What a week it has been! I don’t envy the SNL writers who were faced with the daunting task of writing comedy for an audience who are actively processing the events of the week. I love the decision to have Bill Burr host this episode. Much like Dave Chappelle, who hosted the past two post-election episodes, Burr is right at home with the uncomfortable. And he didn’t shy away from tackling head-on, the trepidation that many of us are feeling going into this episode. So here we go!
The Cold Open
Every cold open this season has centered around the election, including the familiar lineup of impressions and cameos. We all likely anticipated a more somber tone this week, perhaps similar to the historic post-election cold open of 2016, when Kate McKinnon sang “Hallelujah “, as Hillary Clinton. The direction they chose to go this time, I thought was brilliant and funny, while acknowledging where we are at this moment.
It starts with the cast talking to the camera about the outcome of the election, which many found to be shocking. They reference threats that Trump has made against his political enemies, and the lack of protection for those who speak out against him. The bit takes a perfect turn as Keenan Thompson addresses Trump, saying “We have been with you all along.” They each speak of their unwavering support of him, and disappointment that there won’t be another “January 6th”. They “proudly” introduce a new character “Hot, Jacked Trump “, with James Austin Johnson as Trump sporting a tank top and a bodybuilders physique.
Instead of playing Biden, Dana Carvey brings us his Elon Musk, mocking Musk’s behavior at the last Trump rally in PA, declaring himself “dark MAGA” and jumping around on stage. I felt that the sketch gave us the laughter we needed, and the show even poked fun at itself. They handled a seemingly impossible situation quite well.
SNL Monologue
Bill Burr begins his standup monologue by saying “Nice to be here on such a fun week”, adding that he doesn’t watch politics, so he’s going to keep it light. He starts out with some jokes about having the flu, which get some laughs, before taking a hard-left turn into “OK, let’s get to what you all want to talk about. Alright ladies, you’re 0-2 with this guy”, suggesting enough with the pantsuits and that candidates should “whore it up a little.” He mentions the election going on for far too long, since everyone knew who they were voting for four years go. This got applause because really, it’s hard to imagine how anyone could be undecided between these two polar-opposites.
He joked that the failed-assassination attempt only grazed Trump’s ear because of his “herky-jerky movements’’, and how his visit to McDonalds was the only time we’ve ever seen Trump truly happy. He probably could have ended the monologue there, but went into a bit about falling asleep while watching television and waking up to see Shaquille O’Neal selling printer ink, which albeit a random transition, was a funny take on O’Neal’s seemingly endless endorsement deals.
Firehouse Ink-blot Test
We kickoff the show with a sketch in which Heidi Gardner plays a mental health specialist who comes to a firehouse to help the firefighters cope with having stressful jobs. She begins with a group Rorschach ink blot test. Three of the firefighters see the usual things like a tree, an apple, and a fountain. Then there’s Ralphie, played by Bill Burr, who sees cartoon characters in risqué and kinky scenarios. First, we see Mike Wazowski, from Monsters, Inc. wearing a thong; a jacked Snoopy walking Charlie Brown on a leash; and Bandit, the dad from Bluey, in an S&M scenario, with a callback to Mike Wazowski who we see in the mirror. They switch from what Ralphie is seeing, to what everyone else sees, which are the standard ink-blots. Attributing these disturbing interpretations to trauma that Ralphie has seen in his line of work, it turns out that he isn’t a firefighter, but works the front desk, and he’s deemed the Craziest Man in Boston.
Buffalo Wild Wings and Snake Skin Commercials
Next up were two commercials, the first for Buffalo Wild Wings, with fans of various NFL teams talking about why BWW is their go-to game-day destination. It starts like a traditional ad, with fans who are there for the $5 draft beers or the wings, contrasted by Bill Burr, as a Patriots fan, who is there because “my wife says I bring tension to the house.” Mikey Day plays his equally short-tempered son, as they yell at each other, steal beer from tap and get into a physical fight in the restaurant. I love a good belligerent sport fan bit and Burr is perfect as the drunk Bostonian – probably the most realistic part of this commercial parody.
Next, we get a throwback to when compilation albums were sold via TV ads and infomercials, cutting between music and the people reminiscing about the music. Bill Burr plays the dad, who’s listening to “Snake Skin” in the garage when his son, played by Emil Wakim, walks in. His dad takes the opportunity to introduce him to “the coolest 80s sex rock band”.
They cut to an 80’s hair band, played by Andrew Dismukes, Sarah Sherman, and James Austin Johnson singing “Nah-nah Train”, complete with sweatbands, scarves tied to the microphones, and wearing women’s boots. Emil thinks they’re corny and comments on how they’re dressed like ladies, to which his dad replies, “No, they were the coolest!”.
Back to the band singing their other hits like “Sex-calator”, about a department store where on the 4th floor, they buy ladies shoes; and “Tear it Down” about the Cold War, that quickly goes to more train stuff and the final lyric “I hope they allow high heels on the train.” The dad then realizes that maybe they do suck, but it reminds him of a different time. He mentions being molested, but claims that nobody cared back then. When his son tells him he needs therapy, he denies it and says, “No, I only need Snake Skin.”
As someone old enough to remember the songs they’re referencing, and Time Life Music commercials, I loved this ridiculous twist on something that was so real. The band was hilarious, going all in on performing these songs in true 80’s rock style. I think this was the hardest I laughed all week.
The Janitor
“The Janitor” was a pre-tape featuring Michael Longfellow as an MIT janitor, Donny, who goes into a classroom to clean up “barf”, as they repeatedly refer to it in a Boston accent, and solves a complex equation on the blackboard. The professor, Bowen Yang, comes back to the classroom, stunned that Donny solved the equation. Just as a heartfelt moment seems to be forthcoming, they’re interrupted by janitorial staff who keep yelling about the “barf”. Donny has tried to mop the carpet and use a Roomba, spreading the barf around, causing people slip on it. Robin Williams, played by JAJ, comes of the supply closet where he lives, and admits that he’s the one who barfed. There’s a clear Boston theme to this episode, so the really old movie reference makes a little more sense, but I enjoyed the humor in the low-brow juxtaposition to Good Will Hunting.
Weekend Update
The highlights of Update for me have to be Michael Che doing his drinking bit, taking a sip after each joke, and Ego Nwodim, as “The Woman Who Can’t Find Something in Her Purse”. She is there to give tips on active listening, as she takes things out of her tote bag including maracas, a dead goldfish, a gun, and a Pennsylvania ballot that she forgot to mail. She tries to have a conversation with Colin, continuously referring to him as “Girl”, and clearly not listening to him, as she tries to find something in her purse, which turns out to be another purse. I seriously want Ego to do these characters on a weekly basis. Simple and relatable, as I’m pretty sure that I either am this person, or talk to this person, on a weekly basis.
Bald Men Musical and Trauma Support Group
“Bald Men” starts out with a couple on a first date when they realize that everyone else in the restaurant is bald. It then turns into a musical number about bald men, with choreography, a choir, and several extras playing bald restaurant patrons. This was so weird and random, which isn’t a bad thing, but I didn’t find it as funny as some of the other sketches. It was well produced though, and outside of the John Mullaney musicals, it was a different type of sketch for the show.
Next, is a trauma therapy group. Bowen Yang plays Samuel, who is sharing with the group for the first time, only his trauma is less significant than the others. He starts by talking about how his phone’s battery has started to suck, and later shares that he was locked out of his Temu account. Bill Burr plays a sensitive therapist with a man-bun who assures him that his feelings are valid. As other group members share stories of losing family members, including Bill’s character, whose wife exploded on Christmas Eve, Samuel minimizes their grief. It’s funny to watch Bowen play this d-bag type of character, and a highlight was when he burns Ashley Padilla’s character’s leg with a cigarette, she screams and they both break. Considering it was one of the last sketches of the night, this was decent and Bill and Bowen had some good lines.
Parting Thoughts
This was a really good episode, especially given the political climate. We saw a lot of Emil, who was in nearly every sketch, and beginning to see more of Ashley and Jane too. I’m still missing the Please Don’t Destroy videos, and haven’t heard of any reason for the sudden pullback this season. I’m interested to see whether Dana Carvey will be playing new characters in addition to Biden. As he winds down his term I’d expect there will be more material coming. Next week, Charlie XCX is the host and musical guest. Thanks for reading!
