Issa Rae Hosts SNL: Watch The Best & Worst Sketches, Plus Justin Bieber

The stellar Issa Rae wasn't given nearly enough of a chance to shine as host of this weekend's Saturday Night Live.

Following an endearing monologue (during which she revealed that she was supposed to host SNL back in March, before COVID-19 shut the world down), the Insecure co-creator and star appeared in just three live sketches, two of which aired during the first half-hour. And while she made the most of both good (see "Canadian News Show") and bad material ("First Date Exes," "Your Voice Chicago"), the four-time Emmy nominee didn't get the showcase she deserved.

All told, this season's third episode was better than both the premiere (hosted by Chris Rock) and last week's tepidly received outing (hosted by Bill Burr), and that was due in large part to Bowen Yang (who might have found himself a new recurring bit, opposite Kate McKinnon) and Heidi Gardner (who introduced a new character on Weekend Update).

The episode also featured Jim Carrey's third turn as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, this time as part of a town hall parody (watch here); Chloe Fineman's debut as forgotten First Daughter Tiffany (opposite Mikey Day's Don Jr. and Alex Moffat's consistently great Eric Trump); a Diamond & Silk parody (co-starring Maya Rudolph); and a pair of performances by Justin Bieber, who was joined by fellow former host and musical guest Chance the Rapper (more on that below).

What sketches stood out this week? And what missed the mark?  Grade the episode, then scroll down for all the highlights (and lowlights).

This was a great showcase for Yang, who paired incredibly well with McKinnon. He earned the biggest laugh of the night when his character, French-Canadian newsman Jean-Lawrence, lashed out at American colleague Jean-Fred (played by Mikey Day). Rae's turn as hyper-diligent "Drake Watch" reporter Awa Sene was also a hoot.

The best commercial parody of the still-young season was also the night's most relatable sketch. Heidi Gardner, Chris Redd and Ego Nwodim played isolated consumers whose frivolous online purchases have added up during quarantine. Among them: an elliptical machine used as a mail shelf, a $400 chef's knife used to open Amazon packages, and an acoustic guitar whose steel strings proved too rough on Redd's delicate fingers.

Gardner's latest Update showcase — a character that seems to be at least partially inspired by Michelle Pfeiffer's breakout role as Elvira, wife of Al Pacino's Tony Montana in Scarface — is yet another winning creation, following her previous turns as teen movie critic Bailey Gismert and every boxer's girlfriend Angel.  Here's hoping for another appearance by Carla later this season.

Yang, Kenan Thompson, Pete Davidson and Punkie Johnson gave their performances their all, but the writing just wasn't up to par. This sketch felt like a first draft — a fun concept that would have worked with better punchlines (and fewer uses of the phrase "titty meat," which... ugh).

Eight months after his last performance, Bieber returned to Studio 8H with a pair of more recent collaborations. First came "Holy" with Chance the Rapper (embedded above), then came his autobiographical single "Lonely," featuring Benny Blanco (which you can watch here).