Best sketches from SNL season 51
I was browsing YouTube today when I noticed SNL was posting season-ending wrap-up videos, and I figured I might as well scroll through the most recent season and pick my favorites like I did a couple years back.
The absolute best
If you've been around any young people lately, you've probably heard all sorts of their new language they've created to describe the world. This snack boys podcast perfectly nails the things I overhear whenever I walk past a bunch of 10 year olds who might describe me as an unc who is low-key chopped.
Bad Bunny's episode had a lot of good ones, like a person who wants to turn any conversation into how much they love K-pop Demon Hunters, but this one on Inventing Spanish had the same vibes as the legendary George Washington sketch.
The Bachelorette Party Strippers nails the modern world of men who have to be respectful, supportive, but also somehow sexy simultaneously, and goes to hilarious places.
Ariana Grande is a force and this was one of many great ones from her night.
Teyana Taylor was a great host and this cut for time sketch was a perfect parody of the weird things moms do.
Ashley Padilla is the 51st season MVP
Ashley Padilla was the breakout star of the entire season, no contest. She's like an early SNL career Will Ferrell who takes some bonkers character and pushes everything to eleven. She might break a bit too often, but otherwise every sketch she appears in is epic and this one was the best of the best.
SNL loves to feature a character that is excessively weird and this one was pretty great.
Jack Black was born to host SNL but his night was just so-so, but this was a highlight, again, thanks mostly to Ashley Padilla.
Melissa McCarthy might be one of the top all-time hosts for SNL, but like Jack Black, I felt like this season's appearance underutilized her talents. The UPS sketch was my favorite of hers this time out.
These two sketches are great examples of interesting set design, one acting like everyone is weightless, the other, of people being thrown down stairs in a hilarious way.
Matt Damon doing several minutes of pure cringe was... pure cringe but I commend him for doing it.
This perfectly describes almost every interaction I have with mechanics even when I know what is going on. Too real.
Season 51 was the one where we lost Bowen Yang to greener pastures, but Ashley Padilla has quickly become a load-bearing player like Bowen was, and hopefully they make her a full featured star next season.