Miles Teller / Kendrick Lamar - October 1, 2022

10/26/2025

(PRE-SHOW THOUGHTS)

Well, looks like we're reviewing a "classic" episode. I put classic in quotation marks because this episode is only from three years ago. But Miles Teller is hosting next week and I need an excuse to write something SNL-related.

This episode is the start of the 2022-2025 era of SNL, and the debut of Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker. Kind of a shame that most of them didn't work out on the show, but it will be interesting revisiting Marcello's first episode. Unfortunately, I remember not caring much for this episode, which was the consensus at the time. There was an odd amount of blatant product placement and a plagiarism allegation in one of the sketches. This is a fitting way to start one of my least favorite eras of the show.

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(COLD OPEN) ManningCast

Highlights:

• A good way to address the eight cast departures between this season and the last.
• A lot of great meta commentary here.
• I forgot about Bowen's fake catchphrase attempt "It is what it is."
• Always great to see a Jon Hamm appearance.

Lowlights:

• Why did they keep Mikey's Trump Jr. impression showing up even after Alex Moffat left? And he's stayed in the cast another four years. Give it a rest, Mikey.
• Corn Kid and the Griddy? This really is from 2022, isn't it?

Additional Notes:

• Odd to see a Trump sketch before his presidency. No wait, after his presidency. I believe this was before he even officially ran for the Republican nomination in 2024.
• We briefly get to meet each of the new cast members here.

(OPENING MONTAGE)

I forgot about this opening montage (something you'll hear me say a lot in this review). It's definitely one of my favorites. SNL has been knocking it out of the park with opening montages since about 2014, with all of them apart from 2020-2022 being among my favorites. I also forgot about the lack of Cecily Strong in this episode, along with the next two episodes, while she was on leave.

(MONOLOGUE) Miles Teller

Highlights:

• Your standard "charmalogue", which I always mildly enjoy.
• Some good bits here and there, like Miles pointing out his facial similarity to Rachel Maddow.

Lowlights:

• None.

Additional Notes:

• None.

(SKETCH) Send Something Normal

Highlights:

• Doesn't sound like too much on paper but the execution makes it work.
• James's Armie Hammer is really funny, as is Bowen playing himself. And I always love Kenan's Neil deGrasse Tyson impression.

Lowlights:

• Mikey's Adam Levine doesn't really do it for me.

Additional Notes:

• None.

(FILM) BeReal

Highlights:

• None.

Lowlights:

• BeReal? Jesus, so many of the references this episode makes are dated as hell only three years later.
• There's not much humour in this besides the basic premise of BeReal going off in the middle of a bank robbery, which isn't all that funny to begin with. A flop for me.

Additional Notes:

• None.

(SKETCH) Charmin Bears

Highlights:

• None.

Lowlights:

• Oh God, this sketch. Not only was this sketch pretty much universally hated when it came out, but it also turned out to bear (pun not intended) many similarities to a Joel Haver sketch online. I watched the Joel Haver sketch when it came out that this was plagiarized and although it wasn't anything special, it wasn't the crap that this sketch was.
• Just seeing Punkie on my screen disappoints me. Not because she was a bad cast member, but because her SNL tenure was so insanely forgettable that I can't believe she was on for FOUR FULL YEARS. At least that's not as bad as Melissa Villasenor.
• And here's Bowen in the type of role I don't like seeing him in. Sucks to see after I really enjoyed him in the Send Something Normal sketch.

Additional Notes:

• None.

(SKETCH) Rooftop Bar

Highlights:

• None.

Lowlights:

• Another dud.
• Mikey's over-the-top performance really isn't working for me here, similar to his Adam Levine impression in the Send Something Normal sketch.

Additional Notes:

• A whole lot of Mikey in this episode so far. He isn't making the best impression in this episode as the new male lead of the show. You'd have no idea that it starts off a golden era for him, between this season and the next. Unfortunately, that's come to an end with his last two seasons being unnecessary and a waste of him.

(COMMERCIAL) AMC Theatres

Highlights:

• A great parody of the Nicole Kidman AMC Theaters commercial. I think of this sketch each time I go to AMC and see this ad.

Lowlights:

• None.

Additional Notes:

• None.

(MUSICAL PERFORMANCE) Kendrick Lamar

No comment.

(WEEKEND UPDATE) Jost & Che, with Mitch McConnell & Herschel Walker, Michael Longfellow, Spotted Lanternfly

Highlights:

• Some good jokes from Colin and Che before they got super predictable as they've been for the last couple of years.
• Longfellow's commentary was great. This started a trend for the first three episodes where three of the new cast members got their own stand-up Weekend Update commentary. 

Lowlights:

• I forgot about Kenan's Herschel Walker impression. I wish it could've stayed forgotten.
• It feels weird seeing James impersonating Mitch McConnell after Beck Bennett's famous take. His version is inferior to Beck's, but it's still fine in its own right.
• I know Bowen's Spotted Lanternfly appearance was pretty popular, but I was never a fan. This is exactly the performance I don't like seeing Bowen play. It's just a lot of screaming from him.

Additional Notes:

• None.

(SKETCH) Grimace

Highlights:

• None.

Lowlights:

• Okay, so how many products has SNL based a sketch around in this episode? BeReal, Charmin, AMC, and now McDonald's. A bit excessive.
• Another miss in this episode. It definitely feels to be pandering to the younger audience. But none of it is really all that funny.

Additional Notes:

• None.

(MUSICAL PERFORMANCE) Kendrick Lamar

No comment.

(SKETCH) Caribbean Queens

Highlights:

• None.

Lowlights:

• Just a Heidi/Ego mugfest with zero substance to base it around. I generally like these two, but boy do they annoy the hell out of me in this type of role, mainly Heidi.

Additional Notes:

• None.

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(CONCLUSION)

A bad way to start this season/era of the show. It actually started off alright with the cold open and lead-off sketch. But almost every other sketch flopped for me, with the exception of the AMC Theatres commercial parody. As a host, Miles Teller was actually pretty good, so it's a shame that he was given this type of material. Hopefully, next week he can star in a better episode.

Overall Highlights:

• ManningCast
• Michael Longfellow on Weekend Update

Overall Lowlights:

• BeReal
• Charmin Bears
• Rooftop Bar
• Grimace
• Caribbean Queens

Funniest Moment:

• Nicole Kidman's possession in the AMC Theatres ad.

Best Lines:

• Andrew as Eli Manning, referring to Longfellow: "This may be the only time we see him tonight."
• Miles as Peyton Manning: "Thank God they've got Kendrick Lamar because that's the only reason anyone is tuning in."
• Che: "Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has revealed that her husband has filed for divorce after 27 years of marriage. He officially blamed irreconcilable differences for the split, while she blamed the Jews."
• Longfellow: "You shouldn't cut anti-vax people out of your life. They could be dead tomorrow."

CAST MEMBER COUNTDOWN

CHE: 1 sketch (Weekend Update)

DAY: 5 sketches (ManningCast, Send Something Normal, BeReal, Rooftop Bar, Grimace)

DISMUKES: 3 sketches (ManningCast, BeReal, Weekend Update)

FINEMAN: 3 sketches (ManningCast, Rooftop Bar, AMC Theatres)

GARDNER: 5 sketches (ManningCast, BeReal, Charmin Bears, Rooftop Bar, Caribbean Queens)

P. JOHNSON: 3 sketches (Charmin Bears, AMC Theatres, Caribbean Queens)

JOST: 1 sketch (Weekend Update)

NWODIM: 3 sketches (BeReal, Rooftop Bar, Caribbean Queens)

STRONG - on leave

THOMPSON: 6 sketches (Send Something Normal, Charmin Bears, AMC Theatres, Weekend Update, Grimace, Caribbean Queens)

YANG: 6 sketches (ManningCast, Send Something Normal, BeReal, Charmin Bears, Weekend Update, Grimace)

HERNANDEZ: 2 sketches (ManningCast, BeReal)

J.A. JOHNSON: 4 sketches (ManningCast, Send Something Normal, AMC Theatres, Weekend Update)

KEARNEY: 2 sketches (ManningCast, AMC Theatres)

LONGFELLOW: 3 sketches (ManningCast, AMC Theatres, Weekend Update)

SHERMAN: 3 sketches (ManningCast, BeReal, Grimace)

WALKER: 3 sketches (ManningCast, BeReal, Caribbean Queens)

Mikey and Bowen were the stars of this episode, both of them in their worst forms. The new cast members weren't featured much, besides Longfellow's Update commentary. It's so weird seeing an Marcello's in the cast for where barely has any speaking roles considering his stardom today.

This was a lot of fun to go back and look at an episode from a few years. It was cool to see what's changed and what I've forgotten about over these recent years of the show's history. I'll continue to review upcoming hosts previous hosting stints. Thanks to Jesse Nathan for the idea. Until next week, good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.