This was a great week for Saturday Night Live, in no small part thanks to host Christoph Waltz's energy and stage presence (and you could say the same for Django Unchained). Unlike his recent costar Jamie Foxx, Waltz was actually allowed to play more than just one character -- and thank God for that, because "wacky Austrian" sounds worse than watching Quentin Tarantino try to act. They weren't all winners, but let's take a look at the scenes that Waltz and the SNL gang actually shone in. (And not for nothing, Alabama Shakes put on a great show, too.):

Cold Open: Stranded Cruise
I've had the luck and misfortune to have sailed on a handful of Carnival cruises, so hearing about the stranded ship conjured the very worst possible nightmares for me, and apparently the staff writers as well. Every beat was hit -- I especially liked the directors reading this past week's headlines. Dark is always a good look for this show.

Christoph Waltz Monologue
Great introduction to Waltz, and made me feel slightly terrible for my original hope that he would be in a Sprockets sketch in this episode.

And pssst...

Retirement Ad
Timely, adorable and a few easy Pope jokes. I'd argue that if you only watch one clip, this is the one to check out.

New Tarantino Movie
I would have preferred a few more original jokes and a few less shot-for-shot rips from Django and Inglourious Basterds, but this was obviously hilarious.

Jamarcus Brothers CD
Making fun of a dorky white guy during a fake infomercial for sexy R&B songs? Yeah, I'll bite. It felt like a return to the early '90s SNL days in a good way.

Weekend Update: Sen. Marco Rubio
If you didn't like this one, watch the original video first, and it'll make a lot more sense. (Though it still may feel totally overhyped... especially depending on your party lines.)

Secret Admirer Letter
Poor Dmitry.

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