Michael Keaton hosts with Billie Eilish as musical guest

Hey, Coneheads — it’s SNL50 in Review: the anniversary season recap. A decade ago, SNL was celebrating its 40th anniversary, and one of that season’s high watermarks was Michael Keaton’s triumphant return to host after a two-decade absence. His monologue with Taran Killam and Bobby Moynihan remains a personal highlight, particularly as it foreshadowed the eventual reprisal of his two signature movie characters, Batman and Beetlejuice.

Speaking of, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — a long-delayed legacyquel — is out in theaters and apparently not terrible. I have not seen it, in part out of fear. If nothing else, it justifies Keaton’s fourth hosting appearance. As former cast member Gary Kroeger recently noted to me: “SNL understands its legacy and its roots. Bringing back classic hosts and musical acts anchors the show with the past but also keeps it relevant. Michael Keaton and last week’s Stevie Nicks brilliantly redefine themselves as artists, and having SNL acknowledge that is a real plus to the show and its legacy.”

Kroeger also points out that when Keaton first hosted back in season 7, “he was big off of Night Shift, but the real apex of his career was ahead of him still.” When Keaton hosted for the second time, he was riding Batman Return’s momentum before disappearing into character actor-land for a few years, eventually hitting a comeback with Birdman — which brings us back to SNL40 and now, tonight. SNL LORE, you have to love it. Buckle up: Billie Eilish is back for her fourth time as musical guest.

Cold Open

Lego man Bret Baier — inexplicably played by Alec Baldwin — is interviewing a “very demure, very mindful” Vice President Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph). He’s interrupting and bullying. Harris is looking to go viral — she even quotes Adam Driver’s now-iconic line from Megalopis (which costars Chloe Fineman!). The crowd applauds Rudolph a few times.

Baier shows a misleading clip of former President Trump (James Austin Johnson) quoting Big and Freaky Friday, as well as a “ja’brilliant” Ja’Biden (a returning Dana Carvey). Baier also cuts back to Trump at his Univision town hall as he dances to gay anthems like “It’s Raining Men” — a song famously co-written by Paul Shaffer!

This is pretty good — watch it! Good pace, fun moments — the one-liners and dialogue actually crackle for once. My one critique is clearly, no one is waiting for or needing more Alec Baldwin on the show. He is not even in the latest Beetlejuice! I think it’s cool he’s planning to reunite with his Beetlejuice costar, Geena Davis, at a Comic Con in New Jersey, but will we see him with Keaton tonight? Or no? I am confused.

Gary Kroeger says, on this season’s cold openings, they “have become an institution. There is an expectation of up to the second relevance, a fun-to-watch impression, and a comment — or comments — on the state of their candidacy. That’s where the satire finds itself, and sometimes, that satire can be interpreted in different ways according to each viewer’s take on the characters. One person may perceive a characteristic as a criticism, and another may see it as a charm. For me, it’s more interesting to not be sure what the actor/writer has in mind, so I get to apply my own opinion.”

Keaton recalls that when SNL started in 1975, he was a PA on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. In a bizarre moment, Andy Samberg (who isn’t a cast member) and Mikey Day come out as Beetlejuice and want him to say, “It’s Showtime” — this is what they did for his monologue last time, folks. Weak!

I do enjoy their explanation for why Samberg isn’t in this week’s cold open — just odd to shoehorn a cameo into the monologue. And Sarah Sherman’s moment is cute. But meh — watch Killam and Moynihan’s take on this idea; it’s way better.

Kroeger recalls: “I felt that we let Michael Keaton down. He came to play and hung out and was available 24/7 that week to come up with ideas. He was game for anything. I believe we were split between two studios and the time because of election coverage in 8H, and those shows lacked, in my opinion, the same energy. I thought we wasted a real funny and down-to-earth guy by not giving him enough to do.”

Shop TV

Two happy hosts (Day and Heidi Gardner) meet with the Cookie Guy (Keaton) for a Halloween-themed infomercial. Ah, yes, a tried and true premise here, folks. Keaton has a cookie that looks like a breast — lots of innuendo and puns follow. MA-TV gets thrown on the screen; it is so suggestive. “Do those cookies come in different ethnicities?” asks a caller. One order comes from Pelican Bay State Prison.

Please Don’t Destroy

It’s jumping altitude in an airplane — our heroes John Higgins and Martin Herlihy are celebrating a birthday — but the vibes aren’t right. Instructor Ben Marshall never feels weird, but today is off. The other instructor, played by Keaton, is having one of the worst days of his life.

This is a dark premise and the audience does not seem to know what to do with it.