It’s a shame some have given up Saturday evening live open during the cold, at the painful sight of James Austin Johnson‘S President Trump And Dana Carvey‘S President Biden sitting knee to knee in the White House. These are not laughing times. Even Carvey’s big turn as Biden — stumbling for words, eyes popping up in gosh confusion — is starting to grow tiresome. “It’s my own version of ‘the weave,’” he said. “I call it ‘the error.'” But then Sara Sherman left on stage as Trump’s ridiculous choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz. She was almost unrecognizable beneath those eyebrows drawn like toddler birds, the plastic forehead and Elvis’ hair. (Alec Baldwin emerged as Trump’s proposed head of Health and Human Services RFK Jrbut his cameos start to feel rote at this point.) There’s a contagiousness to the joy Sherman takes in outright buffoonery. And once we got Trump and Biden off stage, the episode was off to the races.

Host and musical guest Charli XCX is a real bitchy sundae. As a sketching partner, she had good sharpness and a light touch. As musical guest, standing solo on stripped-down stages for both songs, she had a mesmerizing authority. (Julia Vos was an inspired choice to create the first intro; Bowen Yang an affectionate one for her second appearance.)

In her monologue, Charli seemed free of nerves and indulgence. She tried to help the older among us finally understand what it means to be Brat. She pointed to the double movements of Martha Stewart joy over the death of journalist Andrea Savagewho once wrote unfavorably about her, then declared Savage the next day, “I’m still alive, bitch.” What a pleasure to see Kyle Mooneywho appeared with Charli a few years ago in the hallucinatory favorite sketch “Christmas Socks,” back at Studio 8H, and wondered if even a mensch like him could hope for Brat status. “Favorite type of club?” she questioned him. “Probably turkey,” he said. Charli XCX ended her monologue with the promise: “I am here, so stick around, we’ll be right back!” Brat.