SNL: Taraji P. Henson Nailed It. That’s How the Cookie Crumbles.

After more than 20 years in the business, Taraji P. Henson is finally getting her due. First, with the success of Fox’s Empire, and now with her hosting duties on Saturday Night Live, which has become an honor in the industry (hey, if Dakota Johnson can get the call to host, it’s damn time Cookie Lyon does, too).

Unlike Johnson, who hosted weeks prior, Henson fit right in on the stage and had an ease about her as a live entertainer (it may come from her early days as a cruise-ship dancer/singer).

Her monologue took everyone to church and reminded audiences of where these cast members would be if it weren’t for SNL:

Although the show has been pretty song-heavy lately when it comes to the guest monologues, this one was actually one worth watching, especially given Henson’s singing ability.

The first sketch was “Teacher Trial,” an HLN parody of a “Hot for Teacher” case where a teenage boy (Pete Davidson) takes the stand to speak of the consequences of banging his teacher (Cecily Strong). Although there really weren’t consequences, just high fives and “pimp” nicknames. This sketch had potential, but didn’t quite seem to find its point, although it was good to see Pete Davidson leading the way.

However, the second sketch, another cable network parody (this one being QVC), was much stronger, maybe because it was reminiscent of Molly Shannon’s Sally O’Malley (“I’m fifty years old!”) sketch from the late ‘90s, with Kate McKinnon twisting her voice into a Liza Minelli-esque timbre.

Kate McKinnon may be the Meryl Streep of SNL, with all of her accents, voices, and impressions. The Hillary Clinton cold open with McKinnon playing the hopeful “first female president” seemed to set the tone for a night of strong characters coming from the comedienne:

The “Home 2” parody was a funny look at the curious voice casting behind the 2015 movie (Rihanna and Jim Parsons) and what it would be like if the sequel cast the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj.

The Game of Thrones/John Singleton parody fell flat, mainly because these two pieces of pop culture couldn’t have less in common. Plus, Boyz in da Hood isn’t all that immediately recognizable when it comes to lines and scenes.

“Weekend Update” was the usual fare, but instead of Norman Reedus, this week had an appearance by Billy Crystal, who’s probably there to promote his new FX show The Comedians with Josh Gad. Crystal played the father to Jacob (Vanessa Bayer).

The A League of Their Own parody hit one out of the park. A look at how women were fighting for their right to play baseball (or softball, which involves underhand like a small child). But only for white women. (“Here’s the thing. While our husbands are away, we’re the racists.”)

Seeing Cookie Lyon turn Elmo into a red fur coat on Sesame Street was also strangely gratifying and another parody that worked.

The Hollywood Game Night parody just felt like this new generation of cast members doing their best “Celebrity Jeopardy” impression, with famous people like Vin Diesel and Marion Cotillard (yes, apparently you can parody Marion Cotillard) coming up with stupid answers to easy questions. Although Beck Bennett’s Nick Offerman was a standout, along with Henson’s Wanda Sykes and of course McKinnon’s Jane Lynch (who’s so happy to be done with Glee).

The Vlog sketch showcased Taraji P. Henson’s twerking, but not many other laughs were garnered from it.

What would happen if one of the Power Rangers wanted to control the head of the Megazord instead of the leg? That’s what “Connectatron” wondered about, with Henson playing Mavis, the surly ranger who wants her boyfriend (Taran Killam) to let her take the lead.

I tend to judge guest hosts based on how well they fit in with the cast, and because of that, I thought Henson was one of the strongest hosts of the season. SNL succeeds best when it brings out unforeseen abilities from hosts that don’t get to flex their improv comedy skills, and last night, Henson showed me something new.
What did you think of the Taraji P. Henson episode?

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