This week’s show featured the beloved Jim Carrey as host, and chart-topping “Fancy” singer, Iggy Azalea as the musical guest.
Rather than doing a stand-up monologue, Jim Carrey put on a Halloween musical as “Helvis.” Part Elvis, part Devil. The impersonation was solid, but the expected stand-up routine would have been funnier. However, this introduced a lively episode with a lot of surprises (like Jim Carrey in a leotard and blond wig).
Recurrent characters were Drunk Uncle during Weekend Update and Obama on the issue of Ebola in America.
Carrey was a strong host, popping up unexpectedly in most sketches. He occurred in a sketch about the Zombie Apocalypse, along with the popular new cast member Pete Davidson as his convincing zombie son. In a pre-recorded mock commercial that interjected several times during the show, Carrey did a hilarious on-point impersonation of Mathew McConaughey for Lincoln, making fun of McConaughey’s absurdly random monologue in the real commercial (watch the videos side by side below).
Other characters he played included Paul and Phil, graveyard ghosts he played with the help of Taran Killam; Geoff, a demon-possessed owner of a Halloween costume store; a lunatic, billionaire old man on a dating show; himself at a Carrey family reunion; and a man at a costume party dressed as the child dancer in Sia’s “Chandelier” music video. He and Kate McKinnon danced to the song in leotards and blond wigs, leaving the stage, dancing past the live audience, and even finding Lorne and Iggy.
Carrey made every sketch he was in successful with his kooky voices and expressions. There was not a single sketch this week that didn’t generate a few laughs. Perhaps the most successful were the McConaughey spoofs, which just got funnier and funnier. Also the Carrey Family Reunion, in which his Dumb and Dumber co-star Jeff Daniels made an appearance as Carrey’s character in the movie (Dumb and Dumber To is expected to hit theaters in November). The Halloween Costume Contest sketch was a popular one, as well as a huge audience pleaser. Perhaps the least successful sketch was one Jim Carrey did not appear in: Ghosts: Fact or Fiction?
Iggy Azalea performed three of her newest songs: “Fancy,” “Black Widow,” and her newest single “Beg for It.” Rita Ora surprised the audience by joining Iggy to sing her party in “Black Widow.”
The fourth episode continued this season’s trend of amazing hosts and musical guests: Chris Pratt and Ariana Grande, Sarah Silverman and Maroon 5, Bill Hader and Hozier and Jim Carrey and Iggy Azalea. After replacing most of the cast in the past couple years and having trouble figuring out the new cast’s dynamic, it seems “SNL” is making up for what it lacks internally with hosts and musical guests that attract a major audience. Next week the trend continues with host Chris Rock and musical guest Prince, who has lately been making a comeback. He made a cameo on this season of “New Girl,” and now will take on the “SNL” stage. Chris Rock will surely live up to the past four hosts.