Sunday, February 21 – The usual suspects in the opening – the South Carolina Republican primary (guess Trump can check off “fight with the Pope” on his list of things he can do without losing votes) and some more obvious hypocrisy on Congress’s refusal to approve any nominee Obama puts forth for the Supreme Court. I adored the “How is This Still a Thing?” segment on Hollywood whitewashing, especially the show’s continued disdain for Aloha. The main story was on abortion and the restrictions different states place on it. A very divisive subject, of course, but it’s pretty sobering how, even though the Supreme Court has upheld it as a right, it’s still so vastly undercut. Interesting how driving five hours and having to stay there three days due to mandatory waiting periods isn’t considered an “undue burden” to abortion access. It seems like opponents in government are aiming to “hoop-jump” it into oblivion.
Monday, February 22 – The show picked a rough week to be off. In playing catch-up, Trevor barely had time to touch on Scalia’s death, “Apple joining ISIS” (who knew, right?), and Trump fighting with the Pope/spewing even more Islamaphobic insanity. That said, the stories they did cover were well-done. The South Carolina story hit all the right notes: the sobering knowledge that Trump might really be the Republican nominee, a farewell to Bush, and, my favorite, “Trump’s wife speaks immigrant??” Really glad the show talked about the Uganda electionand all the shady stuff that went down there; as crazy as this US election is, at least I can actually exercise my right to vote without government obstruction. Also, campaigning from a couch on top of a car is fabulous. The interview with Senator Cory Booker was great – Booker was thoughtful, personable, and non-inflammatory. Is such a thing still possible?
Tuesday, February 23 – Now we got to talk about the Supreme Court. After a quick rundown of Scalia’s legacy (from weakening the Voting Rights Act to making it harder to regulate gun laws – standup guy,) Trevor addressed the nominating stalemate and inconsistent stances taken by both sides of the aisle in years past. This was capped by the superb ad for the fake board game “Congress,” which hilariously captured partisan gridlock as played out by children. Jessica’s field piece, interviewing licensed homophobe/alarmist Rev. Manning, was uncomfortable but insane, and I love the poetic justice of his building potentially being turned into a shelter for LGBTQ youth once the bank forecloses on it. I like Anthony Mackie in the Marvel movies, but while his interview was amusing, it was also pretty awkward. It seemed like he and Trevor were having separate conversations throughout much of the interview.
Wednesday, February 24 – Great show tonight. The footage of the new Google robot being bullied by its engineers was bizarre but amusing. Another caucus, another win for Trump – highlights here included the Pacman Trump graphic and Cruz’s spin to turn two losses into a victory. Segment of the night goes to Trevor’s brilliant skewering of Carson’s assertion that Obama was “raised white.” After side-eying the way Carson equated Blackness with poverty, Trevor challenged the doctor to pass his own stereotypical “Black test.” The story about Hitler having a micropenis (it's a thing) was mostly interesting to me for how “standup” it felt. No clips, no graphics, no titles – just Trevor standing in front of an audience riffing on a particular topic. I wonder if this is a style he’d like to incorporate more often on the show. Nothing much to say about the interview with AIRBNB CEO Brian Chesky. Fine, but unremarkable.
Thursday, February 25 – Bit of a lackluster show for me. The story on Apple’s standoff with the FBI was fine and had some good lines, but for my money, it just didn’t pop the way great segments of the show often do. Roy and Jordan’s piece about which Democratic candidate is more popular with Black voters seemed like a wasted opportunity. They really didn’t have anything substantial to say about why Black voters would support either one, and they also didn’t talk about the ways both campaigns have tried to pander to that community since they left New Hampshire. What I didlike was the interview with former CIA director Michael Hayden. Trevor did incredibly well, not backing off from questions about civilians killed in drone strikes and the possibility that U.S actions have contributed to increased radicalization. So, strong finish, anyway!
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