Ryan Gosling stopped by SNL this weekend, and the episode as a whole was equal parts great and a lot of fun. There were three or four really strong sketches, and it was tough to decide whether ‘Santa Baby’ or ‘Close Encounters’ was my favorite. Gosling broke during a number of sketches (which I always think makes the sketch better) but none more than ‘Close Encounters’. Kate McKinnon does so well with whacky dialogue that she even got Aidy Bryant and Bobby Moynihan to break, which is no easy feat. But ‘Santa Baby’, like so many other SNL pre-taped sketches, was just on another level. The premise is simple: Ryan Gosling and Vanessa Bayer are new to the neighborhood, and they REALLY  believe in Santa. The whole sketch had a Tarantino-esque vibe to it, and the whole thing worked so well. I didn’t think I’d enjoy a sketch as much as I enjoyed the Thanksgiving Adele sketch from McConnaughey’s episode, but this one was amazing.

-Ryan