The 'SNL' Season Finale Has Jake G., Joke Swap, and an Instant Classic Scooby Reboot

Cold Open — James Austin Johnson had not appeared as DJT for several weeks, leaving some to believe that Alec Baldwin would return. Thankfully, that is not the case. JAJ does a very good Trump impression. The problem is that no matter how good it is, no one wants to see it. Here, he speaks from outside the Manhattan courthouse about falling asleep in court and choosing Hannibal Lecter as his running mate. (Watch Here) (Score: 5 out of 10)

Jake Gyllenhaal Monologue — Jake puts on a fantastic performance of Boys 2 Men’s “End of the Road” with lyrics tailored toward ending season 49 because hosting the season 49 finale is obviously better than hosting the season 50 premiere. Right? Put this man in a goddamn musical. There’s some real Mr. Music energy going on here.(Score: 7 out of 10)

The Cookie — The boyfriend wants to ask his father-in-law to marry his daughter, but the FiL (Gyllenhaal) is far more concerned about the boyfriend ratting him out because he had a cookie before dinner. It’s ridiculous, but Jake sells the hell out of it. (Score: 7 out of 10)

Scooby Doo and the Mystery of the Shadow Phantom — It’s a live-action Scooby reveal, where they find the bad guy and unmask him, and it is completely straightforward until the last 30 seconds, which I won’t dare ruin except to say that it’s one of the three best skits of the season and also the Mat sketch of the week. (Score: 10 out of 10)

Tick Tack Club — Jake G. does another fine musical number, singing about the beautiful women who are actually beautiful, but also the beautiful men who are decidedly not. (Score: 6 out of 10)

Bike Guy — A guy riding his bike up a hill very slowly is interrupting a couple’s breakup. It’s a barely mediocre sketch, but Jake elevates it two points. (Watch Here) (Score: 5 out of 10)

Xiemu — A clear parody ad of Temu where the narrator introduces inexpensive clothes and insists they do not come from forced labor, there’s no lead in the clothes, and that all their workers get paid. Honestly! (Score: 6 out of 10)

Weekend Update — Colin and Che make jokes about the debate, Matt Gaetz, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, two cicadas do a segment about how excited they are to mate (watch here), but listen: We’re all here for the season finale joke swap, and yes: Che brings out a rabbi to witness it all. It does not disappoint (especially that ScarJo joke). (Score: 8 out of 10)

Southwest Airlines — Honestly, not even Jake could save this one, where a Southwest customer speaks to multiple customer service reps trying to get a refund. (Watch Here) (Score: 3.5 out of 10)

Message from the NYPD — The NYPD issues a warning to character actors like Steve Buscemi, who are being targeted with violence by randos. It’s more of a discussion about who qualifies as a character actor, and, no, Paul Giamatti should not be included. (Also, Jon Hamm makes a brief cameo). (Score: 6 out of 10)

Snake Eyes — Umm. Well, Jake wears a funny beard. It’s also short. (Watch Here) (Score: 3 out of 10)

Great season, thanks for reading, and we’ll see y’all back for season 50.