Today’s Deep Thoughts

SNL Season 8 Midseason Recap

Lily Tomlin was the host for year 8’s midseason episode, and I was looking forward to rewatching this one. She plays a major role in SNL lore, as she was one of the heavy hitter hosts that helped give the show legitimacy early in season 1. This week was her third (and by this point most likely final) time in the host chair, and the thought of her working with peak stardom Eddie Murphy was enticing. The episode turned out to be… OK, I guess?

As sometimes happens with a host of her caliber, in the same way an episode hosted by Eric Idle would have a noticeably Pythonesque feel, much of this week’s material could have just as easily appeared in a Tomlin solo special. Eagle eyed closing credits watchers will notice Jane Wagner listed as one of the writers. She brought back some of her old Laugh-In characters - Ernestine, Edith Ann, and Judith Beasley. No one can accuse her of not bringing out the hits.

The only Murphy-Tomlin interaction to be seen came in the cold open. Set in his dressing room, it showed him fully enjoying his post 48 Hours superstardom, with an entourage and a trio of scantily clad women. Tomlin entered to chide him for losing touch with his roots, and the sketch went on to produce a parade of his fellow cast members doing his characters in his place; the implication being that the show would not be able to keep Murphy around much longer, so why not train understudies? Mary Gross acted as Gumby, Tim Kazurinsky as Velvet Jones, and most uncomfortably, Gary Kroeger as Buckwheat. If you’re wondering, he did don the wig and makeup. Something like that isn’t technically Al Jolson style blackface, and the cluelessness of Kroeger playing a role that he shouldn’t is part of the gag, but it’s still an uneasy watch in 2023.

Despite Tomlin’s presence, it was a fairly run of the mill episode. It included an array of commercial parodies and a below average news break. (I keep wanting to call it Update, but it wasn’t called Update at the time.) Brad Hall continues to struggle as the anchor; Joe Piscopo’s sportscaster is a one-joke bit, and Kazurinsky appeared as one of his recurring characters. I had forgotten what a large presence Tim Kazurinsky was on the show. Based on the episodes I’ve sampled, only Murphy and Piscopo have gotten more airtime than he did. This one was his eastern guru character; with his over the top accent it’s another one that hasn’t aged well. If I were to give out episode grades, this one would likely get a C-.

Next week I’ll take a look at the season 8 finale, hosted by noted comedian Ed Koch. Gee, wonder how many times the script will have him ask “how am I doing?” I put the over/under at 6.

Playoff Tip-off

It’s a common conundrum - as a fan, do you prefer predictable championship matchups, or surprising ones? Think back to the pre-Djokovic era, when the overwhelming majority of finals in a Grand Slam tournament would turn out to be Federer/Nadal matches. I don’t think fans felt like it was the same old same old year after year. They never failed to produce entertaining, dramatic matches.

Or how about the Magic/Bird era? It would almost feel anticlimactic if either the Lakers or Celtics were eliminated before the NBA Finals. We deserved to see those 2 battle, dammit! And it’s not as if other teams or players weren’t afforded ample opportunities to shine in the early rounds. Michael Jordan’s famous 63 point game came in a first round game after all.

We’re looking at something similar as the WNBA playoffs begin tonight. From the moment the New York Liberty put together a superteam this offseason, a finals matchup against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces has seemed inevitable. It took a bit of time for the Liberty to completely gel - not a surprise with 3 new starters needed to get to know each other - but the 2 teams clearly established themselves as the class of the league. With the top 2 seeds, the opening rounds could be a mere prelude to the finals that everyone wants to see.

They have split the season series 2-2, with the Liberty also earning a third win against the Aces in the Commissioner’s Cup, which doesn’t count in the standings. Most of those games have been blowouts, which is a slight bummer, but the teams have developed a healthy dislike for each other. It promises to be an exciting finals, but here’s the big “if,” IF they actually face each other.

The Connecticut Sun are a strong team as well, and they will have a lot to say over the next few weeks. And they may be the 7 seed, but now that they are mostly healthy, the Washington Mystics threaten be a tough first round foe for New York. But I’ll stick with the teams that have proven to be strongest over the course of the season. I’m still picking a Vegas/New York final.

Who is likely to win? Las Vegas has experience on their side, and that core has been together long enough that they are a perfectly oiled machine. Candace Parker’s injury could be a huge X-factor; the Aces rotation is smaller as a result and that could play large in a long series. The Liberty are deeper. I could be speaking more from the heart than the head, but I believe that depth will be what tilts the series towards Brooklyn. It’s been far too long since a team I root for has won a championship; don’t I deserve this?

TV Of The 21st Century - Lodge 49

I promise this feature won’t entirely consist of underwatched, underpromoted series which ran on AMC, but this is a show that could clearly use some love. Part of the problem with the show is that it’s a bit difficult to accurately describe. One could use the easy comparison that always comes with an overly quirky series and brand it as Twin Peaks set in Long Beach. It does contain a similar feel of general oddity along with some vague mysticism, but it’s more than just that.

The basic premise follows Wyatt Russell’s Sean Dudley. It’s no accident that his surname lends itself to the easy nickname “Dud.” That suits his demeanor very well. He’s a classic southern Cal aimless drifter, struggling to keep afloat a pool cleaning business that he inherited from his late father which is located in a nondescript strip mall. His twin sister supports him; she appears to have her s*** together but despite having a sharp business mind she’s reduced to waitressing at a Hooters type theme restaurant. She would eventually find herself mentored by the CEO of a vaguely Amway type business/pyramid scheme/cult.

One day he stumbles across the local branch of a lodge, and that’s where things take off. There’s a lot of spiritual mumbo jumbo involved, but ultimately he feels like he’s found his place in the world. Saying more than that would rob a viewer of the wondrous journey the show takes. I’m not certain that everything fully worked, but I loved how the unique vibe of the show made it stand out so well.

The cast was filled with so many recognizable That Guys and That Ladies. The true standout actor/character was Brent Jennings’ Ernie. Mixing his world weariness with Dud’s damn the torpedoes full speed ahead attitude was a magnificent combo. And eventually Paul Giamatti and Cheech Marin would show up.

Never a ratings hit, at least we got 2 seasons out of this wonderful oddity. It’s another show that’s on one of the less popular streaming services, but it’s worth searching for if/when it ever finds itself on a bigger platform. It screams Cult Series That Will Draw Big Crowds At Conventions 15 Years Down The Road.

Originally aired on: AMC

Currently streaming on: AMC+

All (Most) Is Right With The World Again

It wasn’t a certainty, but it was always very likely that the Charter/Disney dispute would be settled in time for Monday Night Football. Neither side wanted to risk the wrath of football fans missing out on what could turn out to be the Jets debut of Aaron Rodgers. Lo and behold, the two sides reached an agreement with hours to spare. Good thing, too, as Monday night could very well have been Rodgers’ only regular season game with the Jets. Fans unable to have watched that would have started wielding torches and pitchforks.

In the end, the skirmish did not end with the seismic changes to the cable business model that had been anticipated. Charter customers will lose some of the lesser channels that fall under the Disney umbrella, but at the same time they will gain easier access to Disney affiliated streaming services. Make no mistake, however, it’s still only a matter of time before the TV/streaming landscape looks much different than it does now. For now the brakes have been slightly pumped.

Spectrum subscribers may once again have ESPN, but that’s not close to the best news of the week. The official announcement has not come yet, but his agent reports that Boban Marjanovic has signed a new deal with the Houston Rockets for this season. His free agency was lasting too long for comfort; an NBA season without Boban is like an owl without a graduation cap. Heartbreaking.

One last note connected to Aaron Rodgers. Patrick Mahomes taught the world a lesson Monday evening. Properly placed commas are very important.

Will Social Media Managers Ever Learn?

Like clockwork it happens every September 11. The social media feed for one corporation or another sends out a post that is wildly inappropriate. We’re not far off from this classic piece from The Onion becoming a reality. No one wants to be the “star” of Twitter on that day of all days. This year it was the good folks at DraftKings.

The immediate reaction to this one is dear lord, what were you thinking? A sentient human being actually composed this, looked it over, and decided, yes, it’s a good idea to hit “send.” Nailed it! It took a couple of hours, but DraftKings eventually deleted the post and put out a standard issue apology. But my gosh, read the room.

Tying A Bow On This One

That’s all for today. Thanks as always for spending a few minutes of your day in this little corner of the internet. See ya Friday!