The Road to the Golden Gilda is a grueling journey. We are half-way through round 1 tourney action, which also takes us to the Red Division…the beginning of the winners from the second half of season 49.

All these sketches are winners; but are any of the Red Division contenders champions?

That remains to be seen, but for now more Round 1 action starts now.

*Current Standings going into this week.*

Round 1 - Bye
Each Division’s chronologically earliest regular season winner gets an automatic bye. Is it a good system? Probably not. Is it fair? Almost certainly not. But, this is a cruel tournament, so there it is and here we are.

The Green Division’s Round 1 bye is Weekend Update - Jost’s Son. This sets up a potential bye-round Weekend Update match-up. Let’s see if that happens:

Weekend Update - Capote v. Please Don’t Destroy - Gone Too Soon

Bowen Yang as writer Truman Capote honoring women in history notes that he loves women because “that’s what dolls are based on” faces off against the Please Don’t Destroy guys as they mourn a friend.

Here’s the recaps:

Weekend Update - Capote:
This week’s installment felt flat overall. A couple of good jokes. As always, the jokes Jost tells at his expense land well.

Marcello Hernandez visits the desk as an Alabama embryo, but it is Yang’s Truman Capote that brings the laughs. Capote - in honor of the upcoming Women’s History Month - discusses his favorite female historical figures.

For each of them, he insults them and comments on their hats. Yang is fantastic in this role, and this appearance elevates this week’s Update.

Please Don’t Destroy - Gone Too Soon:
A welcome return! In this episode, the boys are mourning the loss of a friend, and explain his demise to Sweeney. Suffice to say the method of the death of their friend - one Reverend Buttcheek P. Rosenthal - is hysterical, ridiculous and complex. When Sweeney does not believe their story, they prove it by showing a YouTube video of the incident complete with hilarious comments, including from some famous folks (Malala Yousafzai, for example, commented it was ‘Unfortunately hilarious’). And then, the ending adds another delicious layer as the Reverend’s celebrity father shows up and the whole thing turns out to be a commercial.

Perfection.

Let’s go to the tape!

In a round one blow out, the Please Don’t Destroy lads donkey kicked Truman Capote out of the competition. This sketch had all the hallmarks of a great PDD piece. Silly, smart and stupid at the same time, layers of humor, and, of course, Chef Boyardee.

This will be a formidable opponent.

Shrimp Tower v. Please Don’t Destroy We Got Too High

Can the PDD gang advance two teams in Round One? Their other Red Division matchup involves a music video about getting too high with Ramy Youssef and Travis Scott. They face off against Josh Brolin, an upper class gentleman who is obsessed with a tower of shrimp cocktails.

Let’s turn to the highlights!

Shrimp Tower is a delightful sketch. It’s fun, clever, and silly. But no amount of shrimp can topple the twisted rockin’ ball that is “Got Too High”. So, depending on how the wild card round goes, two PDD teams could be vying for a final four spot in the Red Division.

Next week, we move to the Blue Division for the final day of Round 1 action.

Stay tuned, and may your brackets remain unbusted!

Comments are welcome. Please feel free to share with family, friends, and vague acquaintances.

SNL After Party (S49 Sketch Face Off - Red Division Round 1)