Melissa McCarthy is the rare performer who rather than being an ornament as host of “Saturday Night Live,” a flashy tool to help the rest of the cast do their job, she becomes the center of the show — a comic force around which the rest of the cast can orbit and support.
She made such a splash in her first hosting gig, it was a natural that she was invited back, and in many ways her appearance was better than ever. A big woman, McCarthy relies more and more on fearless physical humor that hasn’t been seen on the show since Chris Farley.
Her opening monologue had her hobbling on five inch heels and falling flat on her face twice for comic effect. She appeared in a filmed piece as a fictional basketball coach, whose troubling practice habits were leaked to ESPN, as in the Rutgers case.
It was about time for a takeoff of “The Voice,” the one NBC primetime hit, and McCarthy was the ambivalent contestant who sang Rockin’ Sidney before impersonators of the current roster of judges.
As the show continued, McCarthy worked magic with increasingly big wigs, crazy wardrobe that leaned heavily on the color pink and some truly engaging weirdos, from the woman who added entertainment to her presentation of honey baked ham at the state fair; a dippy new letter turner on “Million Dollar Wheel” and especially the loopy Beth Kellner, ad libbing opposite Jason Sudeikis while seeking a loan for her pizza eating business.
Even by show’s end, at a time when sketches have run out of gas, McCarthy was going strong as a desperate woman who doesn’t take the advice of a couple of 90s dating consultants, well played by newcomers Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon.
There were some other things going on in the show: a cold open with Bobby Moynihan as Kim Jong Un in a bit capped by Dennis Rodman himself saying “Live from New York..”
A more surprising guest was Drunk Uncle’s sidekick, Peter Drinklage, played by the “Game of Thrones” star in a similar sweater, sportscoat and slur. Also in “Weekend Update,” Kenan Thompson reprised his Charles Barkley impersonation to talk about the Final Four.
And Phoenix, the musical guest, was pretty good too. But it wasn’t so much that McCarthy should join what used to be called the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. She should just have her own sketch comedy TV show where all the others can occasionally guest star.