Bad Bunny / Doja Cat - October 4, 2025

Hello, internet. Welcome to my first review for this site. Here I am, following in the footsteps of my favorite SNL reviewers, Stooge and Blood Meridian. I'm a bit green so sorry if this review comes off as a bit rough. I will also be using Stooge's original review style from his early forum days, at least until I find a style that works for me. Let's hope this is the first of many reviews to come from me.

(PRE-SHOW THOUGHTS)

Bad Bunny is the host tonight, which shocked me, considering how he was also the musical guest in the season finale a few months ago. Nothing like that has ever happened before. Anyway, I'm not too sure about this. I don't really buy into the hype about Bad Bunny as a host. I'm also wondering how they will approach politics this season, with the Colbert/Kimmel controversies as of late. NBC itself doesn't seem to be struggling hard yet, so SNL might not hold back with Trump, but who knows.

We have five new featured players. Wow. I'm most looking forward to Jeremy Culhane and Veronika Slowikowska of the five. Of the Please Don't Destroy guys, Ben Marshall was the most promising as a sketch performer, so I'm happy they went with him. Between Ben with Please Don't Destroy and Jeremy with Dropout, I actually know some of these new hires, for the first time since I started watching a few years ago. Tommy Brennan appears likeable, but I'm not sure how he'll do in sketches. And Kam Patterson... well, he'll be interesting to say the least.

Also, words cannot express how disappointed I am that Michael Longfellow and Emil Wakim were dropped from the cast. And yet Jane Wickline somehow remains? Devon Walker was pretty funny, but SNL just wasn't really his strongsuit, and Heidi Gardner had eight seasons on her belt and left at a decent time (although I heard rumours that she was fired... does anybody know for sure). As for Ego Nwodim, she probably had another season in her, but I'm glad she left while she was on top. We had the classic "Miss Eggy" bit right at the end of her tenure. Her departure does leave the cast without any black women, for the first time since 2013. My guess is that they'll hire one in the middle of the season.

Anyway, I can ramble on for days, but the episode is about to start. So without further ado, here's my review.

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(COLD OPEN) Pete Hegseth

Highlights:

• Great seeing Jeremy Culhane right off the bat, even if he handed things off to Colin early on.
• Colin put more in his performance than I've ever seen him put in one before. Now that's not saying much, but still.

Lowlights:

• Despite Colin's performance, the whole Hegseth bit felt like a waste. What's the point in having him say basically the same things as the real Hegseth did during the meeting?
• Kind of sick of these Trump rambling openings. Whose idea was it to open every damn episode with a Trump sketch since his term began?

Additional Notes:

• A solo LFNY after a season full of group ones. Could it be that they're returning to solo LFNY's again this year?

(OPENING MONTAGE)

Wow, no new opening montage? Considering we have five departures, five new arrivals, and the fact that the whole montage is meant to be one continual shot, this came as a surprise. Integrating the featured players into it was pretty awkward.

(MONOLOGUE) Bad Bunny

Highlights:

• I got a kick out of the Fox News anchors' clips being edited together.
• I know some people find them boring, but I appreciate these simpler monologues they've been relying on for the past few years. They aren't anything special, but they're short and you really get to know the host with them.
• Always good to see Jon Hamm, even if this is his 36,256th cameo.

Lowlights:

• None.

Additional Notes:

• None.

(SKETCH) Jeopardy!

Highlights:

• None.

Lowlights:

• Ehh, this sketch was built on such a thin premise, it's kind of surprising it didn't tank harder. Felt like the whole thing was leading up to the "The Who" punchline, but that wasn't funny enough to be worth it. If they stretched it out any longer it would have been a total flop, but in its final state, it was merely a miss.
• Kenan's Lucas being pronounced "Luck-ass" joke didn't do much for me. Did Lorne used to hate the cheeky name gag? What happened to that?

Additional Notes:

• None.

(COMMERCIAL) ChatGPTio

Highlights:

• Pretty good premise.
• Marcello and Bad Bunny were funny in their portrayals of Spanish uncles.

Lowlights:

• None.

Additional Notes:

• Marcello doesn't annoy me as much as he seems to annoy most hardcore SNL fans, but I don't like him as much as girls on TikTok do. I know he'll be all over this episode, so just thought I'd get that out there.

(SKETCH) Sperm Donor

Highlights:

• The beginning with Bowen was pretty funny.

Lowlights:

• Total dud here. Bad Bunny and Kenan's characters just didn't do it for me.
• What was the point of that HBO logo ending? Was that even intentional?

Additional Notes:

• None.

(NEXT WEEK) October 11 - Amy Poehler

Hey, Amy Poehler! Now there's a host I want to see. Not sure why they didn't choose her for the season premiere although maybe it has to do with the fact that the next episode is the exact 50th anniversary of SNL's premiere. 

(SKETCH) KPop Demon Hunters

Highlights:

• None.

Lowlights:

• What the hell? Two restaurant sketches in a row? Both with Chloe and Sarah sitting at a table in the same exact places? Are they a lesbian couple in this sketch too?
• Ah, I get it, just drop off every reference from this summer that you can. Real clever, SNL. But seriously, who still cares about the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad?
• Also, I'm starting to get the drill here. Bad Bunny plays pretty much the same character in every sketch. I get that he's not an actor, but can't he stretch his range just a bit? They don't have to feature him in every sketch anyway.

Additional Notes:

• Boy, has Chloe been all over this episode so far. This is a change of pace from last year when she was shut out of several episodes. I guess this is a product of Heidi Gardner's departure. Meanwhile, Ashley hasn't popped up yet in tonight's show.
• Forgive me for not being in the know, but who was the group that appeared in this sketch? I don't keep up with K-pop much.

(MUSICAL PERFORMANCE)

No comment.

(WEEKEND UPDATE) Jost & Che, with Kam Patterson, Dobby the Elf

Highlights:

• Michael's Andrew Cuomo joke.
• Michael's Jane Goodall joke.
• The whole President Trump Would Make A Lot More Sense If He Sounded Like Jennifer Coolidge segment was pretty funny and a good use of Chloe's Jennifer Coolidge impression.
• I liked Kam's list of impressions he can do consisting only of white people who have said the N-word.
• Bowen's Dobby piece didn't look very promising, and I am a bit sick of him playing this type of character, but the error with his outft breaking and his ad-lib that followed ("I've come undone!") saved the segment for me. The writing itself was admittedly a bit lame. Michael's comments about how he "never read those corny-ass books" made me laugh. Overall, a good piece.
• Also, amazing Dobby make-up on Bowen.

Lowlights:

• Colin and Michael are entering their record twelfth season anchor Update together. Sure, they're legends, but I've been yearning for a change for a while now and they're getting super predictable. Just think, if they didn't fire him, Michael Longfellow could be behind the Update desk. But I'm getting off-track here.
• Kam's whole desk piece didn't really amount to much. He came off as stilted, even though he was playing himself, although to be fair, it's his first time on live television. Still, not as bad as I expected from him. Maybe he won't be so bad after all. Still have no clue what his sketch comedy skills are seeing as how he didn't do anything tonight other than Update. Can't imagine him in character.

Additional Notes:

• When Michael started to introduce Dobby by talking about J.K. Rowling's transphobia, I was convinced that he was going to bring out Jane Wickline for some reason. That relief probably made me enjoy the Dobby segment a little bit more.

(SKETCH) Inventing Spanish

Highlights:

• Not bad. Nothing more to say to elaborate, but it was alright.

Lowlights:

• None.

Additional Notes:

• Boy, Ben's role here could have been played by an extra, couldn't it?
• Again I ask, who was that at the end of the sketch?

(MUSICAL PERFORMANCE)

No comment.

(SKETCH) Parent-Teacher Conference

Highlights:

• A solid little sketch here, carried mostly by Ashley's performance.
• Bad Bunny kept it pretty low-key here, which was refreshing compared to rest of the night.
• The pictures Ashley displayed were funny.

Lowlights:

• None.

Additional Notes:

• What the hell took them so long to feature Ashley in this episode? Such a great performer like her should have been all over especially after Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim left? What happened?

(SKETCH) The Kid from Number 8

Highlights:

• This was weird as hell, but I loved every second of it.
• The awkward canned laughter added a lot to this too.

Lowlights:

• None.

Additional Notes:

• Pretty cool how they credited the cast members at the beginning of this.
• Ah, I knew Jon Hamm would make an appearance in the 10-to-1 sketch tonight.

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(CONCLUSION)

A misfire of a season premiere, which I can't say I didn't expect. A lot of it can be chalked up to Bad Bunny as a host, who was likeable and charming but really one-note. Bad idea to cast such a one-note host for the season premiere. I hope they're just trying to find their footing and will nicely rebound with Amy Poehler next week.

Overall Highlights:

• Marcello and Bad Bunny's performances in ChatGPTio.
• Bowen's wardrobe malfunction as Dobby on Weekend Update.
• The Parent-Teacher conference sketch.
• The Kid from Number 8 sketch.

Overall Lowlights:

• The cold open.
• The Jeopardy! sketch.
• The KPop Demon Hunters sketch.
• Bad Bunny playing the same character in every sketch.

Funniest Moment:

• Bowen "coming undone" during his Weekend Update commentary.

Best Lines:

• James Austin Johnson as Trump: "We love the Saudis, because they like to saw deez journalists in half."
• Veronika Slowikowska, to an agitated ChatGPTio: "How do I make vegan banana bread?"
  Marcello Hernandez as ChatGPTio: "YOU DON'T!"
• Michael Che: "Chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91. The family requests that in lieu of sending flowers, please throw feces."
• Bowen Yang's ad-lib as Dobby after his pillow case breaks: "I've come undone!"
• Ashley Padilla as principal: "Is there a Mrs. Seymour?"
  Bad Bunny as father: "No, she left us."
  Ashley Padilla as prinpical: "Bitch."
  Bad Bunny as father: "No, she died."
  Ashley Padilla as principal: "Then the bitch is I."

CAST MEMBER COUNTDOWN

CHE: 1 sketch (Weekend Update)

DAY: 4 sketches (Pete Hegseth, ChatGPTio, KPop Demon Hunters, Inventing Spanish)

DISMUKES: 5 sketches (Jeopardy!, Sperm Donor, Inventing Spanish, Parent-Teacher Conference, The Kid from Number 8)

FINEMAN: 4 sketches (ChatGPTio, Sperm Donor, KPop Demon Hunters, The Kid from Number 8)

HERNANDEZ: 6 sketches (Monologue, ChatGPTio, Sperm Donor, Inventing Spanish, Parent-Teacher Conference, The Kid from Number 8)

JOHNSON: 2 sketches (Pete Hegseth, Inventing Spanish)

JOST: 2 sketches (Pete Hegseth, Weekend Update)

SHERMAN: 3 sketches (Sperm Donor, KPop Demon Hunters, The Kid from Number 8)

THOMPSON: 4 sketches (Jeopardy!, Sperm Donor, Inventing Spanish, The Kid from Number 8)

YANG: 3 sketches (Sperm Donor, KPop Demon Hunters, Weeekend Update)

BRENNAN: 1 sketch (ChatGPTio)

CULHANE: 2 sketches (Pete Hegseth, ChatGPTio)

MARSHALL: 2 sketches (ChatGPTio, Inventing Spanish)

PADILLA: 1 sketch (Parent-Teacher Conference)

PATTERSON: 1 sketch (Weekend Update)

SLOWIKOWSKA: 2 sketches (Jeopardy!, ChaptGPTio)

WICKLINE: 0 sketches

The stars of tonight were Marcello, Chloe, and Andrew. Very welcome seeing Andrew get the airtime he deserves. Not at all surprised by Marcello's airtime either with Bad Bunny hosting. Chloe's number of appearances did shock me, however, after how non-existent she was last season. I was honestly surprised she came back this season. Meanwhile, the featured players weren't seen much tonight. Tommy, Ben, and Jane didn't have any speaking roles tonight. Jane didn't appear at all. Heh, can't complain much about that. Ben's lack of airtime is surprising though given his history with the show. Although I can't help but wonder... is this going to be another Season 39? We're just going to have to wait and see.

Thanks for sticking with me through this inaugural review. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.