“SNL 50” is nearing the end, with only two more episodes to go this season, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to turn things down quite yet. For her second round hosting at Studio 8H, Quinta Brunson pumped up the volume, kicking off the show with a musical monologue that featured both pop star Sabrina Carpenter and basketball phenom Dwayne Wade, then filling out each sketch with energy and dynamism. Not everything landed perfectly, with the writing of many of the live bits feeling like the staff are just going through the motions, but Brunson’s ability to commit to each role and work seamlessly off the cast more than made up for it.

It’s been a while since a “Saturday Night Live” monologue really stood out, particularly this season with so many return hosts effecting a been-there-done-that attitude, but between Jack Black’s crowd work in his...