Saturday Night Live: Idris Elba hosts and the R Kelly jokes land … just about

The cold open spoofs Gayle King’s CBS interview with “R&B star Robert Kelly, also known as R Kelly, also known as individual who number ones”. Kelly (Kenan Thompson) asks to be called “victim” and hopes to clear his name against charges he keeps a harem of young girls and started a cult. Asked by King (Leslie Jones) why people think this, he responds: “Probably because it looks like I have a harem of young girls and because I started a cult”.

Related: R Kelly and the art of the male meltdown | Arwa Mahdawi

He attempts to defend himself against a mountain of damning evidence by breaking into song. When that doesn’t work he goes into meltdown, standing and yelling tearfully, “Why would I do these things?! For 30 years! I gave ya’ll Trapped in the Closet, Feelin’ On Your Booty, Age Is Just a Number, and so many other clues!”

Much like Alec Baldwin’s Trump, Thompson comes close to making Kelly a bit too sympathetic. But it’s not like there’s obvious room for nuance. The heinousness of his alleged crimes aside, Kelly, like Trump, may be too ridiculous to satirize convincingly.

Idris Elba hosts for the first time. Up to this point, he says, “the closest thing I did to a comedy was The Wire”. He talks about his time as a doorman down the block at Caroline’s Comedy Club, slinging weed on the side, as well his struggle hiding his British accent in auditions.

Can I Play That? is a game show for actors. Being that the show is produced by Twitter (“one mistake and we’ll kill you!”), a befuddled Elba quickly discovers that in the age of perpetual offense, acting is no longer a matter of becoming other people but rather of “becoming yourself, but with a different haircut”. The sketch hits its target dead center, nailing the performative outrage that drives social media and cultural criticism as well as the stereotypes Hollywood thrives on. It also pokes fun at roles Elba has played or has been attached to, including a long-rumored/wished-for run as James Bond.

Bok Bok is an effectively unsettling satire of the Momo hoax that has been striking fear in the heart of children and gullible parents. The makeup and costuming used to transform Kate McKinnon into the viral bogeywoman is pure nightmare fuel.

PowerPoint features McKinnon and Aidy Bryant as loveably pitiable office receptionists Henriette and Nan. Their disastrous attempts to master modern technology drive them to the brink of mental collapse. “I’m a total simple turd!” one tearfully exclaims. The other follows up with “I’m an idiot bitch!”

The Impossible Hulk sees Elba playing scientist Bruce Banner, who instead of turning into a powerful atomic monster when he gets angry, transforms into an “impossible white lady” (played perfectly by Cecily Strong). It’s a strong send up of all the Backyard Becky and Permit Patty types who have seen increasing and long-overdue backlash for their toxic sense of privilege.

Gold Diggers stars Elba, Thompson and Chris Redd as flashy gigolos who set their sights on the women of the WNBA. It never quite lives up to a promising start (the costuming is particularly good), but Elba lands a huge laugh when he confronts one of the players with whom he had a one-night stand: “I got news for you – you pregnant, and it’s mine!”

Khalid performs the song Talk, then Weekend Update kicks off with Colin Jost talking about the lenient sentence handed to former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who “looks like he was born divorced”. Michael Che notes that Manafort getting 47 months for tax evasion and bank fraud feels unfair to him as a black guy. However, “as a rich black guy, it’s a little encouraging. If I can steal millions of dollars and the United States presidency in exchange for, like, three years of prison in my seventies, I can’t promise I won’t try.”

Goop representative Baskin Johns (Heidi Gardner) returns to pitch some of the lifestyle brand’s products, only to have another emotional collapse when she’s unable to explain what ashwagandha is. The sketch loses all its bite once real Goop owner Gwyneth Paltrow shows up. As with Republican Dan Crenshaw’s cringeworthy cameo earlier this year (and any number of examples through the years, including Sarah Palin, Trump and more), the show is never more embarrassing than when inviting its targets in on the joke.

Related: The ugly power of R Kelly's photo with Gayle King

Pete Davidson discusses the hard time fans of Michael Jackson and Kelly are having. He makes a convincing argument for separating the art and the artist, pointing out double standards: “If you support the Catholic church, isn’t that the same thing as being an R Kelly fan? I don’t really see the difference – only one’s music is significantly better.” He also takes shots at other problematic examples, such as Charlie Chaplin (who “married a 15-year-old”), Henry Ford (who “hated the Jews”), and Mark Wahlberg (who “beat up an old Asian dude”). Unfortunately, the last minute of his segment sees him smugly discussing his latest relationship (with actress Kate Beckinsale).

Next, Elba plays a moronic Arsenal player trying his hand at commentary. It’s an easy vehicle for a series of simplistic jokes, but Elba sells it all by leaning into his Hackney patios. However, he can’t quite salvage The Great Rudolpho, a clunky, overlong magic show sketch. Then Khalid returns, to perform Better Tonight.

The final sketch has Beck Bennett playing a struggling actor who fails to hide his jealousy over a friend’s success. The effectively simple setup peters out and things concludes on an utterly random note. Before you know it, the show is over. Elba was a natural as host but while the episode started strong, it hit the wall midway through.