Quinta Brunson was an astounding and dedicated host and Lil Yachty brought us to the dark side of the moon on a rather stellar April Fool's episode of Saturday Night Live. Here's everything that happened this week.
The Cold Open
With the former guy in the news, James Austin Johnson got to address the public as Donald Trump, which is always amusing. An informercial for his legal defence fund, this musical sketch featured Trump singing adaptations of hit songs by Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow, Alanis Morrissette, and Ice Spice, with portrayed guests like Don King, Afroman and Donald Trump Jr., all of which was quite funny.
The Cold Open
With the former guy in the news, James Austin Johnson got to address the public as Donald Trump, which is always amusing. An informercial for his legal defence fund, this musical sketch featured Trump singing adaptations of hit songs by Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow, Alanis Morrissette, and Ice Spice, with portrayed guests like Don King, Afroman and Donald Trump Jr., all of which was quite funny.
The Monologue
Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson expressed gratitude at the opportunity to host SNL, and also took an amazing dig at the whiteness of Friends. Brunson then dispelled the perception that she herself is as noble as her character, and also stunted, mentioning her friends Oprah and Barack (including a clip with the President). She ended a great monologue by rousing the audience into applause for real teachers.
How White Is It?
In a nightclub bathroom, Andrew Dismukes and Devon Walker played characters who suggested they'd like some cocaine. They were approached by a slew of BIPOC dealers, who all claimed they had the purest cocaine possible, which they accentuated with stereotypes about white people, which was quite good.
I Was a Bridesmaid
In this remote, a Netflix trailer touted a documentary about a nefarious new cult: bridesmaids. With some sharp writing, this turned a few wedding stereotypes into strong comedy fodder, and Brunson led a great ensemble performance.
Couple Goals
In this game show, couples were asked to answer questions about each other, which led to some awkwardness. Brunson and Kenan Thompson were one couple, where he dreaded any harm befalling her, and Punkie Johnson and Michael Longfellow played the other, who didn't seem to know each other well at all, as James Austin Johnson's host navigated the awkwardness. A funny bit.
Freeway Charades
In a traffic jam bit, Mikey Day and Brunson engaged in one of the most remarkable sketches the show has staged in years. Stuck beside each other in their cars, with their windows rolled up, they mimed (but also said) insults and profanities at each other with occasional contributions from passengers (Chloe Fineman played Day's daughter and Ego Nwodim played Brunson's mother), and this was a remarkable display of physical comedy and timing.
Lil Yachty
With a visually fascinating set, full of greenery and a space-y background, Lil Yachty and a band comprised entirely of women, including Diana Gordon, brought a Pink Floyd vibe to SNL for the dramatic if puzzling "the BLACK Seminole."
With a brighter blue sky iteration of their stage set-up, Lil Yachty, Gordon and company indulged in some spirited neo-soul for the avant-pop of "drive ME crazy!" It had its moments, but also seemed to be weird for weird's sake.
Weekend Update
Colin Jost began update with Trump indictment and porn jokes that received a tepid response for tame material. Michael Che, on the other hand, killed with two straight jokes on the same topic. For April Fool's Day, it was revealed that, before the segment began, Che had told the crowd to purposefully not laugh at Jost's jokes and lose it for his own, which was rather amazing. Jost looked like he was genuinely shaken by the experience.
After Jost eventually recovered from this prank, he made a good joke about a Tennessee politician whose family sent out a Christmas card with each member brandishing an assault rifle. Michael Longfellow majestically appeared as Michaelangelo's David, which was remarkable on a few levels.
Che made a great Cosby joke, followed by a better divorce joke. Jost, still a bit shaken by the earlier prank, told every joke unsure of whether the crowd's reactions were genuine or not, which was in itself funny. Marcello Hernandez appeared at the desk to discuss the merits of "short kings," in which he lumped Jost in with their ranks, all of which was very funny.
Murphy's Midwife
In a hospital delivery room, Heidi Gardner played a woman giving birth, demanding to see her midwife, a strange man named Barry, as played by Bowen Yang. Barry had it out for Brunson's Dr. Rogers, whom he claimed should've remembered their 2012 encounter at a barbecue before a Macklemore concert, but Dr. Rogers was too preoccupied by all the births they each wound up attending together in this funny, time-travelling thing.
The Penis Brothers
In an office setting, Chloe Fineman played Janet, a new employee, who was fairly certain that her superiors were ogling her and behaving extremely inappropriately. As played by Sarah Sherman and Brunson, the two bosses eventually appeared as the Penis Brothers, fixating on Fineman's character's breasts, as Fineman herself tried her best not to break during this questionable premise.
please don't destroy: street eats
the pdd boys have really been branching out of late, and this week they didn't just leave their office, they actually played characters. These were irritating characters: college students who wanted to showcase New York food culture, but were really lame tourists who almost got beat up. Very funny stuff as usual from these three.