Comedian Shane Gillis returned to host his second episode of Saturday Night Live this week. By now, Gillis’s very brief tenure on the show has become something everyone involved could joke about in promo spots for this episode. And given that many of the sketches from Gillis’s first time hosting have been watched quite a lot on YouTube relative to the average SNL sketch, it’s not hard to imagine that he’ll be back in 30 Rock before long.
The persona Gillis cultivated in his opening monologue this episode treaded a fairly delicate line — throughout, there was a knowing awareness of whether or not he was getting too candid and potentially crossing a line and saying something offensive. In the monologue’s opening minutes, he seemed to be preparing for a more hostile audience than he got; in its best moments, Gillis waxed lyrically about his love of Ken Burns’s Civil War.
For this SNL viewer, the best use of Gillis came when he played a character who’s less affable than his exterior might suggest. This same tension worked out well with the “Rock Bottom Kings” sketch during Gillis’s last time hosting, and this time it was another commercial parody that made a strong impact. Here, Gillis played a man advertising a new anxiety medication called CouplaBeers. And yes, it’s exactly what you think it is.
The sketch’s jokes land for a few reasons. The first is that it doesn’t stop with the concept of a beer as a prescription medication, instead escalating to a logical yet uncomfortable place. The second is the contrast between Gillis’s friendly demeanor and the idea that his, shall we say, pharmaceutical approach to dealing with his issues are only making him worse to be around. That push-pull cropped up a few other times in this week’s episode, including a sketch where Gillis played a contestant on a The Voice-esque show with a stunning voice and an abrasive personality.
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Some surprisingly bittersweet moments amidst the comedySNL has seen an uptick in the number of stand-up comedians hosting recently. This season has seen that approach become even more pronounced, with Gillis, Chris Rock, Nate Bargatze, John Mulaney, Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr all taking center stage at various times. It isn’t hard to see why — but it does offer some challenges behind the scenes.
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