The first February 2014 episode of Saturday Night Live packed a lot into one episode. From Melissa McCarthy’s third time as host, to tackling the Super Bowl and Black History Month, to a farewell (with friends!) for soon-to-be Late Night host Seth Meyers, there was much to be covered. Fortunately, the sketch show focused on the strength of its host and players to usher in consistent funnies the whole night through. And in a surprisingly delightful twist, the cast themselves took center stage, effectively upstaging the host for the first time since this new group’s hit the stage. We’ve compiled the best sketches below.
Cold Open Halftime Spectacular
After a mishap with the polar vortex caused Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ flights to be rerouted, the Super Bowl had to really Tim Gunn the halftime show in order to make it work. What resulted was Broadway’s best coming in to save the day with a kick-ball-change and a lot of gusto. But whatever will happen to poor Mama Pass?
Melissa’s Monologue
What makes McCarthy such a strong host is her willingness to do absolutely anything, which includes getting strung up for a hilarious Mortal Kombat-esque fight sequence against Bobby Moynihan. The duo’s aerial flips and kicks were a giggle-inducing way to start the show.
Valentine’s Day Commercial
Some dumb little thing from CVS: a pitch-perfect skit about what constitutes just the right amount of effort and thought one should put into Valentine’s Day.
Guess That Phrase
Step One: decide you want Melissa McCarthy to say a bunch of hilarious weird shit. Step Two: film it. Step Three: profit and/or Pass the Mash.
Women’s Group
See, you guys? Vision Boards have a myriad of uses!
Delaware One
I love Coach Sheila Kelly — she’s the perfect recurring character for McCarthy, as it combines her love of emotionally volatile, absurdist characters that say crazy-terrible shit, allowing her to get her no-holds-barred on. We’d like to see Sheila Kelly take on New York Rep. Michael Grimm in real life, no joke.
28 Reasons
We need more Sasheer Zamata, folks, and we need her right now, preferably as more than just a singalong video girl, but we’ll take what we can get for the time being. That said, 28 Reasons did its job: made us laugh a lot while reminding us how absolutely terrible white people were for a very long time. Snaps for Bobby Moynihan’s “devil’s advocate” quip because *shakes head* white people.
Weekend Update
Oh, gosh. Did Seth Meyers’ farewell sneak up on anyone else? The Weekend Update send-off to the now-former SNL head writer and desk anchor since 2006 had everything, but perhaps best of all were the appearances of Amy Poehler and Seth’s own husband, Stefon. In the words of Andy Samberg: It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
Super Champions
Kyle Mooney! Let’s talk about how wonderful Kyle Mooney is, OK? His comedic timing is perhaps the most well-honed of all the new cast members. Cable access awkwardness coupled with man-on-the-street reporting equaled everything uncomfortable, weird, and wonderful. Mooney may be just the man to take over the digital shorts front now that Samberg’s gone. More of this, please. Lots lots more of this.
The rest of the sketches are below:
Art Exhibit
Girlfriends Talk Show
Summer in a Day
What were your highlights from Saturday Night Live? Are you, too, mourning the loss of Seth Meyers? Let us know in the comments!