It’s been less than a year since comedian Nate Bargatze made his debut as host of “Saturday Night Live,” but the gig was so well received that he’s already back, joining a stacked lineup of Season 50 hosts including Jean Smart, John Mulaney and Michael Keaton .

Was it as strong a show as last time? Not exactly. The monologue was more scattered and less refined than last year’s and the sketches were less uniformly great, but there was still strong material. Bargatze’s “every-guy” vibe still fits well on “SNL,” especially in sketches where he plays with language, like a sequel until 2023 is fantastic George Washington weights and measurements scene or a perfect parody of “Sábado Gigante”. (it only lasted 50 years) in which Bargatze plays a confused audience member who is pulled into the show with only a rudimentary – but not completely blank – understanding of the Spanish spoken around him. Bargatze led a funny, pre-recorded skit in which a golf tournament participant unintentionally harms wildlife on the course.

Elsewhere, Bargatze played an EMT who, along with his partner (Michael Longfellow), tries to convince water park workers to slide a corpse down a slide instead of carrying it down 255 steps. He portrayed A coach who wants to get paid for football shirts and a woman’s husband (Heidi Gardner) determined to win a very messy eating challenge in a restaurant. Musical guests Coldplay performed”All my love“And”We pray”, the latter of which occurs Palestinian singer Elyanna and Argentinian singer Tina. A title card before the closing hugs honored Kris Kristofferson, who died on September 28 at the age of 88. The singer-songwriter and actor hosted “SNL” in 1976 during the show’s first season.

As with Bargatze as host, this week’s cold open was a case of, “It worked great, let’s do it again.” All the guest stars who appeared in it cold open from last week were back for the ‘SNL’ version of the vice presidential debate. Bowen Yang and Jim Gaffigan returned as Senator JD Vance and Governor Tim Walz, respectively, on the debate stage, while Vice President Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph) and husband Doug Emhoff (Andy Samberg) watched at home and were visited by a mostly confused President Biden ( Dana Carvey).

Kamala, on top of the world, celebrated the messages of support from Liz Cheney and Bruce Springsteen, but her joy was short-lived as she watched Walz-flub lines – “I’m friends with school shooters” – and became too friends with Vance. “Why are they friends?” she shouted. “Why are they vibrating?” On the debate stage, Vance and Walz become so familiar that they try to touch hands in the split- scene while ‘Take My Breath Away’ plays. Walz explained his mistake in saying he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre by telling viewers he forgot he was in Epcot. Vance, meanwhile, added mid-sentence pleas for not being fact-checked while expressing support for former President Trump.

But just like last week, it was Dana Carvey’s Biden impression that stole the show, whether he was announcing things that have fallen, like gas prices and Emmys for “The Bear,” or waving an ice cream cone that sent ice cream on Kamala’s face . As Rudolph maintained her composure even as ice cream dripped down her chin, it was hard to forget that Carvey and David Spade, the co-host of the “Fly on the Wall” podcast, said this week that sometimes physical ad libs or flubs on the show really are accidentally intentional, as was the case when Biden buried his head in Kamala’s hair during last week’s show.

Bargatze’s monologue was shorter than last time and didn’t have a strong ending, but still had great lines as the comedian discussed going to community college (“…where they say, ‘You’ll probably stay in your community.'” ) and, finally, his addiction to processed foods (“I’m a farm-factory-table guy.”) and ordering junk food from DoorDash late at night. Bargatze said he’s even double-striped because he orders from the food delivery service from two places at the same time, which worries him when two different drivers show up at the same time. “I need one to get into a wreck!” I’m ashamed of it!’ he said. There were also funny bits about the ‘extra’ in extra virgin olive oil and what happened when he ate a raspberry for the first time at the age of 40. Unlike last year’s monologue, this one wasn’t as razor-sharp, but the material overall had the comic’s signature specificity and bewilderment about the world.

Best skit of the night: Washington returns to demand freedom for hot dog lovers

Diminishing returns are sometimes fine when the original was so strong. In a sequel to the Weights and Measures sketch, George Washington (Bargatze) stands on a boat and tells his soldiers about the future of the English language. A dozen is a word for 12, but, “Only 12 will have its own word.” We spell Jeff two ways, one with a J and, “The stupid way with the G.” A hot dog, Washington says, will not be made of dogs. But when asked what they are made of, he says, “Nobody knows.” If a soldier questions this, he is invited to leave the boat straight into the water. Just like last time, Washington largely ignores the questions of a soldier (Kenan Thompson) about what will happen to the slaves after the war, at least this war in 1776.

Also good: you don’t need to know Spanish to understand ‘Sábado Gigante’

Bargatze plays an audience member who is called on stage by host Don Francisco (Marcello Hernández), who leads him through a random series of skits, dance numbers, and game show segments that are not at all different from what the real show was like; ask anyone who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household before 2015. For Hernández’s absolute dedication to the sketch, Bargatze’s so-real-it’s tantalizing confusion, the bearded child dressed as Bargatze’s character, and the orange puppet in a sailor suit, this one captures our hearts as much as winning five dogs on a game show.

Likely to go viral: ‘Sushi Glory Hole’ is the new ‘Dick in a Box’

Being so late in the show, a new digital short film “SNL” starring Lonely Island’s Samberg and Akiva Schaffer was so surprising, gripping and pushing the boundaries of good taste that it feels like something that could take off online . (The term ‘Sushi Glory Hole’, in fact, was already trending on X shortly after the episode aired.) The premise? Two musicians (or are they businessmen?) pitch the idea of ​​a hole in a bathroom wall where you can get fresh sushi. That’s it. That’s the joke. But it’s taken to hilariously stupid lengths, even when those being thrown (including Maya Rudolph) simply try to leave the room.

‘Weekend Update’ Winner: Jane Wickline stayed at the party too long

It sometimes takes a while to get to know new cast members, but this segment was a nice introduction. Jane Wickline appeared in the waterslide sketch as the sole voice of reason and in a “Weekend Update” segment, playing the piano and singing about an overnight stay at a party that has long ceased to be a party. When Colin Jost tries to finish the song halfway through, she says, “I plan to keep singing.” Smart, playful lyrics and a strong performance suggest great things are coming on “SNL” for Jane Wickline.

Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyone’s talking about, from the LA Times.

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.