Adam Driver and Kanye West

Adam Driver and Pete Davidson.
Photo: Will Heath / NBC

Ah, the new season of Saturday Night Live: new writers, new actors, new opportunities for Leslie Jones to give the camera its death gaze! And nowhere in the betting pool for the first host: Adam Driver, who starts SNL44th season with his second host concert. His first move, in 2016, had his moments. the Star wars/Boss infiltrated mash-up, a sketch on a crazy Golden Globes and a short film about the man-fish The shape of the water, were all great. This time, Driver does not surf on the wave of Star Wars, nor is he the star of the summer, but he has a good credit in the excellent BlacKkKlansman. The writers have found enough that they can pass without having to wear the black coat and make another appearance of Kylo Ren.

While Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford were all we could talk about this week, it follows that some aspects of the sexual assault hearings began the show tonight. And if you were wondering if SNL's puzzle casting series would end, you got your answer when Matt Damon performed on stage as Kavanaugh's ager. A parade of Senators and the hired prosecutor (Aidy Bryant) question Kavanaugh about his drinking habits, his mates, the meaning of "devil's triangle" and his proximity to Bill Cosby. Kavanaugh, meanwhile, is whiny and braggart, whether he talks about his beer preferences or his days with "Handsy Hank" and "Gang-bang Greg". Then there is the cut Alyssa Milano. Damon does not add a lot of nuance, but the sketch is a good start to the season and Kate McKinnon's undeniable Lindsey Graham is lovely.

The thing that the driver hates the most about falling, or more specifically working with SNL the players in the fall, hear the same little talk about what happened during the summer. Everyone "worked a bit and traveled a bit", but because Driver is terrible in chatter, it makes him mistreat Aidy Bryant, Beck Bennett and Kenan Thompson. Pete Davidson is the only person Summer Driver wants to know about summer – but Davidson has not spoken yet. This monologue hits only the note, and the note is not particularly funny, but hey, it does what an intro has to do.

While they are investing for part of Fortnite, two children (Davidson, Kyle Mooney) are joined by the shy father William McTavish (Driver). Because his son Miles plays Fortnite with his stepfather Rick, William wants to be better than Rick right now. this will not happen unfortunately as he puts his character avatar (Mikey Day) in the walls and makes superfluous emotes. This sketch is new, as half of the three players speak on the headphones and half is the gameplay adopted by several other artists. But this is also part of the problem: writers never really decide which part will attract attention, the clumsy father doing his best or the visual gag of characters who laugh.

In another drama film by Kyle Mooney, Kyle feels anonymous and becomes jealous of Pete Davidson for all the extra attention Pete received during the summer. So, Kyle cuts his hair, blondes, starts calling people "bro" and gets a celebrity girlfriend in Wendy Williams. A Pete dissatisfied with Kyle's bites, so both have to sort things out SNL "There is a battle, the blood is spreading and lives are irreparably changed." There are some good jokes here for those who know a little bit about the cast members – stay tuned. listen to learn more about Davidson's engagement with Ariana Grande.

Interested in an infomercial for Burger King's BK Joe Coffee? This sketch, in which the characters talk about BK Joe for five minutes, is the one that suits you. A big Italian couple (Driver and Strong) do not understand the principle of a single-blind study in which the sophisticated coffee he expected was replaced by an affordable and delicious coffee, the BK Joe. While the couple gets angry more and more about the subterfuge and get fed on "burger juice," the guy who runs the study (Day) tries to calm them down. It does not help and the couple did not understand it. But we do it: it's SNL's infomercial for BK Joe's coffee, in which a man says "biscooti", rather than "biscotti". If it suits you, congratulations, you have fun easily.

Another interpretation of Kavanaugh's auditions, this filmed piece recounts a crazy party that took place in a university of the 80s. While all brothers are wasted, supertitles tell us a little something about what will happen to them in the future. Some say to a federal grand jury that what they have done has never happened, two are forced to withdraw their candidacy for the 2020 presidency and the kid who says "I'm going to places!" Is dead now. The writers do a good job looking at the places from different angles, and there are some nice gags, but it's really too confusing and uncomfortable to be funny.

With the news cycle dominated by Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Update spoke to Kavanaugh. Michael Che pointed out that all the "yelling and crying" had occurred during Kavanaugh's job interview – and when that happened, "you do not get the fucking work ". While considering all the little things that Kavanaugh lied about, Colin Jost presented this well-constructed alcohol game: "If you took a picture every time Kavanaugh lied to you about his yearbook, you'd be drunk too." that Brett Kavanaugh in the summer of 82. "Ginsburg, speaks about this week's dramatic auditions. The impertinent dances of the Supreme Court Judge and the patented "Ginsburns" patents are not exhausted at all.

The second half of the segment has relatively few jokes on the part of the anchors, but there is a strangely charming reproach from Che about why a show called The Cosby Show featured a main character named Cliff Huxtable. In addition, Leslie Jones briefly comes to play Serena Williams and show her toned physique – no matter how open the controversy in the United States is for weeks. Finally, Pete Davidson talks about what Driver wanted to know in his opening monologue: he describes the magical experience of being engaged to Ariana Grande, the less than magical experience of the threat of death, and what it is to have. a fiancée who is the breadwinner. Davidson's natural charm wins again, as in the moment he describes the effect of his commitment as in San Francisco, helping a child with leukemia achieve his dream of becoming a Batman.

Abraham H. Parnassus (Pilot), silver-haired mustache ancestor of young Mordechai (Davidson), travels to Sierra High School to teach his son's class about his work as an oil baron. In the first place, it is to crush his enemies under the feet and to "crush them in the dust". While some children encourage the terrifying stories of Parnassus, Mordechai's embarrassment is obvious. This may be because Parnassus's wife was the granddaughter of his mortal enemy, H.R. Pickens. This sketch has beautifully dark turns and gives the driver good reasons to chew the scene. (Davidson struggles to hold on when the driver asks for eye contact.) Beyond reading another version of Kylo Ren, this sketch is the best use SNL has made the pilot's singular intensity.

In the only sketch that plays on BlacKkKlansman, a group of whites gather to share their resentment about minorities and immigrants and dream of a place where only whites live. "It sounds like Vermont!" Shouts a guy in the crowd (Driver). Although Jim (Bennett) and Todd (Mooney) are trying to counter claims from abroad, all the speeches on the farmers' markets and the dogs with bandanas prove that Vermont is a refuge for white supremacy. Indeed, it must be the place where "leaves change color but people never do," because the security guard (Redd) does not want to have anything to do with it. There is a clever observation at the heart of this sketch, and it is fun to hear the writers listen to it.

The approach and timing of the pilot are not yet as nuanced as some favorites. SNL hosts, he played well again with the others. His 2016 concert featured silly characters, as in his shredder, singing Aladdin, but nothing allowed him to succeed as he did with Abraham H. Parnassus in "Career Day." The cast seemed well rested, been off. (Unfortunately, the new cast member, Ego Nwodim, did not have a lot of air time, but it's only his first show.) The host of next week will be Awkwafina, which represents the blockbuster movie of the summer and is one of the only women of Asian-American origin to host SNL. Hoping that the rest of the cast Rich Asian boobies done at 8am, too.