or...

You Had Me At Sarducci!!!

Right out the gate, I was pretty excited to watch this episode of Saturday Night Live when I saw that it was the next in the queue. First off, I was looking forward to seeing Richard Dreyfuss because he's the first non-comedic host that I was not only aware of but also a fan of, to perform the hosting duties in quite some time.

I was also excited because, due to an earlier sketch in the season, I knew that Close Encounters was recently released so I was assuming he'd have a run in with the Coneheads, my favorite reoccurring characters so far meeting a movie that I like to watch at least once every couple years. Not only that but I have the same relationship with the movie Jaws, so I was expecting to see the land shark.

The above piqued my interested by merely seeing Dreyfuss's name and a tiny random thumbnail. Then the show started, and I was 150% on board when Don Pardo announced the special guest, Father Guido Sarducci. This man has always cracked me up from SNL to SCTV. He's one of my favorite types of people on the planet who are so devoted to character that it genuinely feels like his true personal reality.

All in all, it was a pretty good show, and neither Dreyfuss nor Sarducci let me down, and with that, it's time to share what I saw as I give you...

The Wicker Breakdown:

Belushi and Gilda play Mexican marijuana farmers whose crops get dusted with Paraquat herbicide which makes them rush to sell the harvest before the Paraquat makes the herb disappear. We then see a map of the smuggling route from Baja to New York. On the way, there are a couple massive seizures, but little stashes continue to sneak by, all the way down to where there is just one joint as it gets to Bill Murray, who smokes it before saying, "Live from New York..."
Richard Dreyfuss opens the show dressed up as a Shakespearian actor. He admits that he feels silly in the suit, but he feels he needs to prove himself to Belushi who think Richard Burton should have won the Oscar that Dreyfuss is holding in his hand. He then performs a bit from Hamlet to prove his acting chops only to get directed by Belushi who thinks he's not doing a good job.
Richard Dreyfuss then recreates his Close Encounters' character only instead of building the mountain from the movie with mashed potatoes, his sculpture looks much more like a cone. This is when it is revealed that we are watching Cone Encounters Of The Third Kind where Dreyfuss discovers the Coneheads and ends up on a spaceship to Remulak.
Richard Dreyfuss then goes on to introduce Jimmy Buffett but is interrupted by the soundtrack to Jaws which makes Dreyfuss nervous for a bit but then the show just goes on.
Jimmy Buffett sings Son Of A Sailor.
The Sex Test is an informative show where Richard Dreyfuss asks the home audience multiple choice questions about sex, complete with sexperts going into more details about the right answer.
Once again the news is hosted by Jane and Dan, and it starts with Jane apologizing for her bitchy outbursts after reading a couple negative reviews and promises to not do it again. Bill Murray reviews his Oscar picks from last week to discuss all the choices he got wrong. He ends by tormenting Jane, and she does her best to hold back her rage. Roseanne Roseannadanna then does a segment on UFOs which evolves into a rambling story about a road trip where she came across an x-rated drive-in theater, and her talk of humungous buttholes finally sets off Jane.
Bill Murray returns as his crappy lounge singer character which is always pretty much the same this time he ends singing a lyrical version of the tones from Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.
This next sketch felt more like a way for Larraine and Dreyfuss to show off their acting chops because it's mainly a realistic couple fight where they act their asses off without there being all that many jokes.
The David Susskind Show is an interview show, and this week they are celebrating Mother's Day. In this sketch, whoever Susskind is, interviews Kissinger, Snyder, and Spinks along with their moms who are pretty much their older female twins.
Dreyfuss then goes on to introduce Gary Tiger and once again we hear Jaws theme, but this time Dreyfuss goes to investigate opening a nearby door only to find nothing.
Gary Tigerman performs White Oaxacan Moon.
Father Guido Sarducci then makes his debut, and I couldn't be happier to see him, knowing that this is the beginning of his run with the show because I can't wait to see him again.
Richard Dreyfuss then sings Seduced which was also written by Gary Tigerman.
Finally, Dreyfus remains on the piano from just singing his song when he thanks the audience and says his goodnights before finally getting eaten by the Land Shark!!!

Once again, this was a pretty fun show and here were my favorite moments. First, I loved seeing Guido Sarducci because I'm a huge fan. Next, I liked the Cone Encounters Of The Third Kind sketch because I love both the original movie as well as the Conehead Klan. Finally, I was a fan of the opening marijuana sketch because I'm always in for a convoluted map journey while telling the crazy backstory of a very mundane event.