Host Brendan Gleeson may have been slightly underused this week, but second-year cast member Sarah Sherman, and newbies Molly Kearney and Marcello Hernandez are already making immediate contributions in this better-than-average episode of SNL.

Cold Open — Here’s a fun way to get through the week’s news: Read headlines to chill contestants on a game show called, “So You Don’t Think They’ll Snap,” and watch every single one of them snap! Elon Musk: SNAP. Chris Pratt’s the voice of Mario: SNAP. Kanye’s White Lives Matter T-shirt: Snap! The best part? No political impressions were involved. (Score: 6 out of 10)

Brendon Gleeson Monologue — Brendan comes out and picks at his mandolin and tells some Irish Dad jokes? Colin Farrell joins him for a few moments, and it’s all just grand. Just grand. (Score: 6 out of 10)

CNN Live — Gleeson plays a White House reporter who breaks away from a report on Ukraine to break news about the Try Guys, and my favorite thing about this skit is that Brendan Gleeson probably has no idea who the Try Guys are. The Try Guys also appear (Mikey Day, Andrew Bowen, and Brooks Wheelan). “So, the whole story is your guy had a side chick and you fired him?” “Yes, and we hope he is somewhere on his back with a bullet through his brain.” (Mikey Day, who I have never seen break, actually breaks a couple of times). (Score: 7 out of 10)

New Cast Members — I had a feeling that Molly Kearney with their Farley energy would break out quickly, and they certainly do here in a skit about the new cast members, each of whom are settling in except Kearney, who has been tasked by Lorne Michaels to kill Vladimir Putin. Mat: Molly is someone to watch! And this is the Mat sketch of the week! (Score: 8 out of 10)

Blonde — Gleeson and Heidi Gardner plays fan-mail readers for Marilyn Monroe. The letters are not nice! And that’s the joke. They can’t all be winners. (Watch Here) (Score: 3.5 out of 10)

Photographer — A strong opening episode is giving way to … this. Brooks Wheelan plays a photographer who falls in love with his original subject’s grandfather (Gleeson), who is later joined by Colin Farrell for the photo session. (Watch Here) (Score: 3.5 out of 10)

Please Don’t Destroy — Gleeson plays an incoming high-school senior who has to confess to his friends that he’s not actually 17; he’s 67 years old. It works to some extent because of the sheer power of Gleeson. (Score: 5.5 out of 10)

Weekend Update — This may be the first “Update” in a very long time where the political jokes never mention TFG! It’s mostly Dr. Oz and Herschel Walker, as it should be. Ego Nwodim — playing “Black Ariel” — defends the casting. Turns out, Ariel is entitled, classist, and Bezos-rich. Marcello Hernandez gets his first “Update” bit, talking about the baseball season, or mostly about how much more fun and interesting Latin baseball players are. (Good energy; OK material). (Score: 6.5 out of 10)

History Channel — Two tribes preparing for battle commit to a blood oath. The tribesman played by Gleeson cuts a little too deep and spends the rest of the skit spraying geysers of blood all over the other tribesman. Simple. Funny. Effective. (Score: 6.5 out of 10)

Marketing Firm — Sarah Sherman is a tour de force here, as a woman who replaced her eyes with googly eyes! I have no idea how she pulled off this skit essentially blind, but I expect we’ll be seeing more of Googly Eyes in the future. It’s the perfect 10-1 sketch. Actually, I change my mind. This is the Mat sketch of the week. (Score: 7.5 out of 10)