Ben Affleck / N.E.R.D.
March 13, 2004

(COLD OPENING) Sully & Denise at Donny's wedding

Highlights:

-- A non-political cold opening.

-- The twist with Ben's wedding turning out to be gay and Jimmy and Rachel's reactions.

 

Lowlights:

-- Horatio's usually funny Frankie character was wasted here.

 

Misc. Comments & Observations:

-- Why was Jimmy out of breath at the beginning?

 

Grade: B+

 

 

 

(MONOLOGUE) Ben Affleck's copyrighted shirts

Highlights:

-- A real monologue! First time we had one all season.

-- Ben's various "Bennifer" name variations on the shirts.

 

Lowlights:

-- None.

 

Grade: A-

 

 

 

(SKETCH) Z-105

Highlights:

-- A little funnier than usual with Ben's character copying Jimmy and them competing against each other.

-- Ben explaining that his and Jimmy's Indian characters are from different villages.

-- Of course, I loved the Three Stooges reference at the end.

 

Lowlights:

-- A few weak parts.

 

Grade: B-

 

 

 

(NEXT LIVE SHOW) April 3, 2004: Donald Trump

-- Even though I'm getting tired of all the non-actors as hosts this season, Donald Trump is pretty funny and I can see this being an interesting episode.

 

 

 

(SKETCH) Frondi's Gigli bashing

Highlights:

-- Fred's character and his Gigli insults.

-- For some reason, Parnell's high-pitched voice during the filming made me laugh.

-- The magazine covers ending (and did anyone notice the "Frondi vs. William Hung" article?).

 

Lowlights:

-- None.

 

Grade: A

 

 

 

(TV FUNHOUSE) The Making of The Passion of the Dumpty

Highlights:

-- The Bush campaign ads.

-- The "That's all, folks" ending with Mel Gibson at the end.

 

Lowlights:

-- None.

 

Grade: B

 

 

 

(SKETCH) "Appalachian Emergency Room"

Highlights:

-- Amy and Parnell's characters.

-- Ben with the beaver and his explanation.

 

Lowlights:

-- None.

 

Misc. Comments & Observations:

-- Darrell gets another rare recurring character.

 

Grade: B

 

 

 

(COMMERCIAL) Only Bangkok, Part 1

Highlights:

-- A great parody of the "Only Vegas" commercials.

 

Lowlights:

-- None.

 

Grade: B+

 

 

 

(MUSICAL PERFORMANCE)

-- No comment.

 

 

 

(WEEKEND UPDATE) Fallon & Fey, Finesse Mitchell, Diana Ross, Bill Clinton

Highlights:

-- Tina's Gay Marriages joke.

-- Finesse's commentary had some funny parts.

-- Tina's Martha Stewart/meatloaf joke.

-- Tina's O.J. Simpson joke.

-- Jimmy's Kenya joke.

 

Lowlights:

-- Tina's Iraqi constitution joke.

-- Tina's Bush joke.

-- Tina's Clinton joke.

-- The Diana Ross segment.

-- What was with having Bill Clinton on again when he was just there last week? And this one wasn't nearly as funny as last week's segment.

 

Grade: C+

 

 

 

(SKETCH) "Top O' The Morning"

Highlights:

-- The flashbacks, especially the one with Kenan and Finesse.

-- The bobbing for whiskey bit.

 

Lowlights:

-- The ending could've been funnier.

 

Grade: B

 

 

 

(COMMERCIAL) Only Bangkok, Part 2

Highlights:

-- Again, a funny parody.

-- I always like seeing the host in the commercial.

 

Lowlights:

-- None.

 

Grade: B+

 

 

 

(SKETCH) "Donnie G. and Sidecar"

Highlights:

-- A funny and creative premise. Reminds me of something they would try in the late 80's.

-- Fred getting hit with the mailbox and all the other stuff.

-- The funeral at the end.

 

Lowlights:

-- None.

 

Misc. Comments & Observations:

-- That Caracci's Pizza apron that Horatio was wearing was from that same sketch from the early 90's with Tim Robbins.

 

Grade: B+

 

 

 

(COMMERCIAL) Only Bangkok, Part 3

Highlights:

-- The funniest of the three. All the random stuff (especially the Kelly Ripa cameo) was hilarious.

 

Lowlights:

-- None.

 

Grade: A

 

 

 

(MUSICAL PERFORMANCE)

-- No comment.

 

 

 

(SKETCH) The Full Moon Killer

Highlights:

-- The "And he was!" thing at the end.

 

Lowlights:

-- This seemed kinda like a rip-off of the Superman sketch with The Rock and this wasn't as funny as that.

 

Grade: C

 

_________________________________________________

 

Overall Episode Grade: B+

 

Overall Highlights:

-- Ben Affleck as the host.

-- Sully & Denise at Donny's wedding.

-- Monologue.

-- Frondi's Gigli bashing.

-- The Bush campaign ads in TV Funhouse.

-- Only Bangkok ads.

-- Donnie G. and Sidecar.

 

Overall Lowlights:

-- Diana Ross and Bill Clinton on Weekend Update.

-- The Full Moon Killer.

 

Funniest Single Moment:

-- Fred as Frondi.

 

Best Lines:

-- Rachel Dratch as Denise: "What about the time we did it in the Little Pete's parking lot?"

Jimmy Fallon as Sully: "Wait, where was I?

Rachel Dratch as Denise: "Oh, you were inside trying to buy rubbers."

Jimmy Fallon as Sully: "The irony."

 

-- Rachel Dratch as Denise: "Everyone should have the same kind of love that Donny and Smitty have.

Jimmy Fallon as Sully: "Denise, I've been begging you for the kind of love that Donny and Smitty have and you never let me do it, not even once!"

 

-- Fred Armisen as Frondi: (to Ben about Gigli): "And then you're falling in love with the lesbian again? Oh, brother.... I didn't like it the first time, when it was called Chasing Amy."

 

-- Tina Fey: "DirecTV has filed suit against O.J. Simpson, accusing him of pirating its satellite television signal. In an unrelated story, DirecTV has been stabbed to death."

 

-- Jimmy Fallon: "A 52-year-old man in Kenya, said to have gone 10 years without taking a bath, was grabbed by villagers, tied up, and forcibly washed down. The question is: what was Mickey Rourke doing in Kenya in the first place?"

 

CASTMEMBER COUNT DOWN

DRATCH: 1 sketch (1: Sully & Denise at Donny's wedding)

 

FALLON: 4 sketches (1: Sully & Denise at Donny's wedding; 2: Z-105; 3: Weekend Update; 4: Top O' The Morning)

 

FEY: 1 sketch (1: Weekend Update)

 

FORTE: 3 sketches (1: Appalachian Emergency Room; 2: Top O' The Morning; 3: The Full Moon Killer)

 

HAMMOND: 3 sketches (1: Appalachian Emergency Room; 2: Weekend Update; 3: Only Bangkok, Part 2)

 

MEYERS: 5 sketches (1: Sully & Denise at Donny's wedding; 2: Appalachian Emergency Room; 3: Only Bangkok, Part 1; 4: Top O' The Morning; 5: Only Bangkok, Part 3)

 

PARNELL: 5 sketches (1: Sully & Denise at Donny's wedding; 2: Frondi's Gigli bashing; 3: Appalachian Emergency Room; 4: Donnie G. and Sidecar ; 5: The Full Moon Killer)

 

POEHLER: 6 sketches (1: Sully & Denise at Donny's wedding; 2: Frondi's Gigli bashing; 3: Appalachian Emergency Room; 4: Only Bangkok, Part 2; 5: Donnie G. and Sidecar; 6: The Full Moon Killer)

 

RUDOLPH: 3 sketches (1: Appalachian Emergency Room; 2: Weekend Update; 3: Donnie G. and Sidecar)

 

SANZ: 3 sketches (1: Sully & Denise at Donny's wedding; 2: Top O' The Morning; 3: Donnie G. and Sidecar)

 

ARMISEN: 2 sketches (1: Frondi's Gigli bashing; 2: Donnie G. and Sidecar)

 

MITCHELL: 3 sketches (1: Appalachian Emergency Room; 2: Weekend Update; 3: Top O' The Morning)

 

THOMPSON: 1 sketch (1: Top O' The Morning)

 

Jimmy, Seth, and Amy were the stars of the night.

 

 

 

 

TOT ZIENS.