SNL's Post-Election Masterclass
Throughout the last three years, I've been telling friends, family, squirrels in the trees, anything that will listen that if you are one of the many who is no longer watching "Saturday Night Live," you're missing out. That the show may have its down episodes, yes, but was on average still one of the better comedies on television. That after losing the likes of Wiig, Samberg, Hader, Sudeikis, Meyers and Armisen in a two-year span, the cast was quietly becoming an extremely solid, well-balanced crew. That the legions of online trolls who declared SNL "unfunny since the 80s" were being ridiculous. Last weekend, the show gave all in my camp a flawless example for our argument.
SNL had a tall task coming in to the first episode post-Trump's election. This entire election cycle had taken an enormous emotional toll on the American public, and the result had been painful or downright devastating for Clinton's supporters; it's safe to say that the bulk of the viewership fell into this group, the show itself having often been criticized for its liberal slant. Partisan presentation or not, SNL continues to hold a significant place in American culture as one of the premier shows for comedy (this goes for comedy political and non-political, but make no mistake, people tuned in in crazy high numbers for political comedy), and thus all eyes were curious to see how the program would respond to the stunning result.
Many who were watching probably did so reluctantly and with dread in their stomach. If this sounds overly dramatic, you likely haven't witnessed firsthand how profoundly many grieved Trump's victory. Indeed, the mood surrounding this episode felt similar to the Christmas episode in 2012, which immediately followed the Sandy Hook shootings. I don't in any way mean to draw a parallel between the senseless murder of schoolchildren and a political candidate, nor would I condone a comparison of the two events. I simply mean that, similar to the leadup to that Martin Short-hosted episode 4 years ago, many viewers were asking themselves "Is it okay to laugh this soon? Can I actually enjoy this?" SNL began its episode with a nod to that very question. The somber Cold Open consisted simply of Kate McKinnon as 'Hillary Clinton,' playing the piano and singing "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, who deceased in the past week. The emotional skit had one spoken line, delivered by a teary McKinnon (who, according to Uproxx's Mike Ryan, cried onstage in multiple instances of portraying Clinton), and resonated soundly with the political left. Conservatives had a different take on the now-viral video, chastising SNL for perpetuating what they considered "overly dramatic" reactions to Trump winning. On the contrary, I think this opening was brilliant because of the way it might also be a nod to gleeful Republicans: after all, the absurdity of 'Hillary' playing a swan song could be a subtle reference to her perceived obsession with the Presidency.
Comedian Dave Chappelle's monologue was the perfect segue into the rest of the show, building on the melancholy with some additional serious thoughts, but adding in his trademark brand of brash, cutting comedy and ultimately concluding with a surprising hint of optimism. Many are already labelling this as one of the best monologues ever:
A second school of thought amidst viewers was likely "I want to watch to see if they skewer Trump." For those hoping to experience this sort of cathartic demolition of the candidate they so despised, Weekend Update granted those wishes. The team of Colin Jost and Michael Che has been wildly inconsistent throughout their tenure, but man, when they're on, they're on, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the energy was there from them on Saturday. The Update co-anchors began their stint rattling off scorcher after scorcher regarding America's President-elect, and they looked like they were enjoying every minute of it.
Not to be ignored, Trump supporters likely tuned in en masse as well on Saturday night-- after all, the television audience isn't monolithic --and were likely curious whether the election content would be a one-side affair. Impressively enough, they too should have been happy with the way SNL approached the Election; though the show shied away from coming down hard on Clinton herself, the lead sketch of the night mocked overconfident/oblivious Democratic voters, the very population Trump voters felt a visceral opposition to:
Finally, after the tone of the seemingly never-ending Election, a prevailing sentiment from both sides of the aisle had to have been, "Can we laugh for the sake of comedy, and not about politics, please?" Saturday night, SNL succeeded in this regard, too, successfully rolling out skits that ranged from the winky and self-referential, to the goofy and fun, to the downright absurd.
To be fair, much credit for the night being such an incredible success needs to go to the host and musical guest, both of whom are experiencing a revival of sorts. Chappelle was one of the biggest comedians in the game, and his work on"The Chappelle Show" is still among the most cited. This is clear by the audience's recognition of his characters in the "Walkiing Dead" spoof sketch:
Thus, his return, and his well-known brand of humor created an incredible amount of hype for this episode. The musical guests only compounded this excitement: A Tribe Called Quest, fresh off their first album in 18 years, brought much-needed energy and much-anticipated sociopolitical commentary and insight. Considering both host and guest were announced before the Election, it's almost as if we should have known how much we would need both of them last Saturday.
I have no doubt in my mind that the Dave Chappelle/Tribe Called Quest episode will go down in the annals of "Saturday Night Live" history. The episode was simply a masterclass for how to respond to intense political times, how to validate people's deep-seated emotions, and how to get all laughing again. SNL showed again why it is a mainstay: because it has displayed its cultural importance time after time, but also because even after 42 years, damn it, the program is still funny.