After seeing the lukewarm promo, we weren’t sure what to expect from last night’s Mick Jagger-hosted season finale of Saturday Night Live. Jagger was all right in the sketches, but (surprise, surprise) he really shone in the musical numbers, particularly his rendition of “The Last Time,” backed up by The Arcade Fire. Other than that, the episode was pretty middle-of-the-road, much like the season as a whole — not too bad, but not really phenomenal, either. This episode was Kristin Wiig’s last, and the cast sent her off with a teary, sloppy farewell homage that made us smile. Click through to watch the best and worst skits of the evening, and let us know if you agree with our assessments in the comments!
The Best:
The Lawrence Welk Show
We admit, we usually hate this sketch, but this iteration — an obvious cold open confirmation that the episode would be Wiig’s last — actually ended up kind of funny and satisfying. “Isn’t love beautiful when it’s gross?” Yes, yes, it kind of is. It’s also beautiful that we will (probably) never have to see those tiny little hands again.
Mick Jagger Karaoke
This is really silly, but we still laughed out loud at the real Mick Jagger’s pouty protestations — plus, the ending was a little nugget of joy.
Lazy Sunday 2
Sure, it pales in comparison to the original, but then, most things do.
Weekend Update: Stefon
Well, SNL got one thing right — this is exactly what we want to see during the last episode of the season. And every episode.
The Worst:
Secret Word
Always. It’s always the worst. At least one good thing will come of Wiig’s departure — the death of this sketch.
Politics Nation
We get it, Al Sharpton can’t read cue cards. That is not enough of a joke for a sketch this long.
The Californians
There’s a delicate balance in sketches like this, but unfortunately, this iteration of The Californians tips towards being more actually annoying than it is funny-because-it’s-annoying. It’s too bad, because if Steve Martin had come in about three minutes before, we’d have been glad to see him, rather than sorry he was going to prolongue our torture.