The last time “Saturday Night Live” aired an episode following Donald Trump’s presidential election victory took place on November 12, 2016when Dave Chappelle hosted. The cold open was a somber Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton sang “Hallelujah,‘ and the monologue and sketch that followed felt like perfectly pitched, smart responses to a shocking outcome.

For the first episode after the 2024 election, stand-up comedian Bill Burr hosted, and the episode…wasn’t that at all. The show tried a few different tactics for just one week after Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on the showincluding a cold open mocking Trump by having the entire cast pretend to support him, and a Burr monologue that, depending on how you looked at it, was either wildly insensitive to dejected Harris supporters, especially women, or provocatively ironic .

By the time “Weekend Update” came out, with two non-election related character pieces that missed the mark, the sketches started to feel exhausted and routine, with poor premise and weak writing. It never recovered after that. If the show aligned itself with the sensibilities of its guest host, you have to wonder in retrospect whether Burr’s scheduling to host such a divisive election days after such a divisive election was the right thing to do. There were a few small bright spots, including… a parody of ‘Good Will Hunting’ and a promo for a CD “Sex Rock”.plus a few we’ll talk about below, but the rest was forgettable, unfunny, or both.

Meanwhile, musical guest Mk.gee (a man and not a website) performed “Rockman“And”Alesis.” There was no Please Don’t Destroy video, as was the case with every episode only one this season.

The show honored producer Quincy Jones, who passed away this weekwith a title card before the final farewell. He hosted the show in 1990.

You might think that “SNL” would come out all guns blazing to denounce Trump’s victory, but instead, this week’s Cold Open made fun of the president-elect in a different way: with mock flattery.

Cast members looked to the audience and talked about the election results before Kenan Thompson said, “This is why we at ‘SNL’ would like to say to Donald Trump… we’ve been with you always!” Cast members, including Ego Nwodim and Marcello Hernández, joked that everyone in the cast voted for Trump. “Because we see ourselves in you. We look at you and think… ‘That’s me,’ said Nwodim.

Colin Jost even seemed to throw his “Weekend Update” co-star under the bus, saying, “I hate how the lamestream media – Michael Che – tries to twist it to make you look foolish.” He also spelled Che’s last name to make it easier for Trump to remember.

A muscular, red bandana featuring a “hot, jacked” version of Trump was introduced by impressionist James Austin Johnson, who, as Trump, said, “They finally got the body right.” The sketch ended with Dana Carvey returning as fist-pumping and jumping Elon Musk, saying he now runs the country, which will be like one of his rockets. “But there’s a small chance it will blow up and everyone will die,” Musk said.

Is Bill Burr’s comedy meant to be taken at face value or is he doing a high-wire self-parody of the kind of edgelord comedy that drew ire after Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden? It was hard to tell from Burr’s monologue, which began with a story about getting the flu with an ethnic slur thrown in: “You’re trying to figure out who gave you the flu.” You go through this Rolodex of people who coughed on you, sniffed you, walked past an Asian or something. Burr eventually got to the election material, starting with teaching women, “Okay ladies, you’re 0-2 against this guy.” He suggested that female candidates ditch the pantsuits, stop trying to respect themselves and “whore out a little.” He suggested that “ugly women… I mean feminists” don’t want to hear this, but that candidates should win over swing states by “making a farmer feel like he has a chance. Burr moved on to Trump, mocking his jerky movements, which he said could have foiled an assassination attempt, and chiding him for his actions at a McDonald’s. “That’s the only time I’ve ever seen that man truly happy,” Burr said.

Best sketch of the evening: Mike Wazowski as you’ve never seen him before

A group of firefighters at a Boston station gather to meet with a mental health specialist (Heidi Gardner), who shows the group a series of Rorschach test images. While some men see things in the black and white images, Ralphie (Burr) continues to see color images of Disney characters in compromising positions. One of them is Mike Wazowski of “Monsters Inc.” in bridal lingerie and high heels. Another shows a topless Elsa from “Frozen” and Olaf running away with her bra. Snoopy and Charlie Brown, Master Chief from ‘Halo’, the deceased woman from ‘Up’ and Bandit, the father dog from ‘Bluey’, are thrown into the mix. This is a very silly premise, but the dedication to this bit works, especially the incredibly specific details Ralphie knows about so many animated characters.

Also good: fathers who talk about everything but themselves

Two pickleball players (Devon Walker and Andrew Dismukes) decide to call their father to see how they are doing. The fathers (Thompson and Burr) diverge, with one of them only wanting to talk about the Philadelphia Eagles and the other diverting the conversation to his son’s car. It turns out that both dads are going through some things and are willing to talk about them through metaphors about their sports team or cars. “Last week the Eagles took a shower,” Thompson said. “I thought, ‘This could be the place where the Eagles die.’ ‘It is a funny and surprisingly moving piece.

‘Weekend Update’ Winner: Oh no, there’s a Pennsylvania ballot in that bag

Thompson appeared on “Weekend Update” as Willie, the most optimistic man Michael Che knowsbut it was Nwodim who made the bigger impression as “A Woman Who Can’t Find Something in Her Purse.” The giant bag contains a dead goldfish in a bag, a gun, a smaller overnight bag and an uncounted ballot from Pennsylvania. What was she trying to find? Nothing really, she says: “It helps you get your point across if you have to storm away when you’re angry.”