With Julia Louis-Dreyfus' awkward jokes, the Democratic National Convention's tonal consistency faltered on Night 4

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/8/21/21378236/dnc-thursday-recap-joe-biden

"Hosted by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the night oscillated awkwardly between the urgent mood of the previous nights and scripted zingers that fell flat in a studio with no live audience," says Dylan Scott. "Early in the evening, the convention aired a highly effective package on the nominee’s religious faith. 'It’s important because it gives me some reason to have hope and purpose,' Biden said before the feed cut back to Louis-Dreyfus. Louis-Dreyfus, rather than let a powerful moment linger, jabbed at Trump. 'Just remember, Joe Biden goes to church so regularly that he doesn’t even need tear gas and a bunch of federalized troops to help him get there,' she said. Nobody laughed, because nobody was there to laugh. And some viewers were not impressed. Meanwhile, a moving tribute to the late Rep. John Lewis was followed by a dry collegiate lecture from historian Jon Meacham. A fun segment with some of the losing Democratic candidates, hosted by a jovial Cory Booker, gave way to a typically stilted, if affably awkward, Mike Bloomberg. Look, none of this probably matters all that much. One could argue that conventions don’t matter at all when it comes to the election results. Nobody is going to remember in November an awkward one-liner from Julia Louis-Dreyfus or Mike Bloomberg’s inexplicable fist pump to conclude his remarks. But judged as a production, the convention’s final night fell short of the high standards the previous nights had set."