As an avid "SNL" fan, the last few seasons have been painful for me to watch. I miss Seth Meyers on Weekend Update and Andy Samberg in Lonely Island digital shorts. Their departures turned me into a casual viewer. After their departures only the "SNL" episode hosted by Drake (18 January 2014) and last week’s episode (5 December 2015) offered me glimpses into what the current SNL cast can do. This is mostly because of the sketch “Close Encounter.” Catch it here:

After the disappointing decision made by NBC to let Donald Trump host the show the previous week after the station cut ties with him, the choice to let Ryan Gosling host made the show seem pertinent again.

Gosling, one of the most adored men in Hollywood, adorably nails the sketch even if he cannot keep a straight face. Let’s be clear: he is not crying; he is cracking up and breaking character (in a way only Jimmy Fallon can match). Further, he failed to stay in character during all of the sketches he acted in.

All of the regular cast members crack up in the sketch as well, which makes the punch lines funnier. Even Kate McKinnon, who in this sketch dominates, smirks and pauses, forcing herself to push forward and deliver her lines. As a casual fan of her work, this specific sketch forced me to like her more than I have in the past and see her as one of the strongest players on the show. Before I only saw her as the “Hilary Clinton impersonator” on the periphery of the cast. I finally saw her talents equal Aidy Bryant, my favorite current cast member. If "SNL"manages to attract hosts like Gosling and to highlight its cast members as they did in this episode, I can become a loyal fan again.