'SNL' RECAP: Louis CK Delivers a Weird Episode; Kim Kardashian Helps Sell Obamacare

Welcome to Edition No. 37 of Popculturology's Saturday Night Live recaps. All of your questions about the Louis CK-hosted episode will soon be answered.

How'd Louis CK do?



If I were to call CK's 2012 SNL hosting stint legendary, I don't think that would be hyperbole. He was that good. With that reputation, CK returned to SNL with very high expectations. There was no way the guy who gave us a Louie/Lincoln spoof and kicked off the "making out with Kate McKinnon" sketch could let us down, right?

CK didn't disappoint, but fans of his previous hosting gig probably had to reset their expectations for this episode. The comedian was working with a very different SNL cast, a much younger, greener and weirder cast. "Weirder" is probably the best way to describe CK's second time hosting SNL, as the show pushed the absurdity levels to a higher degree this time around. I wouldn't be shocked if SNL viewers who spend the rest of their TV watching time taking in episodes of Mike and Molly didn't get most of the humor in this episode. Things got weird. And that was good.

What were the best sketches of the night?



Unlike many recent hosts, CK stayed out of the cold open. For the first time in a long time, SNL delivered a cold open that tackled politics in a timely way and actually made a point in the process. After weeks of President Barack Obama resorting to every social media gimmick possible to promote Obamacare, SNL opened this week's episode by mocking that trend. This sketch featured two of my favorite SNL impressions, Nasim Pedrad's Kim Kardashian and McKinnon's Justin Bieber. He's so swaggy.

Kristen Wiig does a better Harry Styles impression than Brooks Wheelan, though.



Beck Bennett's baby CEO character is one of the most inspired additions to SNL's roster of recurring sketches. I would love to know how this character came about and how Bennett and whoever else is involved writes for him. Was CK supposed to take a bunch of blue frosting to the eye?



Knowing whether or not you have a Darth Vader action figure up your butt is a critical part of any physical. Unless you're a lady though — then there just might be a General Grievous figure up there.



When this short began and I saw that McKinnon was playing Les Dykawitz and Aidy Bryant was playing Cubbina Fatzarelli, I really didn't know where things were going. Everyone was OK with an SNL sketch mocking two of the show's castmembers like this? Then CK's police chief referred to the characters as Dyke and Fats, which promptly resulted in the fiery response of, "You don't get to call us that!" and I got it.



Here's where things got even weirder for the night. CK and Vanessa Bayer played two detectives who had agreed to meet up to have sex. CK's detective was still married, but that wasn't supposed to get in the way. Both detectives were in their pajamas, but Bayer's detective was nervous. CK's detective suggested that they could still have sex through their pajamas, which led to the ridiculous conversation about cutting holes in pajamas to have sex and how many holes one would need to have sex through their pajamas.

I'm pretty sure something went wrong at the end of this sketch, as CK closed it out by saying, "I love you ... no ... What?" Cue card error, maybe?



And then SNL wrapped up the show with the most bizarre sketch of the night. With lines like, "I want you to be the last person I see before I slip into a coma. And I want you to be the first person I see in hell," that honor wasn't hard to bestow on this sketch. CK is just trying to be a better mang.

How about any shorts or commercials?



Do Jos. A. Bank suits really have a reputation for being cheap? I mean, "Buy 1, Get 3 Free" sales don't scream quality, but SNL tore the store apart with this short.



When I said that this SNL cast is younger, greener and weirder, I was probably thinking of Kyle Mooney. The stuff he's doing is working, but it's just such a shift from both the slick production value of Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island crew and the leading man qualities of Jason Sudeikis.

How was Weekend Update?

For some reason, "Weekend Update" only featured one guest this week. At least the show figured out where to put Colin Jost's camera to eliminate that creepy dead-eye thing he had going last episode.



Is there any way we could get Jay Pharoah's Stephen A. Smith impression and his Shaquille O'Neal impression at the same time?

Anything else worth mentioning?



Did SNL use the same set for "Black Jeopardy" that it used for "Celebrity Jeopardy"? Because if SNL has been hiding a Jeopardy set from us all these years, especially when Will Ferrell hosted, the show owes us an explanation.



This sketch was another of the episode's more out-there sketches. I thought it was funny, but it didn't really let CK do much besides talk about his clip-on goatee.

What's next?

SNL is back on April 5 with Anna Kendrick hosting and Pharrell as the musical guest..

Previous Saturday Night Live recaps

March 8, 2014: Lena Dunham
March 1, 2014: Jim Parsons
Feb. 1, 2014: Melissa McCarthy
Jan. 26, 2014: Jonah Hill
Jan. 18, 2014: Drake
Dec. 21, 2013: Jimmy Fallon
Dec. 15, 2013: John Goodman
Dec. 8, 2013: Paul Rudd
Nov. 24, 2013: Josh Hutcherson
Nov. 17, 2013: Lady Gaga
Nov. 3, 2013: Kerry Washington
Oct. 27, 2013: Edward Norton
Oct. 13, 2013: Bruce Willis
Oct. 6, 2013: Miley Cyrus
Sept. 29, 2013: Tina Fey