SNL Highlights This Week: Trump is Back, Tina Fey Warns About Critics, Beck Bennett is Everywhere And Where is Bobby?

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Saturday Night Live returned last night with the first live show of 2017. Felicity Jones hosted, and was as likeable as a host can be, Tina Fey made a guest appearance during Jones’ monologue as a Princess-Leia-esque hologram sent to warn Ms. Jones about critics who will review the show, a Trump Press Conference cold open covered the President-Elect’s alleged pee-pee scandal, and Michael Che went a bit off format with some thoughts for America. Beck Bennett was front and center for several sketches this week, but where was SNL staple Bobby Moynihan? For the first time we can remember, we didn’t see Moynihan in a single sketch. Bobby gave a wave from the stage after during the credits, so he was there– just not used. Hopefully it’s just a case of laryngitis from that flu that’s been pummeling New York City. Overall, an okay episode. No instant classic sketches in the 2017 opener, but there were some laughs and a strong writing week for Weekend Update. SNL did pay tribute to Toronto comic and SNL alumnus Tony Rosato. Rosato passed away this week after suffering a heart attack. He was a cast-member for one season in 1981 along with Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo.

Here’s the highlights from last night’s episode.

1. Donald Trump’s Pee-pee.

Alec Baldwin opened the show with a recreation of Donald Trump’s first press conference since being elected President. The sketch took aim at Trump’s troubles booking his inauguration party, his odd cabinet choices, his ‘evidence’ that he has divested from his companies, a few jokes about Eric and Don Jr., but most of all the sketch joked about Trump’s “big Russian pee-pee party” with more pee-pee puns than you ever thought possible. There were appearances from Kenan Thompson as newly appointed adviser Steve Harvey, and Beck Bennett as shirtless Putin.

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2. Tina Fey Pays SNL Host Felicity Jones a Visit

Just minutes into the monologue, Felicity Jones (who of course starred in Star Wars spin-off Rogue One) got a visit from Kenan Thompson who brought her an important message from an “old friend.” That old friend was a holo-projection of Tina Fey, shrouded in a white headscarf, with warnings about how to host. “Don’t worry about what the reviews say,” Tina warned. And don’t worry when the President says it’s sad and overrated. She also explained how to tell when you’re not the funny one in a sketch, and explained that when Leslie Jones shows up looking angry and horny, it means that the writers couldn’t come up with an ending to the sketch.

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3. Michael Che Lays Down Why “Black News Headlines” Are Bad

Michael Che, if it’s hilarious enough, people will always remember ‘unverified claims’ as a fact. Colin Jost pointed out that there is at least one way that Nazi Germany was one up on us. In the second clip, Colin Jost explained the importance of the iPhone, and Michael Che seemed to go off-format for a minute to explain what’s wrong with the media describing crime as black on black crime. He was making a joke about why black people and cops are actually alike, when he got serious for a moment, saying “but the biggest similarity is that black people don’t like being in crime infested areas either, and I think that gets lost. That’s why I hate the term ‘black on black’ crime because it makes it seem like it’s just a race issue, which makes people who aren’t black check out. And I don’t blame them. If I saw a headline that said ‘White Woman Cuts Off White Man’s Penis,’ I’d think, ‘damn, white people are crazy, I’m glad I’m not white.’ But if you took race out of it and the headline said instead, ‘Fed Up Woman Cuts Off Cheating Man’s Penis,’ I’d be like oh no, Colin! This affects all of us!”

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4. Mikey Day Makes Kate McKinnon Break

New cast member Mikey Day plays an elderly benefactor in need of constant medical attention, who is brought to see the play he helped fund. Beck Bennett and Kate McKinnon are the performers who try to stay in the moment while Mikey Day and his nurse cause disturbances, but Kate couldn’t help but crack a few laughs as Day’s character regurgitates his ‘paste’ mid-show.

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5. A Modern Fairy Tale Pits “Extra 15” vs “Dick Size”

A prince vows to love his princess unconditionally until he finds out the true nature of a curse that causes her to hide from him every night. Beck Bennett plays Prince Benedict, Felicity Jones is the cursed Princess Viola, and Kate McKinnon is an evil sorceress who offers the couple a way out. The sketch takes on attitudes about perfect weight and dick size.

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Interrobang Staff

Interrobang Staff