Martin Freeman, the star of The Hobbit Trilogy and the original British version of The Office, hosted this year’s Christmas episode with musical guest Charli XCX. Freeman starred in several of the episodes best moments, including his monologue, which was simple and hilarious. He didn’t do an extravagant song and dance like Jim Carrey did earlier in the season, though it could have been expected for the Christmas episode. He just talked about his close relationships with other famous Brits, mentioning that he, Prince William, and Kate Middleton had had a slumber party at Mick Jagger’s before he and the royals came over to the U.S. There were special appearances by other renowned English actors Maggie Smith (Kate McKinnon) and Alan Rickman dressed as his character Severus Snape from Harry Potter (Tarren Killam).
Freeman also starred in a sketch in which he married Leslie Jones, who played a WMBA player. The joke was that there was a line of people with objections to the marriage, for reasons such as the two had only known each other five days, Leslie’s character hadn’t told Freeman she had ten kids, etc. Leslie lost her composure when Kate McKinnon came on screen, playing an old woman who had wandered in off the street but also had an objection to the marriage.
Perhaps Freeman’s best moment on the show was a mash up of two of his acting roles: Tim from the U.K.’s The Office and Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit. The bit was called The Office: Middle Earth. It included Bobby Moynihan as Gandalf, parodying regional manager David Brent originally played by Ricky Gervais, and Tarren Killam playing Gollum, parodying Gareth (or Dwight, for those who watch the American version of The Office). Killam was completely unrecognizable in full costume and makeup, and Tim’s costume matched what he wears for The Hobbit perfectly. This was the longest bit in the episode, probably because it was the best written and the most successful with the audience.
Sadly, the funniest parts of the episode were placed at the beginning, and the rest of the show lost momentum. Charli XCX’s first performance was unexciting and a little awkward. The scene didn’t make much sense. The set felt empty, and the Christmas decorations clashed with her own theme for the performance, whatever it was. She wore a pink, rhinestone, two-piece outfit, while her guitarists and drummer wore drab grey suits. As for the actual performance, she stood still at the microphone and sang her hit Boom Clap. She had more energy for her second performance, singing the hit “Break The Rules” off her new album Sucker.
Though Charli’s showmanship improved, the episode did not. It’s difficult to decide what the worst sketch was. The whole second half of the episode was uneventful. Even Weekend-Update lacked. Vanessa Bayer as recent Bar mitzvah boy made a return, showcasing the same jokes always used for the character. One thing Weekend-Update maintained was its knack for political commentary. This week’s comments on the exposing of the CIA’s use of torture were better incorporated into jokes than last week’s comments on the case of Eric Garner, which left the audience uncomfortable rather than amused.
The Christmas theme of the episode wasn’t overly apparent, but the show did give us the gift as Kenan Thompson dressed as Funk Singing Santa Claus and telling people who’ve been crossed of Santa’s list: “everybody gets sump’n.” He called himself Sump’n Claus. You can watch this episode, as well as old SNL Christmas sketches, on Hulu or at http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live .