(Evening, folks. I'm BabylonSista: pop culture junkie, political soap opera lover, and music snob. Glad I can give Alyssa the break she needs and pinch hit this week.)
I love it when older entertainers find their second wind--it happened for crooner Tony Bennett and for Johnny Cash, elder statesman of badasses, in the early 90's. And it's been just as heartening to see actress and comedian Betty White make a comeback of sorts through late night shows like Fallon and Ferguson. White does play up her age for gags, but her routine doesn't seem to be any different than what she'd do at any age: snarky, raunchy, and just a bit of silly. The Facebook push (which she hilariously ridiculed in her SNL monologue) for White to host Saturday Night Live was even better: a TV pioneer would honor the show with her comedy wisdom.
I really wish that's what happened. The show's start was promising: White's earlier mentioned monologue was on point. But the rest of the show sagged...because it was Saturday Night Live. Bringing back their best female players to do their best old bits did nothing but remind the audience of the times when the show was good. And most of the skits hung on White's age--something I'm surprised she went along with for skit after tedious skit. When the material played more to her style than her years, it was great; when being 88 was the joke, the joke fell flat. Even the MacGruber shorts got tired and creepy pretty quickly.
But mostly--and this really bothered me--SNL's writers didn't go the extra mile to write new, interesting material. After hyping a show this big, I thought their team would bring it. Instead, they relied on old ideas and lame gags. I was sure they were going to do something with their musical guest, Jay-Z, but they passed up the chance.
Betty White worked with what she had, and I admit to tearing up a little at the end when the cast gave her bouquets of roses. A comedian was honored with a choice spot on television. Too bad the show didn't honor her with better material.