Saturday Night Live recap and review: Chadwick Boseman with musical guest Cardi B

Black Panther himself hosted Saturday Night Live this week and it was royally fantastic. Plus musical guest Cardi B made an expectant announcement!

We finally have the return of Saturday Night Live. With an almost month-long hiatus, the show had a lot to catch up on. It was easy with a host like Chadwick Boseman, and there were plenty of amazing sketches to enjoy. Plus, it was nice to see Chadwick show off his comedic chops with some of the best on SNL.

Cold Open

Donald Trump is not here for any kind of questions. When he has to go to a press conference with the presidents from other countries, his internal monologue shares his disinterest with the entire situation. It gets to the point where Trump starts delegating questions to the other presidents.

As far as cold opens go, it seems as if running the gambit with Trump sketches are coming up short. Most of them aren’t that great and this one was just okay.

Monologue

Chadwick Boseman played James Brown and wanted to dance — and boy did he! Basically, Chadwick talked about how Saturday Night Live did Black Panther sketches before he’s come on, even one with Sterling K. Brown. So what’s left for him to do?

But then again, Chadwick has quite the career so there shouldn’t be too much of a problem finding a role for him.

Nike Commercial

This was shaming all the women out there who wear their workout pants to sit on their couch. Personally, I was very offended because workout clothes are comfy (and stretchy!). Sometimes we just want that comfort while we are watching television, like SNL for example?

Every once in a while, SNL picks on stuff that women like to do exclusively because women like to do it. It isn’t that the sketch wasn’t funny, it was. But seeing this trope over and over and over again has become mundane and makes these sort of sketches unoriginal.

Black Jeopardy

Maybe the best version of Black Jeopardy yet. The sketch that brought us Tom Hanks as Doug has continually been a shining light on SNL. Now though, T’Challa has joined the mix and it was just a wonderful sketch of him being a genuine joy of a character.

It takes him a few rounds to realize how to play the game but he gives such amazing answers after that it. T’Challa talks about honoring his aunt and letting people cook and telling them thank you, despite whether it is good or not. T’Challa is a sweetheart, even when playing games. (And he doesn’t freeze, even on hard questions.)

Medical Breakthrough

This sketch opens with the first man to become pregnant, and he learns the hard way that he can’t have a c-section. During a reveal with press, the doctor tells them that while he was going to give the man a c-section, the artificial womb is too fragile and the man will have to give birth through his urethra.

All in all, this sketch is really just poking fun at a man having to give birth in the most difficult of ways. By the end, it is revealed that he is having triplets and honestly everyone felt his fear.

Aidy B + Cardi B

We all want to be more like Cardi B. Maybe Aidy Bryant does more so than the rest of us but we can at least relate. In a sketch where Aidy just wants to be Cardi, there really isn’t a point to it other than the fact that she insults Chadwick Boseman right off the bat.

At the end of the day, maybe those are the best kind of sketches. There really isn’t that much of a point but we all relate to it and that’s good enough.

Cardi B

Cardi B is obviously a great performer and her SNL appearance proved that yet again. But we are going to exclusively get into her revealing her pregnancy.

Cardi B. is. pregnant. What?!

During her performance, Cardi sang songs from her new album in dresses that seemed to be big but not to the point where we were questioning whether or not she was expecting. In the midst of her second song, the camera panned down to show us that Cardi is about six months pregnant and suddenly nothing else mattered.

Weekend Update

When the girlfriend from every movie about boxing shows up, she tries to give the good news of the week to Colin and Michael. But really, she just kept threatening to take her kids to her sisters.

Weekend Update has been consistently amazing this year and it is all thanks to the insanity that is our current political system. We appreciate Colin Jost and Michael Che for making fun of the plight we’re all in, week after week.

Magic Mirror

R. Kelly is a Disney princess? Or at least, he looks like R. Kelly but they say he’s a character from Mulan. When a group of friends go to Disneyworld, they visit the Magic Mirror to see what Disney princess they’re most like. The problem? Leslie Jones gets a princess that looks surprisingly like R. Kelly. Not good…

“WHAT ARE YOU UP TO, R. KELLY?” she screams as he dances. Leslie Jones says the last place R. Kelly needs to be is Disney, and we totally agree.

Warehouse Fire

Sometimes you just have to leave work right on time, even if you’re a firefighter. When a warehouse fire goes past 6 p.m., one fireman is determined to leave. He’s set on attending a meeting about a doll that looks like you to make it easy for your dogs when you’re not at home. Yup.

For whatever reason, he doesn’t want to tell his fellow firefighters so they just keep trying to guess why he wants to leave right at 6 p.m. Finally, he realizes that his invention is already made and has to come up with a new idea.

This sketch is a little stiff and seems random with the rest of the episode, but we do get to see a cute Dalmatian. You win some and you lose some.

Restaurant Complaint

You can’t sing your way to a free meal but that doesn’t mean this group of friends won’t try. When four people go to a restaurant, they ask to talk to the manager and then proceed to sing about their experience.

It is weirdly a great sketch, with twists that you don’t necessarily see coming (like Angela having missing teeth). Funny, charming, and we get to see Chadwick Boseman sing as a bass. Who could ask for anything more?

Game of Life

Don’t ever be a Dreamer in this Game of Life because then you’ll be stuck trying to get paperwork and process your existence while your friends go to law school. The original game always showed us as kids what adult life could be like, and it was never pretty.

Granted, this was a fictionalized version that just had us smiling as players try to fit a bunch of kids into a car. This version also came with four different expansions because it gets harder and harder when you are a Dreamer.

Wakanda Forever

Can white people salute Wakanda? The way I look at it, you’re crossing your arms over your chest which is also a Wonder Woman thing so maybe just white men shouldn’t be allowed to do it. But this sketch talks about the importance of Black Panther and how it is nice that white men want to relate to a black superhero.

There’s a weird part where Chadwick starts talking about aliens though and I want more of that in this world.

Overall, this was a decent episode for SNL. There were some great sketches, amazing Black Panther references, and Cardi B is pregnant! Again, what?!

Next: Saturday Night Live recap and review: Bill Hader with musical guest Arcade Fire

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