After a three week break, Saturday Night Live returned in fine form with host Sofia Vergara and new featured player Kate McKinnon. And it looks like an extended break did the writers good (and they managed to squeeze in two more sketches than usual)! This really was a funny show, even with some reliable (if over-used) standbys, but Sofia did a terrific job. And if you couldn’t get enough of Sofia on the show, she was in every other commercial that ran during the show! If you missed any of it, here are some thoughts on the sketches, and be sure to come back for the embedded videos as soon as we’ve got them.
Cold Open: Road to the White House — Well, another “Romney is a Boob” sketch that started weak, but actually got funny as he spoke at various locations. But did anyone else but me expect the real Romney to turn up at the end? And is this the first time one of the cast didn’t say the show’s opening line?
Monologue: Sofia Vergara — One of the funniest monologues of the season, I loved how she said she came from Cleveland, pointed out her ageless family, and made fun of her accent. Hopefully the rest of the show is this funny.
Just Friends — Pretty funny commercial for booty shorts with a great punchline to the Not Gay T-shirts. Sudeikis and Samberg really are comfortable with each other (but are the rumors true that they’re leaving the show at the end of the season?).
Bein’ Quirky with Zooey Deschanel — This was funny when the real Zooey hosted, and it was pretty funny this time around as well. How does Kristin do that with her bottom lip when she’s Drew Barrymore? Andy Samberg as Mayim Bialik! Sofia Vergara as a very loud Fran Drescher! Taran Killam’s Michael Cera is still one of the funniest things in this sketch. I just hope they don’t wear this one out too quickly.
Almost Pizza — It’s pizza, right? By Pfizer? Well, maybe not. Another ad that was downright hilarious. Hader’s delivery was perfect, and the sound effect as the slice hit the floor was too funny.
News Team Promo — This was similar to the sports team promo, but not as amusing. Armisen took center stage in this one that luckily didn’t go on as long as it could have. Sofia did have some good expressions though, and she’s good at toning down the accent when she has to.
Sex Education — Gilly! Didn’t they retire her? I know most people hate Gilly by now, but she still makes me laugh. Loved the flash forward to Gilly’s old age, but you can tell they’ve really run out of things to do with her by breaking character at the end for a punchline. Could this have possibly been a last gasp for the character as Kristin Wiig is also rumored to be leaving at the end of the season?
Musical Guest: One Direction — Isn’t it past their bedtime? Now I finally have a name and some faces to put with that ubiquitous song. Typical boy band sound. I can see why they’re so popular, and after a few weeks of bands I knew nothing about, it was nice to have something not so cutting edge.
Weekend Update — Drunk Uncle with tips on how to enjoy time with the family … kind of. Moynihan does this character to perfection. No other visitors but Seth had some pretty funny news stories.
The Manuel Ortiz Show — How could they not do this with Sofia on the show? But can it still be funny? Kind of, but One Direction and Kristin Wiig’s wig really saved this one from pure mediocrity.
Lil Poundcake — Again? Third time by my count, and the audience acted like they’d never seen it before. With all the whooping, I thought maybe something was happening in the studio that we couldn’t see.
Watch What Happens Live! — Taran Killam does a great Andy Cohen, and this was a great spoof of the real show. Trust me, if you’ve ever seen the show on Bravo, you’ll get how funny this actually is. And Kate McKinon did an awesome Tabatha Coffey.
Pantene commercial — Penelope Cruz gets all the hard words in a commercial with Sofia. Who knew the word Phytomorphogenesis could be so funny? McKinnon knocks it out of the park again as Cruz! The girl has a knack for accents.
The Hunger Games — Well, you kinda have to know The Hunger Games to get this, but Sofia portrays a very loud reporter interviewing the kids who are trying to avoid getting killed. Not the best sketch of the night, but Sofia gave it her all.
So what was your favorite sketch of the night? Vote in the poll below (you can choose two), and leave your comments as well.
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Apr 08, 2012 @ 01:43 EST5EDT
Oh see, I thought the Penelope Cruz impersonation was AWFUL. It sounded like an Indian accent, not a Spanish one.
I thought Sofia was phenomenal. Her Fran was spot on, lol.
*POST AUTHOR*
I couldn’t really tell what the accent was, but Indian did not come to mind. The whole sketch was hilarious though. And, yes, the Fran Drescher was terrific … even if she did have a slight Columbian accent!