Christina Applegate Fits Right In as SNL Host

I was expecting a lot from the SNL cold open. Naturally they went with the VP debate and Biden's over the top expressions. What I wasn't expecting was an F-bomb from Kate McKennon as moderator Martha Raddatz directed toward Jim Lehrer that wasn't funny and just plain mean that drew a stunned reaction from the audience. It took a lot away from what would have been a funny bit with Jason Sudeikis and Taran Killam that included a cameo by Usain Bolt.

Host Christina Applegate displayed her singing skills during the monologue then followed it up with a great performance in the recurring skit "The Californians". Next she hosted "Tech Talk", a bit that will make any iPhone user cringe as experts complained about the flaws with iPhone 5's and Chinese factory workers responded to them with their living and working conditions. When asked if the Chinese workers had any complaints about American products, they responded "Good question. What does America make? Does diabetes count as a product?".

Christina was also in a video parody of a blockbuster action movie trailer entitled "Give Us All Our Daughters Back" as Uma Thurmon. The bit was funny and gave Jay Pharoh and Bill Hader a chance to show off their considerable impersonation skills as Denzel Washington and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bobby Moynihan also pulled off a very funny Steven Segal.

Following a performance by Passion Pit, Weekend Update tore into the debates including a visit from Nasim Pedrad who nailed it as Arianna Huffington. Expect to see much more of Arianna in the future. Kenan Thompson then brought back his Top French Def Jam comedian Jean K. Jean to comment on Lance Armstrong. He commented on everything but.

Up next another appearance by Christina as leader of a Siren trio in the Aegean Sea singing 90's pop songs to Odysseus that featured some high tech special effects. Then a skit about the "Booker T. Washington High School Hell-oween Ball"  featuring Christina as school librarian Miss Schrader dressed as "the ghost of the Haunted Library , not the KKK Fairy as some students suggested".

Following another performance by Passion Pit, a final skit with Christina as an over the top dance studio instructor the students can't understand.

You can tell when the host has talent and can work on the fly, they're in more skits. Tonight there was barely anything that didn't feature Christina. I predict she'll be back numerous times after tonight where she melded right in with the cast and had a flawless performance.

I give tonight's show an A-. A majority of the credit going to Christina and her excellent performance. You would have thought she was a veteran cast member.

This was her second time hosting SNL. The first was during her Kelly Bundy days back in 1993 on the episode when Chris Farley debuted loud-mouthed, thrice-divorced, government cheese-eating motivational speaker "in a van, down by the river" Matt Foley.

Let's hope it's not another 19 years before she gets another shot.