Saturday Night Live’s final episode before the election aired last night. In previous years, presidential candidates will try to make cameos or appearances on the pre-election episode, but not this year. So we were treated to this cold open skit with Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton and Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump. The first part of segment is about the media’s false equivalency, and how Trump could make out with FBI agents and Vladimir Putin on live television and journalists would still be like, “About those emails, Hillary!” But then in the last third of the skit, Kate and Alec give up on their personas and decide to run out of the studio and hug people around Times Square. I wouldn’t have thought it would be that amazing, but I actually teared up a little bit.
Benedict Cumberbatch was the host last night and so far they’ve only put up a handful of Bendy-skits. There was this toilet joke that it’s a takeoff on the famous Apple commercial.
And here’s Bendy playing a stripper for a grandmother’s bridal shower. And there are bonus Chicago Cubs!
Speaking of the Chicago Cubs, this happened on Weekend Update. It was super-cute to see the New York audience celebrate the Cubs. Also, so many of the SNL people come from Chicago’s Second City and still identify as Chicagoans.
As for the rest of the show… TV critics said that SNL was struggling to write roles for Benedict, which I can believe. If he could do better accent work, he might have broadened his chances, but he’s basically at home playing posh intellectuals for a reason, you know? There was also disappointment that SNL did do more political stuff in general considering the timing, but whatever. I think everyone’s just sick of everything at this point. There was this nice promo ahead of this week’s episode too:
Screencaps courtesy of SNL.
That Cub can twerk.
Ok I wasn’t impressed but it’s not BC’s fault. The writing was just not good. He is sooo funny with the right material.
Lol. I’m in Chicago and people are jokingly wondering how he learned to do that so well. I’ve actually noticed that he does a little twerky thing with his batting stance, kind of a tic, so maybe that’s all it is. They’re such lovable guys, sigh.
I love your pizza.
I too teared up a bit with Kate and Alec’s running out into Time Square. They certainly got it right with that one.
Me too.
Omigod I was so embarrassed when I started tearing up….I thought I would be the only one!!!!
Don’t be embarrassed. There is a lot on the line in this election and SNL did a beautiful job of touching on that. ❤️
You are not alone, nor should you be embarrassed. You are only human. I doubt this will be the last time many of us will tear up. Come Tuesday there will be a reason for us to up….I just hope it for the right person and right reasons.
I did, too.
Glad I’m not alone. I missed it last night but just watched it on Google, not knowing it was here. I’m still crying.
It was great. I loved how they each hugged the other one’s supporters.
Me too, and I’m a THUG! but also I went canvassing yesterday OY MY FEETSIES!, I went with my mom, all afternoon, we went to soooo many houses ( Multi cultural neighborhood, we talked to so many people the old abuelas were hard off the paint for Hillary, They kept calling Trump Demonio, and I was Loving it, But the trump people were OUT in full force in the more affluent areas
The cold-open hit me in the feels too.
The Times Square bit was truly wonderful. And the Cubbies with Bill Murray! But the rest of the show was flat out dreadful.
I didn’t watch the rest of the show, but I agree about the opening. They left that on just the right note.
I was pleasantly surprised with SNL’s open – such a great note to end on before the election.
I teared up a bit and I’m not even American or living in USA.
#gotovote
I was straight out crying!!!
I just watched the cold open with the link as apparently I fell asleep. VERY nice! I was awake for most* of the rest and enjoyed it.
*I’ve been falling asleep during the second musical number for decades now…
More of THAT! And less of *that*.
GREAT SKIT WITH BOTH OF THEM RUNNING OUT ONTO THE STREETS OF NYC….EXCELLENT!
That was a good cold-open. This election has been so emotionally draining, we all need some positivity right now. And hopefully we’ll have some more after Tuesday…at some point.
Please watch this. Michael Moore interviewed on Morning Joe. Amazing interview about how he understands disaffected viewers (he lives in Michigan) and anger that led to voting for Trump as the nominee, talks about Bernie Sanders and his impact (he voted for him in the primary), and in the end, why Hillary is absolutely the person to vote for. It is a very thoughtful and informative interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiyqlOfSOjM
Damn can’t watch SNL from here.
Thanks for the link Jayna. Celebitchy from Singapore here! Hubby and I are rooting for Hillary to win and are equally appalled at the state of this election. Lots of love and positivity for sane Americans!
Hugs to you and your hubby, Jade.
I cried during the open. The rest of the episode kind of lost my interest. I used to be such a Bendy fan but even I thought this episode/his performance was somewhere between mediocre to cringeworthy.
He was fine, very game. The writing was weak as hell but that’s kind of how this season has been.
I thought he was fine as well! He was not afraid to throw himself into those roles at all. OMG – the male strippers!
I really liked the dance in a circle signifying that despite our differences, we are united as a nation.
The cold-open made me very emotional; but I also immensely enjoyed Benedict’s toilet and stripper skits! Is it just me, or is SNL finally really improving?
Not just you. The new head writers are slaying all day!
What did you enjoy about the stripper skit? I thought it was disgusting and absolutely not funny in any way that would redeem the vulgarity.
The fiance and I cried abd got chills!
I thought it was pretty weak. SNL pulls its punches not wanting to alienate any viewers.
I was expecting more from Cumberbatch in this context. He worked hard, but it was all rather deflated soufflé. The professor sketch was the best, I thought, and that was largely thanks to Pete Davidson’s timing.