Well, at least we didn’t get Maya Rudolph singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
It was a tough night at Studio 8H this past Saturday, where a Bill Burr-hosted episode kicked off with some standard political satire, albeit this time focused on appeasing newly elected Donald Trump — a figure they’d spent most of the fall skewering. “Saturday Night Live” is not a show that typically hides its liberal leanings, but in this new, likely fascist era, the cast wanted to make sure Trump knew he had their support and downright adulation. Cast members Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Kenan Thompson, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernandez, Sarah Sherman, and Colin Jost all lined up to pledge their fealty, with James Austin Johnson even unveiling a new interpretation of Trump that sees him as a muscular, Rambo-type figure. Obviously, “SNL 50” was making light of the authoritarianism we are likely to face over the next few years, and while it was appreciated that they went for humor rather than make it a dour moment of reflection, the cold open nonetheless felt like the wrong message to send in a moment where we may be facing the political greatest threat our country has ever seen.
As Burr took the stage for his monologue, he initially tried to forgo commenting on the current state of affairs, but within a few minutes of noticeable audience apathy, the stand-up comedian finally gave them what they wanted. Rather than poke fun at Trump’s tyrannical hopes, Burr spent time obliterating the campaigns of both the Democratic and Republican candidates. He pointed to Kamala Harris’ pantsuits as a reason for why she was unable to connect with working class voters and that if she were to “whore it up a little,” she might’ve garnered their attention. As for Trump, Burr felt he won as soon as he survived his assassination attempt this past summer and that the only bright spot for him on the campaign trail was his visit to McDonald’s. These jokes are very much within Burr’s calls-it-like-he-sees-it style and aimed at making fun of everyone, but nonetheless felt like a tame attempt at political commentary directed at offending everyone and no one.
Most of the sketches that followed Burr’s monologue seemed to lean on absurdism and felt almost too silly to land fully, but one of the outliers was a pre-recorded spoof of “Good Will Hunting” called “The Janitor.” The short saw “SNL” regular Michael Longfellow step into the shoes of the highly intelligent janitor originally played by Matt Damon, with Burr and Andrew Dismukes playing fellow custodians tired of him wasting time filling in equations on whiteboards instead of cleaning up vomit like he was supposed to. It’s a rather inconsequential conceit, but one that managed to succeed in capturing the let’s-just-laugh energy the episode tried to ride.
Another stand-out was a sketch that featured Dismukes and Devon Walker as a pair of sons trying to have a real, heartfelt conversation with their respective fathers (Burr and Thompson), constantly thwarted by their old man’s inability to connect. Thompson and Burr both end up using topics like football and cars as a way of covering for more vulnerable issues, much to the ire of both sons who just wish their male role models could actually get in touch with their emotions. For those with fathers of a certain age, this experience is well-known and the sketch perfectly captured the frustration and humor than can come from such a dynamic.
Lastly, Weekend Update also proved worth a watch, as at least the political satire presented by Jost and Michael Che cut to the core of the anguish many Americans are feeling right now. Che even couldn’t help himself from drinking steadily throughout the segment in order to just get through every joke he was forced to deliver related to Trump’s win. While it may be hard right now to laugh, at least they were both able to acknowledge how ridiculous the state of affairs currently are in America and how they’re likely not going to get better soon.
“Saturday Night Live” returns next week, November 16, with host and musical guest Charli XCX.
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