SNL -- Saturday Night Live -- Ben Affleck / David Cook (with John McCain) -- 11/1/08

The premise is that Obama may have paid three networks to air his infomercial. But all the Republicans can afford for an infomercial is QVC. Funny! Also funny is Fey touching her outfit when saying, "These campaigns sure are expensive." The Town Hall debate commemorative plates is funny. It was a nice touch to have Fey interrupting McCain as he talked. Cindy McCain showing McCain "Fein" Gold was inspired as well.

Damned if this left leaning, Obama voter didn't find the thing funnier than everything that has opened BUT the Palin/Couric interview. The whole thing was very well written and McCain showed he was a good sport. My fear is that something like this could make people vote FOR him. Do they realize that Fey won't be vice-President.

Best line: "I'm a true maverick, a Republican without money."

Monologue -- Ben Affleck -- 2

Yawn. Why are the monologues so lame this year? A few comments by the guest and then commercial.

Jar Glove -- (Repeat) -- 6

I liked this earlier when shown. Not so funny once you know what happens.

The View -- 7

A show ripe for parody. It appears that nobody in the audience has ever watched the show if you judge by the laughs. The sketch is pretty well written in terms of capturing the voices of the women. Kristen Wiig's Elisabeth Hasselbeck is a stitch, capturing her cluelessness perfectly. Kenan's Whoopi is funny, but sounds nothing like her. Fred Armisen's Joy Behar is spot on. Affleck's Alec Baldwin is amusing as well. Casey Wilson seems to be here only to do her Jennifer Aniston impersonation. The sketch was pretty funny, but suffered from the audience apparently being asleep.

Keith Olbermann -- 9

Ben Affleck captures the cadences and brusqueness of Keith Olbermann, but doesn't sound much like him. His mugging during the "Worst Person in the World" was priceless, though. He has been over the top quite a bit, but this sketch is a bit unfair. Olbermann doesn't pull quotes out of context like this (at least not in the times I've watched him). This might have been more amusing with O'Reilly. The sketch is unusual for SNL in that it actually got funnier as it went along. By the time Affleck's chair spinning, camera changing Special Comment was done, I was crying.

Target Lady -- 7

Note to Lorne Michaels and Kristen Wiig, you are wasting Kristen Wiig. When you're not doing the 48th variation of the annoying funny voice woman, you are funny. These sketches are not funny. Ben Affleck's odd UPS delivery man, "Sir Cumference" is a stitch, though. Is he channeling Adam Sandler. Not as bad as it could have been.

Staten Island Zoo -- Giraffes -- 2

This has Andy Samberg written all over it. Loud music, silly animal video, juvenile to the core. Not funny.

David Cook -- 5

Gotta love the Elvis pseudo guitar playing. It's like Grunge meets EZ-FM. Snooze.

Weekend Update -- 4

John McCain makes another appearance. Wish they'd have tweaked him more, but instead they look this doofus look self-deprecating. The two voting experts singing nonsense was a complete waste of time, as are Kristen Wiig's TV reviews. Overall, some funny jokes, but nowhere near where it should be.

Best lines -- (In reference to Joe the Plummer being AWOL at a McCain rally) -- "In all fairness to Joe the Plummer, he did say he'd be there between Noon and 5 PM."

"This weekend, daylight saving time ends. John McCain quickly condemned it as a redistribution of sunlight."

Night School Musical -- 5

Slightly amusing parody of High School Musical. Gives the cast an excuse to sing, but not enough fun at High School Musical's expense.

Grady Wilson -- Put the Fire Back in Your Marriage -- 1

Kenan Thompson illustrates sex positions and creates no laughs. Please boot him off the show.

Suleski Brothers Pitch a Movie -- 1

SNL does entirely too many sketches based on odd, awkward people. Occasionally it can be funny, but quite often, like here, it just dies. Having two brothers, one normal, the other a fey, goth creepizoid, sounds stupid as I write it. Just bad.

David Cook -- 7

Catchy song. Nice hook. Sound mix is so much better than last week's Coldplay performances.

Bierhoff Brothers -- 3

Perhaps this is funnier in New York, but this plays like somebody noticed something on the street and turned it into a sketch.

Overall -- 6

An episode that started off promising and quickly tanked. I honestly think the writers are tired, and somewhat lazy. SNL should try to do more taped pieces among the live sketches. Nobody cares if it isn't live. They care that it isn't funny. Kudos to the spot on Olbermann sketch. The last half of the episode was terrible, though.