Last night's Saturday Night Live was a definite improvement over the season opener, with host Ryan Reynolds and musical guest Lady Gaga turning in solid performances. Surprise cameos by Madonna, Scarlett Johansson, and Elijah Wood didn't hurt, either.
The show had a rough start, thanks to an incredibly icky Mackenzie Phillips Family Feud sketch that failed to connect with the audience, for fairly obvious reasons. However, Andy Samberg turned things around with this digital short, "On The Ground," which includes the tragic destruction of a cake. Maaaaaaan!
Madonna made a surprise cameo in this "Deep House Dish" sketch, which probably would have been a lot funnier had her mic been working. It was hard to hear what she was saying, so many of the jokes fell a bit flat, unfortunately. Madonna did get one zinger in, though, asking Lady Gaga: "What the hell is a disco stick?"
Click to viewLady Gaga was a great sport throughout the show, as this silly sketch with Andy Samberg demonstrates.
New cast member Nasim Pedrad made her Weekend Update debut as "Mrs. Ahmadinejad."
Scarlett Johansson, married to the night's host, Ryan Reynolds, showed up to reprise her "You gotta get a chandelier!" character in order to sell some porcelain fountains.
Though Ryan Reynolds was a solid host, and the show was pretty decent (barring that dreadful Family Feud skit) I'm guessing most people will be talking about Lady Gaga's musical performances, like this one. Overall, it was much better than last week—let's hope next week's episode, with Drew Barrymore and Regina Spektor, continues the pattern.