Phoebe Waller-Bridge overcame SNL's attempt to her squander her as host

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https://tv.avclub.com/saturday-night...ebe-1838815875

"Look, SNL tried to pigeonhole Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the Fleabag creator and star just wasn’t having it," says Dennis Perkins. "Sure, they crammed her into the Claire Foy box with that letters home from war sketch, apparently now a go-to rite of passage for talented British actresses. And she had to play straight-woman in an inevitable royal family sketch, since, again, she is British. But Waller-Bridge staked out her territory in a longer than usual for a non-standup monologue and hurled herself into every opportunity to go big in her first Saturday Night Live showcase. Unsurprisingly, PWB was impressively bold, right up to and including her turn as one of a quartet of female barroom rowdies in the ten-to-one sketch, going belly-laugh to belly-laugh with champion buffoons Aidy, Kate, and Cecily. There were some wheezy sketches—recurring and 'new' —which was baffling, considering who the show had on hand. But Waller-Bridge seemed to relish the chance to have fun, while anchoring even the flimsiest premises with the expected cheeky aplomb."

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SNL delivered a fresh, hilarious take on stereotypes with "Mid-Day News" sketch

Written by Michael Che, Ego Nwodim and Chris Redd, the "Mid-Day News" sketch "didn’t touch on politics via the goings-on in Washington, D.C., but its commentary was political nonetheless," says Shirley Li. It was a standout sketch on an uneven night and might be as memorable when it comes to race as the Tom Hanks "Black Jeopardy!" sketch from 2016. "Mid-Day News," says Li, "mined its humor from having the ensemble collectively engage in—and subsequently lose their minds over—the racial stereotypes that influence their perceptions of one another....'Mid-Day News' successfully explored an uncomfortable truth: Everyone harbors assumptions about race—and when it comes to the news, it’s important to read past the headline," says Li. "Perhaps that’s an obvious reminder, but in real life, it’s an embarrassing one to admit. On SNL, however, it’s the perfect fodder for a standout sketch."

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• "Weekend Update" had its first perfect segment of the Colin Jost-Michael Che era: "Something amazing happened on Saturday Night Live this week," says Meghan O'Keefe. "I’m not talking about how the show trotted out Matthew Broderick in the Cold Open, or let Fleabag mastermind Phoebe Waller-Bridge deliver a true monologue, or even how musical guest Taylor Swift elegantly stripped down two of her latest pop songs to their bones. For maybe the first time since Colin Jost and Michael Che were paired together, 'Weekend Update' clicked on every single cylinder. The topical jokes were not just sharp, but exquisitely written. All three segments — Kate McKinnon’s Elizabeth Warren, Bowen Yang’s 'trade daddy' Chen Biao, and Mikey Day’s daffy supercentenarian Mort Fellner — worked beautifully. But most importantly, Jost and Che’s chemistry was easy, playful, and familiar in a way that has sometimes eluded them. This week’s 'Weekend Update' wasn’t just good, it was close to perfect."
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