Ep 16. Peyton Manning/Carrie Underwood

Peyton Manning, well-known as a retired NFL quarterback, hosted the sixteenth episode of Saturday Night Live's thirty-second season alongside musical guest Carrie Underwood. As a fan favorite athlete, Manning's entrance into the SNL scene was both exciting and anticipated by avid Saturday Night Live watchers.

This episode had a number of accurate pop-culture parodies that were incredibly humorous and spot on – showcasing why SNL remains a classic and famous sketch comedy show. The opening scene featured a press meeting with President George W. Bush to discuss his handling of the Iraq War and the issues that had arisen from it. The clever and humorous opening monologue, presented by Peyton Manning himself, executed in a creative and enjoyable way. Manning's casual demeanor as a host was a definite hit with the audience!

One of the show's standout sketches was a recurring one called "Bronze Star." Set in a warzone, it is a game show that awards soldiers with medals throughout various rounds of questioning. The hilariously ironic nature of this game show and the cheeky delivery by SNL's comedians was incredibly entertaining. What started out as a seemingly genuine accolade to soldiers quickly turned into a game of mental agility and luck, with genuine medals being awarded to those who could surmise the correct answers.

Furthermore, the show omitted any shortage of impressions from some of today's most well-known personalities. Tina Fey made a guest appearance as Governor Palin, a recurring role she’d mastered so well in the past. Jason Sudeikis followed suit, impersonating Joe Biden. The political overtones of the election were cemented throughout the program, as expected. Other impersonations included that of Tony Parker, Prince Charles, and Rudy Giuliani.

Then came the weekend update, a thirty plus year continuing sketch, where the show's news anchors deliver humorous and memorable gossip from the week gone by. Artfully combining political pieces with celebrity gossip, SNL was in rare form this evening. With another excellent delivery by the show's regulars, plus a guest appearance by Hollywood icon Robert DeNiro impersonating his famous Taxi Driver character, the weekend update sketches gave the audience some of the most significant laughs of the evening.

As for the musical guest, Carrie Underwood also adds to the list of many SNL's talented musical performers. Her music repertoire of pop-country sentiments, complete with addictive melodies and powerful vocals, was enough to steal the spector in between the show's skits.

All in all, Peyton Manning and Carrie Underwood provided an unforgettable episode of entertainment for the SNL's long-running fan base. With exceptional writing, comedic execution, and impressive performing talents, this episode of Saturday Night Live proved that the iconic show has quite a lot of years ahead of it.