us. The Aussie actor may not have the most natural comic timing, but he makes up for that with a goofy geniality and willingness to embarrass himself for a laugh.
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Maybe having family in the house encouraged Hemsworth to loosen up. His actor brothers, Luke and Liam, joined him onstage during the monologue, which is probably the closest either of them will ever get to hosting themselves. That sweet moment of sibling affection was a nice way to kick off an SNL episode that, for the first time in some time, had more highlights than lowlights. Yes, even Weekend Update was funny for once.
Best Sketch: “Reality House”
A simple discussion amongst roommates over dinner plans erupts into an all-out reality-TV brawl worthy of anything on The Real World. Not only did the performers expertly mimic the conventions of reality television acting — the editing and camerawork were also a note perfect recreation of the genre’s entirely artificial realism.
Worst Sketch: “Brother 2 Brother”
Just how lame was this lame parody of a lame Disney Channel-esque kids’ show? So lame that it ended with a dick joke.
Best Use of Chris Hemsworth: “Empire”
Not that the Fox hit really needs ratings help, but if they were to add a token white character, Hemsworth’s bland, khaki wearing Chip is perfect (stereo)typecasting. Also, let’s get Sasheer Zamata on Empire as Cookie’s long-lost sister, like, yesterday.
Episode MVP: Kate McKinnon
McKinnon was front and center from the jump, reprising her role as Hillary Clinton in one of the funniest cold opens in recent memory. Hillary had better run for President, if only so McKinnon can spend all of 2016 intoning such comic pearls as: “Tonight I’m speaking to you not as Secretary of State or as a Senator or as a First Lady, but as a relatable woman on a couch.” Subsequent roles as Mrs. Hemsworth, Iggy Azalea, and a frustrated soap opera actress further confirms that she can do just about anything.
Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:35 p.m. on NBC.
