Well, SNL has returned in an election year, when it has always been its most relevant, and for the most part, if you tuned in to see the debate sketch (which never had a chance, frankly, of topping the real thing we witnessed this week), then you were probably not disappointed. It was a solid premiere overall, even with the introduction of three new cast members to replace the recent dismissal of Taran and Jay (which I still can’t really understand the reasons for- them, of all of this cast? Why, Lorne?).
COLD OPEN: As promised, the epic Trump vs. Hillary showdown, with newly minted Emmy winner Kate nailing a perfect Willy Wonka style somersault entrance for Hillary and Alec Baldwin taking over Trump duty from Darrell Hammond, which turns out to be the right choice, as Alec is able to bring the meanness and hostility that characterizes the Trump we’ve all, unfortunately, come to know over the last year, as opposed to the old, now outdated reality star personality. They skewer Trump for his appalling debate performance with nearly his own words and actions (I’m still reeling from the actual thing), while Kate does her Hillary schtick that she’s got down to a tee. It’s funny, but again, this election is so far beyond parody at this point, that nothing can top Trump’s actual behavior over the past week since getting slaughtered in this debate (Weekend Update doesn’t even try, as we’ll get to later).
MONOLOGUE: Suicide Squad’s Margot Robbie is here to host her first SNL, and she tries to a do a monologue where she “fact-checks” her own sentences, with various cast members getting in on all the lying action (I actually liked Leslie’s bit best here, funnily enough). It’s okay, I guess. I’m glad it’s not another singing one.
ACTION 9 NEWS: A local news spoof where the joke is that Kenan interviews an eyewitness couple where one of the new guys (I can’t distinguish between them in this episode, they look exactly the same to me) is a super nerd named Matt Shatt who’s married to Margot the bombshell and no one can believe it. It goes on too long, but it gets in a good moment where people make fun of Matt Shatt’s crocs & socks ensemble. Lol.
SEXY LIBRARIAN: Another “Margot is hot” premise that has the guys salivating over her sexy librarian until she strips down in slo mo to reveal she’s some sort of freak alien creature underneath who makes all their heads explode. It’s kind of like a digital short, but yeah, this was funny.
FAMILY FEUD: It’s Team Trump vs. Team Clinton, giving the cast a chance to show off more impersonations, like Kate as Trump’s psycho campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, Margot as Ivanka Trump, Darrell is back as Bill Clinton (his Bill impression is NOT dated), and Larry David returns for a couple more jokes as Bernie Sanders (does he live under the stage now?). My favorite jabs are at the Trump kids, as the new guys show up as Eric and Don Jr., and are referred to along with Ivanka as “children of the corn.” Nice.
UPDATE: Okay. So here’s the thing. Clearly (and hopefully), the show decided they would get Hillary back in the Update portion to make up for the skewering of Trump (yeah, because Kate’s Hillary impression is so flattering?), but idiots Che and Jost decide to go all in on the “both sides are equally bad” bullshit false equivalency that is harmful to democracy in the face of outright fascism, so these two assholes can go fuck themselves. Their privilege is showing. Take some tips from Samantha Bee as to what’s actually at stake right now, fuckwads. Nothing else happened with Trump this week aside from the debate? Really? You missed the psychopath’s antics since then? Otherwise, Cecily shows up as Cathy Anne, the annoying undecided voter (please NEVER bring her back), and Kenan does David Ortiz again. I don’t care, this was the worst part of the show. Jost and Che SUCK.
THE HUNCH BUNCH: This is some kind of weird, Scooby-Doo spoof that isn’t funny at all. Margot is the interferer who ruins the “episode” but it’s by far the worst of the night.
MELANIA MOMENTS: A 30-second skit that makes fun of Melania Trump’s brainless thoughts, as she wonders if people exist past the street on her block. Funny.
WOMEN’S ROUNDTABLE: Famous actresses Marion Cotillard (Cecily), Keira Knightley (Margot) and Lupita N’yongo (Sasheer) gather to discuss women in Hollywood, but this is basically a bit for Kate to portray a legendary made up actress who has weird stories from her days at MGM. She’s funny as always and this is the one that Margot can’t keep a straight face in, which is good.
MR. ROBOT: Leslie tracks down Pete as the star of Mr. Robot to find out who hacked her computer over the summer. The joke is good, since it takes on what really happened, and Pete is perfect for a Rami Malek spoof. I actually wish this went a bit longer. Should have been in the first half, not at the end.
So, yeah, a pretty good episode aside from an infuriating weekend update and a bad Scooby Doo skit, but Margot was good and everything else had at least a couple of laughs in it. Everyone tuned for the debate though, and I’m sure you got what you came for. I give it a B+. Next week it’s Lin-Manuel Miranda as host, so I’ll see you all then, as this interminable election season continues.
