or...

Familiar Name, Unfamiliar Face But That Voice...

When I sat down to watch today's episode of Saturday Night Live, I saw the name Christopher Lee next to a thumbnail of Jane, Belushi, and Murray acting out a scene, so I didn't start out with a face to try to put the name to. I knew he had something to do with Star Wars and was involved in older flicks with part of me thinking he might have been the old man in Phantasm.

I shrugged my shoulders and started the show, figuring his face would clear up any confusion. He stepped out on the stage, and his '70s face was still not ringing a bell. He then clasped his hands and started to speak, and I knew who he was in an instant.

He looked so different during this time of his life that I didn't even realize that he is the guy in my Wicker Man themed profile picture. Unfortunately, the mystery of how I knew this name and the vocal reveal was the most exciting part of this entertaining episode.

I wouldn't say that this show was terrible, but they slowed down the tone of the show to match the mystery/suspense feel in order to parody the genre that Christopher Lee is known for. There were times where I felt like I was watching a real genre show with several subtle jokes to keep it from getting utterly dull.

Now it's time to share what I saw as I give you...

The Wicker Breakdown:

Tonight's special episode is "interrupting" 101 Dalmatians Get Run Over 101 Moving Vans.
The opening sketch takes place in the locker room with Gilda and Bill Murray discussing Belushi getting transferred out to L.A. to be the next Grizzly Adam's due to an NBC shuffle following a famous news anchor's retirement. Not only does he have to change jobs but the producers decided his name is now Kevin Scott and is really going to miss saying, "Live from New York..."
Christopher Lee opens the show with an opening monolog about being hesitant to host the show. He then goes on to list off his resume as if this makes the show beneath him. He then takes a moment to gripe about modern-day horror which was the genre that gave him his start.
This is technically a sketch within the monolog, but we cut to a parody commercial for an uninspired modern horror called The Island of Lost Luggage which is pretty self-explanatory.
Next is another fake horror commercial, this one is the classic where Belushi won't leave the party in a sketch called The Thing That Wouldn't Leave.
The final sketch fulfilling the rule of three is a fake commercial for Vincent Price as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Rodgers.
Christopher Lee then closes his opening monolog with a quick word before we move on.
The next sketch feature to British Chaps discussing linguistic in a very fancy home library. Barbara Wawa then enters the scene seeking speech therapy to advance her career. They try for hours, then days, then weeks into months without getting any progress. It's then revealed that the two British guys end up talking like Barbara Wawa.
Christopher Lee then comes out and announces that he's like everyone to meet Loaf. He quickly corrects himself, and there seems to be a bit of confusion that I'm not sure if this was an accident or a joke that got zero response. Anyways, Meat Loaf then sings All Revved Up With No Place To Go.
Once again, Jane and Dan host the news. I'm noticing that it's getting a little dry without the election to give it focus. They seem to be throwing new tweaks to Weekend Update each week. This was the week that first featured Point, Counter Point where Dan calls Jane an "ignorant slut" as a release to all the passive aggressive tension that may or may not have been genuinely building. (I don't know, Jane seems, understandably, annoyed to be teamed up with Dan when she was doing just fine, if not better, on her own.) (Link 2)
Jane Curtin then puts down her child, Laraine, for bed after promising to take her to the pet store to replace their dead dog in the morning. Child Laraine lays down to sleep only to be awoken by death who is there to give his apologies while sharing other regrets about his job. This goes on for a while, and I zoned out for a bit but was brought back with death telling the child he'd be back for her the day she turns fifteen.
Garrett Morris then plays the King of Egypt who is panicking because of all of his recent mistakes. I'm sure this is a 40-year-old reference that is still significant to what's currently going on in the area. The sketch ends with Morris asking the home audience to send in suggestions to try to solve the problems.
The short video this week is pretty much a fan music video for the Foreigner song Cold As Ice, which featured a woman killing what I assume to be her husband in various COLD ways.
Dan Aykroyd then plays the pitchman for Del Stator's Rabbit Hut, a restaurant where the customers get to choose their rabbits to be cooked in front of them like one would do with a live lobster.
This was followed by a vampire hunting sketch where a group of vampire hunters who have to get past Nixon to put a stake through the soul of the Watergate Investigation.
Richard Belzer then hits the stage to do some stand-up and impersonations of rock stars from back in the days of when this episode was recorded.
Meat Loaf then returned to the stage to perform Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad.
MR. BILL DOES A CIRCUS SHOW!!!
Finally, Christopher thanks the crowd and says his goodnights.

As I said up above, I wouldn't say this episode was horrible but it was barely average, and a little bit boring and here are my favorite moments. First, I still love Mr. Bill and got very excited about seeing him. Next, I liked The Thing That Wouldn't Leave because I've both dealt with and have been that thing, so I find this to be a funny observation. Finally, I was a fan of Garrett Morris and the President of Egypt asking advice from the audience because this is another one of those sketches that frivolously jokes about something that has grown to still be relevant over time.