Emmy Episodes: Saturday Night Live

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the fourth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Saturday Night Live: Season 44, Episode 19 “Host: Adam Sandler” (B+)

So many people have hosted SNL over the forty-four seasons it has produced, and there’s always a special place for the former cast members who come back to the show after many years away. Adam Sandler has always been popular, but he hasn’t done much in recent years, and his newest upcoming effort, “Uncut Gems,” is supposed to be a real dramatic departure. Opening with him singing a song about getting fired was a perfect introduction, and what ensued was typical Sandler fare, like screaming in a music video and a combatant in Tripoli all too amused by a Snapchat filter. Playing himself at a Sandler family reunion where all of his relatives were clearly fodder for his movie characters was funny, and, though his delivery was dry, the commercial for the Italian tour that won’t change who you are was extremely entertaining. Singing a tribute to Chris Farley was sweet, and his best showcase was as Opera Man during Weekend Update, where he kept everyone laughing with his musical takedowns of current events. A win for him wouldn’t be surprising at all, as he’s clearly the sentimental choice who delivered exactly what people expected from him and was funny doing it. The opening “Avengers” vs. “Game of Thrones” Family Feud sketch was funny if somewhat predictable, and definitely timely even if I’m watching it a few months after it originally aired. Kate McKinnon playing Elizabeth Warren on Weekend Update and mocking all the other Democratic candidates was a highlight of the episode.