Yes, James being polished seems like a strange reason to criticize him...he's just a gifted impersonator. He stumbled on a few of his lines, thus proving he's not too perfect (not meaning it as a criticism). How is he being "groomed" to be "the new Beck?" Do you mean because Beck became a leading man type and James was used a lot? Because they don't look or sound a thing a like or necessarily have an overlap in characters. He's a lot like Hammond in my opinion based of style and ability.
I don't mean this as an argument but I feel like people are wanting to hate a bit on the newcomers and the fans always want to call the newbies the "new somebody" to who just left or could be leaving. Such as people wanting somebody to be the "new Kristen Wiig" or Lauren being the "Aidy replacement" or people saying Cecily was filling the role of "attractive but not too attractive like Abby Elliot." I'll wait a bit longer than 1 show to make that judgement but who knows may in a few I will agree with you lol
Additionally, while Owen was middle of the road I feel that's what he brings to his roles is laid-backness...so I am not too shocked with how he was used.
Also agree with you against last anon, last season was not the worst at all! I think they did great under the circumstances! Also remember laughing a lot, but it is pretty subjective...people tend to forget that.
Sorry this is so long! Your blog is great, just curious about your train of thought on James!
It does, doesn't it? Like I said, I get a weird vibe from him but that's just my first impression. I didn't like Cecily for most of her first season but then a year later I had a poster of her on my wall (and I still do). He's a talented impressionist and I'm looking forward to seeing what else he can offer. A lot of people are comparing him to Darrell which I definitely see. What I meant by the Beck comment is that if this were last season, Beck would've been in at least two of James' roles (particularly the Larry the Cable Guy impression and the NFL announcer).
Oh I completely agree. I feel terrible for the featured players at the beginning of their tenure because they have so much pressure put on them. I actually really hate it when people expect them to be the "new insert SNL alum here." That's why I was disappointed to see James in those Beck-like roles. The purpose of the show is to have a diverse cast with a wide variety of talents for impressions and original characters. I would hate to see a new cast member so desperate to fit in that they seek to fill the niche left by someone who's moved on (not saying that's what's happening with James though). Also that comment about Cecily and Abby Elliott... yikes. Whoever said that needs to reevaluate their priorities!
Very true about Owen. Honestly, I wish the show had more laid-back hosts in the sense that they can relax and have fun with the cast for a week and not worry about everything going perfectly on Saturday. I mean, we fully saw Lorne walk by then Owen asked "are we ready?" at the beginning of the funeral sketch and he didn't seem phased at all!
I fully agree with you agreeing with me haha. During a global pandemic it's nice to have the show to rely on for at least one laugh per week. I'm eternally grateful to them for the At Home shows, even if not all the sketches were winners.
Thank you for reaching out and again, being a kind person willing to talk about the show! I feel like people never talk to me about SNL any more because I'm an old lady who can't stay up to liveblog haha. My ask box is always open!
