Gumball's back. Am I gonna talk about it?

There's unrest in the streets. The planet is on fire. War, famine, Grok waifus. Em dashes are apparently a sign of AI writing now. And yet one question is on everyone's mind: will there be new Mattalamode Gumball reviews? 

It's an interesting question, and it's an interesting time for media in general that I'm not sure to how feel about. All of these shows that were so formative to me, and such a part of my life to the degree that they sort of shaped the person I became and what I've chosen to do with my life, are randomly coming back. Gumball is back. Regular Show is back. Adventure Time is on their twentieth spin-off. SpongeBob never left. There's a grimness to the notion that nothing ever changes, and I don't place any of that blame on the creative voices that have accompanied these shows' rebirth and continuations; it speaks to the depressing state of the industry, especially within animation. The value of new IP is at an all-time low. We've seen brilliant shows like JG Quintel's Close Enough and Guillaume Cassuto's Elliott From Earth get unceremoniously shitcanned, sometimes even leaving behind questions that will never be meaningfully answered. I'm not happy that this is seemingly all that these brilliantly gifted people can do, to resuscitate projects beyond their intended shelf lives and keep them going as if nothing ever happened—artistic freedom has been superseded by financial viability. 

Saturday Night Live, Ranked and Reviewed: Season 13

"Hell-o! Good-bye!"

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After the critical success of Season 12, SNL found itself in a comfortable position for the first time in a while. With no need to reorganize the cast or writers, it charted its path with a simple notion: let's continue the momentum that we've had and see where we can go. If it's not an era of rebuilding, it's an era of reinforcement, albeit one which would find itself cut tragically short by a writer's strike in February. How did it fare up to that point? There's only one way to find out! (Well, aside from watching the season yourself and forming your own opinions, but c'mon.) 

For my reviews of the previous season, Season 12, CLICK HERE!

Saturday Night Live, Ranked and Reviewed: Season 12

 "What's the word on the street?"

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Having endured one of the most disastrous seasons of its entire run, SNL pulled one of the greatest tricks in its playbook: make the audience forget about last year with some dramatic course-correction. With Jon Lovitz, Nora Dunn, and Dennis Miller being the lucky (if unsurprising) few to evade the chopping block over the summer break, the show decided to match their comedy chops with a cast who would have guaranteed success with the art-form, prioritizing known talent over the botched optimism of Season 11's efforts to harness celebrity or bring alternative talent to center-stage. Goodbye, young Robert Downey Jr. and Anthony Michael Hall—welcome, 38 year-old Groundlings stalwart Phil Hartman! Farewell to Terry Sweeney from the world of cabaret, and Danitra Vance from the world of experimental theater—hello, Dana Carvey, Kevin Nealon, and Victoria Jackson from the stand-up circuit! Jan Hooks from the Atlanta-based sketch show Tush rounds out the cast, securing the spot that she initially lost to Joan Cusack the year before in one of SNL's rare examples of righting a wrong. 

It was a cast poised for success, and fortunately, as history would demonstrate, they found it. But how is their very first season? Come along, dear reader, and let's find out together!

For my reviews of the previous season, Season 11, CLICK HERE!

Saturday Night Live, Ranked and Reviewed: Season 11

"Ahh, now our little play must end!"

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The second decade of SNL begins, and by god does it begin with a doozy! Of all of the infamous years of SNL, Season 11 is one of the more intimidating ones to me. While it has the same hypothetical freshness as Season 6, attempting to introduce skeptical audiences to the next iteration of the show, that season at least offers the potential exhilaration of an entire staff flying by the seat of their pants, week by week. Season 11, on the other hand, marks the grand return of Lorne Michaels to his show, which quashes that sense that we're gonna be learning as we go along. Lorne, by and large, is too stubborn a producer for there to be much of a sense of recalibration or finetuning; that, by next season premiere, he'd posit all of these episodes were "all a dream, a horrible, horrible dream" doesn't give me too much hope that this season will have any interesting arc, either, beyond seeing who swims and who sinks. (Knowing who stays on after this season, though... I could guess.) Realistically, I think this season will mostly amount to an annoying hurdle before I'm able to get into what will likely be the best era of the entire show's run.

Among the new cast members who have been brought on to define the next era of the show are the show's first openly-gay cast member, Terry Sweeney; the first black female repertory player, Danitra Vance; two up-and-coming stand-ups by the names of Damon Wayans and Dennis Miller; a very young Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Downey Jr., and Joan Cusack culled from the Brat Pack; Academy Award-nominated actor and one-time New Show host Randy Quaid; and lastly, Jon Lovitz and Nora Dunn, two semi-obscure hires who quickly ascended the heap with their handy sketch comedy backgrounds. Dennis, regrettably, helmed Weekend Update.

The writers' room is also fully-stocked with a mix of key talent from the first five years (Franken, Davis, Downey, Novello) and startling new voices towards the beginning of their careers (Mark McKinney and Bruce McCulloch of eventual Kids in the Hall fame, Robert Smigel, John Swartzwelder), including some writers who previously worked on The New Show (Jack Handey, George Meyer)—like the cast, a clearly talented bunch, though one which would struggle to see their skills recognized on the stage. 

Will the season be able to triumph its negative reputation? Or will it be as bad as they say? As your intrepid tour guide through such a strange chapter in the show's history, here's my (pseudo-)professional opinion!

For my reviews of the previous season, Season 10, CLICK HERE!

Vintage Saturday Night Live Review: George Wendt and Francis Ford Coppola / Philip Glass (S11E13)

"I want you to react by laughing, but if you don't feel like laughing, I want you to go back and remember something from your childhood..."

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NOTE: Hey, everybody! I was planning on posting this on Christmas, but then I totally forgot about that like a complete idiot. But I'm posting it now, because while it's attached to my review coming out in a few days, it's such a substantive piece of writing that I'd like it to also exist on its own so that it can get more unique web traffic and serve as an independent writing sample.

(The full episode can be watched here.)

Desperate times call for desperate measures, but is that always a bad thing? Season 11 of Saturday Night Live, for the most part, would lead you to believe it, amidst the series of questionable decisions it's made up to this point... but sometimes, out of adversity, amazing things can happen. It's true that something as crazy as the George Wendt/Francis Ford Coppola episode could only happen in a season like Season 11, but it still feels so deeply improbable. With Lorne Michaels and SNL in general, any degree of self-analysis is a slippery slope that risks having its cake and eating it too, and there's a definite risk of this deeply meta night being a self-indulgent mess that pokes at the show's systemic problems without trying to rectify them—and perhaps it does, to some extent. But the audacity of this episode, and the willingness of the show to hold itself up to some healthy scrutiny, makes it a legendary success. This is perhaps the most unique evening of the show that you will ever see.

Saturday Night Live, Ranked and Reviewed: Season 10

"Hey, you! I know you! I know you!"

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With the loss of Eddie Murphy, Ebersol found himself in a nerve-wracking predicament. How could he maintain SNL as cool, appointment television without one of the greatest stars the show ever had? The solution: bring in some of the biggest names in comedy that he could and hoping for the best. Do the additions of Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Christopher Guest, Rich Hall, Harry Shearer, and Pamela Stephenson end Ebersol's era on a high note, or does the spirit of the show get lost in the shuffle? 

For my reviews of the previous season, Season 9, CLICK HERE! Otherwise, it's time to wrap up the Ebersol era—let's roll.

Patreon Announcement

Hi everybody!

My name is Matt, and I assume that if you're reading this, you know that I'm a freelance writer who's latest project has been working through every single SNL season systematically and writing reviews of every single episode along the way. 

What you might not know is that I have been writing online since at least 2011, and while I've historically been a bit uncomfortable with monetizing my work—it's a passion project!—I am now, officially, a young adult with many things they must do. I can't commit myself to my writing as easily as I used to. Writing my SNL reviews is something I greatly enjoy, but it's also a massive time investment; doing coverage for an entire season can take anywhere between 1-3 months depending on how busy I am, and it makes up some of the most lengthy and comprehensive writing that I have ever done.

That's where you can chime in! For only $3 a month, you can help support my writing endeavors and get exclusive, early access to my SNL coverage as it's written instead of having to wait for everything to come out at once! I'm also planning some fun, exclusive content for behind the paywall, starting with coverage of Lorne Michaels' doomed spiritual successor to SNL, The New Show! Even if I'm very biased... that sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I look forward to seeing you on the other side!

https://www.patreon.com/mattalamode

Saturday Night Live, Ranked and Reviewed: Season 9

 "Maybe we can turn off the lights and... see what develops!"

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And so, after a season that pushed the Ebersol era into an appreciative state of stability, the boat starts to rock again. With Eddie Murphy maintaining one foot out the door, missing shows and eventually leaving before the season's even concluded, the show's future is yet again thrown into question. How will it cope with the loss of its greatest star? And just how much will the hiring of our only new cast member, Jim Belushi, give the show an extra jolt?

For my reviews of the previous season, Season 8, CLICK HERE! Now, without further ado, here are my thoughts on every episode of Season 9!

Some Long Overdue Thoughts on Amphibia

 

"It's over. It's finally over."

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So... it's been a very long time since I've written about Amphibia, huh? I feel bad, perpetually, about it. I know the coverage I did for over fifty episodes of the show, spanning almost two years, was something that quite a few people really enjoyed, even people who actually worked on the show, and I still think about that. And that fed into a lot of guilt, because at a certain point... I didn't know what else I could say about the show anymore. And so I didn't. But now, having seen the full arc of the show, I thought I'd re-emerge from the shadows and share a few final thoughts about Season 3 and the series in general.

Saturday Night Live, Ranked and Reviewed: Season 8

 "Hey, Mr. Wheat!"

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Season 7 proved to be, for me, a rather tumultuous time. That's not because it was bad; it was a land of extremes, packed with forgotten gems but also ensured, interminable dead spots in every single episode. My expectations going into this season, then—touting some crucial new hires and losing Tony Rosato, Christine Ebersole, and Brian Doyle-Murray—were refinement and stability. Beyond that, Season 8 also boasts some of the more daring and intriguing offerings of the Ebersol era: comedy icons like Sid Caesar and the Smothers Brothers, an eight year-old Drew Barrymore, Chevy Chase emceeing the premiere through a television-screen, and of course Eddie Murphy hosting the show while a member of the cast, cementing his status as the show's in-house legend. 

For my reviews of the previous season, Season 7, CLICK HERE! Otherwise, without further ado (but my god, please pace yourself): here's my thoughts on Season 8!

Saturday Night Live, Ranked and Reviewed: Season 7

 "Oh, you girls have let yourselves go!"

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And so, following the tumultuous and critically-maligned Season 6, we enter the Ebersol era! It's a period that I've been looking forward to quite a bit, considering how hyped up it's been by a lot of other SNL diehards, and the fact that a so much of it seems to have been erased from the show's sense of lore makes it all the more intriguing. We've also got a promising new class of cast members, some of whom we met on the last episode of last season: Robin Duke, Tim Kazurinsky, Tony Rosato are joined by Second City alum Mary Gross and musical theater performer Christine Ebersole, while (relative) veterans Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo helm the pack. Will they be able to bring credibility and life back to the ailing sketch program? I guess I'll have to find out for myself!

For my reviews of the previous season, Season 6, CLICK HERE! Now, without further ado: Season 7!

Saturday Night Live, Ranked and Reviewed: Season 6

 "It just doesn't matter!"

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With the original era drawing to a close, I now approach some of the most infamously dangerous territory in SNL's history: the maligned Season 6. In the fall-out between Lorne Michaels and Fred Silverman, the show's talent coordinator, Jean Doumanian, was put in charge of helming the next era of the show and building an entirely new cast and writer's room. The results—seen at the time as a disastrous twelve-episode run that found the show in danger of cancellation—have since become the subject of legend, and in recent history, of significant re-evaluation. 

Of the infamous seasons of Saturday Night Live (6, 11, 20, 30), Season 6 has always been the one I'm most eager to explore because of the unique, nigh-impossible challenge the show has been tasked with: retool the hippest, most beloved comedy show on television without any precedent. No matter how good or bad Season 6 would end up, it was tasked with fighting an uphill battle all the way through. This is where I think the re-evaluation spearheaded by the likes of the That Week in SNL podcast, Bronwyn Douwsma, and Stooge are so invaluable; they've facilitated a broader discussion on the show, acknowledging the circumstances in which they were created but with the assistance of hindsight. Such people inspired me to begin chronicling my journey through SNL in the first place, and subsequently, I'm very excited to add to that ongoing dialogue! 

For my reviews of the preceding season, Season 5, CLICK HERE! Now, onwards, into one of the most fascinating periods in SNL's history, beginning with...

Summer Camp Island Review: A Barb is Born / Hot Milk and Careless Whispers / Nightcap (Barb and the Spotted Bears Chapters 1-3)

"I was born with the confidence of a thousand bears, but the wherewithal of a thousand blueberries."

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Welcome back, everybody! Today, I commence my coverage of Summer Camp Island's fifth season, starting with Barb's three-episode arc! As a bit of minor preamble, when the fifth season was announced, I was a bit shocked not just to see the show returning to its arc formatting from Season 3, but to feature Barb as the protagonist in its inaugural arc. It's true that she's a well-established member of the show's cast and one whose past hasn't been etched out prior, and if there's one thing I can say about SCI, it's that it'll never back down from the search for new and unexpected horizons... and yet, I was a bit skeptical of how it would shake out. Let's see how I ultimately felt about the way this season kicks off!

"A Barb is Born": And so, on the third day of life on planet Earth, Barb comes into existence. It's always a bit difficult for me to talk about these arc-starting episodes; they're an exercise in setting the stakes, as much about establishing their focal character as they are establishing the environment we'll explore. In this case, SCI cranks the clock back the furthest its ever been, exploring the island before it became a summer camp, or a witch destination, or even somewhere with the threat of inhabitation—it is merely a primordial landscape, bursting with talking ferns and miscellaneous vegetation, and on the second day, bears intent to eat them. 

Summer Camp Island Review: Hark the Gerald Sings / Hall of Mooms / Pepper and the Fog

"Bup, bup, bup. Susie, can I read you a poem I wrote for you?"

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Hey, so it's been a minute since I last wrote about Summer Camp Island, or a lot of other shows for that matter. I've been busy with a lot of endeavors, and sadly, a lot of the shows got pushed to the wayside because of it. With Season 5 of SCI coming tomorrow, though, my completionist brain decided that it would be worth it to at least blast through a couple mini-reviews in preparation! Plus, if this is well-received, I might try to embrace this sort of writing style more—it definitely takes a lot less out of me to write more nonchalantly.

With that out of the way: let's take a look at the last three episodes of Season 4!

Saturday Night Live, Ranked and Reviewed: Season 5

"Goodnight, and goodbye."

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It's the end of an era, and in some ways, perhaps an ignoble one. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd have been replaced by Harry Shearer and a rotating cast of writers as the show's mission seemingly becomes to survive and be perceived as afloat. As with Season 4, we've also hit a point where SNL, for all of its counterculture synergy, is an institution, increasingly tasked with upholding its reputation rather than defining itself. Similarly, this season feels like the last ride for many of the greatest hosts of this era—Buck Henry, Eric Idle, Richard Benjamin—and the last chance for others to pal along with this specific cast—Steve Martin, Elliott Gould. With the exception of Bill Murray, and Harry Shearer, much of the cast would also exit the studio on the season finale, never to return save for nostalgic cameos in anniversary shows.

Nevertheless, how does Season 5 fare against that ticking clock? Here's what I thought!

For my reviews of the preceding season, Season 4, CLICK HERE!

Summer Camp Island Review: Shave a Little Off the Wheel / He's Just Not Here Right Now

"I'm feelin' a little heavy-hearted."

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Ready the mince pies and pack up your toilet paper rolls! Today's SCI reviews are for "Shave a Little Off the Wheel" and "He's Just Not Here Right Now." Let's get on into it!

One of Summer Camp Island's greatest gifts is its ability to imbue even the most fleeting characters with such a deep sense of inner life, and I can't think of an episode to demonstrate that better than "Shave a Little Off the Wheel." It's a strange entry into the show's catalog; set against the backdrop of a wintry holiday called the "Holly Harvest," our focus immediately shifts from Oscar and Hedgehog to Cookiesmell, the mouse living in the wall of Oscar's cabin, making a small-scale adventure to shave a little cheese off of the cheese wheel in the cafeteria kitchen.

Saturday Night Live, Ranked and Reviewed: Season 4

"What [are] we gonna do now?" "What else? We're Greeks. We... dance!"

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With Season 3 being, by all accounts, the best of the original era—and by accounts that I stand by—I was apprehensive of the season that followed. We've hit critical mass; John Belushi is a bonafide star, and alongside Dan Aykroyd, he's on his way out. At the same time, the show's become more self-satisfied and secure with its place in television, a trait that suggests promise but so often translates to SNL as poison. This season is also one of pronounced experimentation, with its interests shifting more towards slice-of-life sketches, epics, and full ensemble affairs... though that daring spirit doesn't quite translate to its slim rotation of special guests (Father Guido Sarducci, Franken & Davis, Mr. Bill).

Does it persevere through these radical changes, or does it succumb to its fleeting desires? Here's what I thought, episode by episode!

For my reviews of the preceding season, Season 3, CLICK HERE!

Summer Camp Island Review: Jeremiah / Tomorrow's Bananas

"I'm gonna need you to go back to your corner real quick."

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Today's Summer Camp Island episodes are "Jeremiah" and "Tomorrow's Bananas." Let's dive on in!

By nature of the creative process, not every episode to emerge from a TV show is a winner, and I think it's unreasonable to expect anything less from even the best of shows. It's not like "Jeremiah" is a particularly bad episode, either; it just feels a bit undetailed for a show that excels with its eye for nuance, and while it presents interesting character work for both Oscar and Hedgehog, the narrative ensures that they've realistically accomplished very little by the episode's end.

That's also not to say that I'm not a fan of seeing Oscar's parental instincts crystallize in another episode—I'm always unabashedly down for that. If it isn't teeming with inspiration, there's guaranteed cuteness to come from Oscar's sudden bout of fatherhood over a young tree being he finds outside of Susie's house named Jeremiah. Oscar, as always, is the beating heart of the show, and it's fun to see how his sense of care combines with his naivete as he tirelessly plugs away at his new son to the detriment of his own health. The issue is that the joy of seeing Oscar inhibit a fatherly role for Jeremiah can't really carry the episode, and SCI's only way to expand upon its premise is to take it into another direction entirely, and a direction that ends up feeling particularly labored.

Summer Camp Island Review: Oscar & His Demon / The Emily Ghost Institute for Manners and Magical Etiquette

"Shh!"

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It's been too long since I've written a review of this show! Let's jump right into it with two more Oscar-centric offerings: "Oscar & His Demon" and "The Emily Ghost Institute for Manners and Magical Etiquette.

"Oscar & His Demon" is, to put it plain and simple, the season's first big home run. That's not a strike against the season at all; there's been an appreciably experimental vibe, with SCI trying out different ideas and shifting its priorities around in curious, thoughtful ways. This feels like the first time that curiosity has crystallized into something truly solid, though, and despite the fact that it frames itself in such a unique way, it manages to highlight the show's greatest qualities, fully unhindered by its theoretical sense of restraint.

What's immediately striking about the episode is that it takes place, almost entirely, in silence. It's a risk that a lot of shows have taken, and it makes sense for SCI to take an interest to that concept; for as integral as its dialogue usually is, I've always felt that it was a show that had an astute ear for sound design and low-key visual humor. We've seen drips and drabs of what magic the show can do when it holds its tongue—both "Time Traveling Quick Pants" and "Radio Silence" establish a strong precedent for the success of an episode like this—so I was naturally excited to hear that the show would be, in "Oscar & His Demon," fully committed to the concept. But what makes the episode so great isn't just that it succeeds at that challenge; it uses the opportunity to tell a compelling, meaningful story about Oscar's character.

Saturday Night Live, Reviewed and Ranked: Season 3

"I never watch television. Never. I don't even own a television. Electricity is evil. It kills the creative mindset."

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Of the first five seasons of the show, I've been most curious about Season 3. Beyond the fact that it's well-regarded as the finest of the original era, it feels like all of the wonders of the show are coming in at a fevered pitch. There's some legendary episodes here, from Charles Grodin, to the atomic lobsters, to the quintessential Steve Martin gig. There are points of intrigue, like Hugh Hefner, returning alum host Chevy Chase, or Miskel Spillman and the Anyone Can Host competition. Gary Weiss is on the way out, and Tom Schiller's on the way in. And there's also O. J. Simpson. Basically, there's a lot to look forward to, and also O. J. Simpson!

Does Season 3 live up to its mythical status in the pantheon of Saturday Night Live? Scroll down and find out!

For my reviews of the preceding season, Season 2, CLICK HERE!