Ahoy Coneheads! To fill the gap left by last weekend’s lack Saturday evening liveon Sunday evening, I participated in the Zoom series Democracy ’24 Town Halls: America at a Crossroads, in which former SNL writer Jim Downey joined MSNBC host and Harvard Lampoon alumni Lawrence O’Donnell to reminisce about his many legendary political sketches on the show and thoughts on the state of comedy during the current election cycle. It reminded us how deep the show’s political influence actually goes – dating back to the 1976 election, when SNL‘s portrayal of President Gerald Ford partially contributed to his loss to Jimmy Carter.

Tonight, days before the 2024 presidential election, the show has one last chance to shape the discourse around Kamala Harris (who made a last-minute pit stop in New York today, dot dot dot) and, yes, Donald Trump. Tonight’s episode is moderated by Five-Timers Club member John Mulaney, whose “Horse in a Hospital” piece on Trump is a definitive commentary that attempts to explain the surreal moment we’re in.

Mulaney is having a great 2024. John Mulaney presents: Everyone’s in LA streamed live on Netflix in May and the first SNL writer was tapped to host a new live talk show for the streamer. A few weeks ago it was announced that Mulaney would return to Broadway in the play Simon Rich All-in: Comedy about love, acting opposite Fred Armisen and Chloe Fineman.

Are SNL in review: the summary of the 50th anniversary season. Fasten your seat belt – the next few hours/days/weeks could be bumpy. In the meantime, let’s enjoy tonight’s episode.

Check back for live updates on tonight’s show!

Opened cold

Chloe Fineman reprises the role of CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, who crosses the two candidates’ meetings. This format allows us to jump to James Austin Johnson’s fawning, establishment Donald Trump. “Where the hell am I, this place stinks,” he complains. He’s exhausted. “No one cares,” he hisses, before inviting JD Vance (Bowen Yang) onto the stage. In an interesting adaptation for SNLKamala Harris (Maya Rudolph) interrupts the meeting, which she has been watching on TV. She personally texted every voter in America. Her husband Doug Emhoff (Andy Samberg) plans to sue the show Doug for taking his name and likeness.

Dana Carvey enters the chat as President Joe Biden. Former SNL cast member Siobhan Fallon Hogan was on the show when the comic dominated with his iconic George Bush impression. She remembers that Entertainment weekly: “Carvey is not only an absolute genius, but also a fantastic guy who was very supportive and encouraging to me and the entire cast. He is one of a kind and his talent is insane – so specific and precise!”

Rudolph’s Kamala is finally alone – and wants to chat with someone who has been in her shoes. Then we get it: Kamalas are dueling! The real candidate is here! They discuss the candidate’s smile and some other tics. “Keep calm-ala/Kamala and carry on!” While this isn’t Obama dropping by the Clinton Halloween party, this is still fun.

“I’m going to vote us!” Rudolph says proudly, before the real VPOTUS jokingly asks if she is a registered voter in Pennsylvania.

Monologue

Mulaney is back as host for the sixth time. He notes that he has a 5-week-old daughter and a 34-inch tall 2-year-old. Everyone in his house is small. He wonders when his parents will be old and the grandparents too Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It appears he will eventually undergo hip replacement surgery. He talks about his grandfather, who grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm and large Catholic families more than 100 years ago. He was too old to even fight World War II. A very solid Mulaney monologue, decidedly apolitical – at least as far as Tuesday commentary goes.

“What’s That Name: Election Edition”

Election edition! The game show participants are Ben and Margaret Atwood (Sarah Sherman). The first answers are Jack Smith and Doug Emhoff. Mulaney’s Ben has both, because this is the most important election of our lifetimes. Democracy is at stake! In another surprise cameo, Hillary Clinton’s vice president appears and asks Mulaney to remember his name. In 2016, Mulaney also claimed that democracy was at stake, so he certainly knows his name. Yes? No. (It’s Tim Kaine.) Michael Longfellow takes over for Bill Hader here – big shoes! This is nice, I’m not sure he captures the same indifferent malice.

“Saturday Night Live Midnight Matinee”

NASA celebrates the completion of its first orbit around Earth with a chimpanzee, Beppo. The champagne is popped when there is a problem in space. The ship has lost control and it is impossible to get Beppo home. Reluctantly, technician Mulaney has to break the news to the chimpanzee – he tries to convey the concept of death in simple terms. Filmmaker Dan Bulla playfully plays with classic American patriotism from the mid-20th century and gets a happy ending. In a nice reference. Ego Nwodim Channels Hidden figuresa film about African-American women who worked during the early years of the American space program.

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“Port Authority”

It’s Port Authority Duane Reade and two young travelers are planning to board a bus to Boston, a trip I’ve made many times before. Pete Davidson is back, wearing an excellent Rodney Dangerfield shirt. He wants milk, which triggers a Broadway medley. So it’s that now obligatory musical tribute to Mulaney, this time complete with Lion King-inspired possum breast milk jokes. Marcello Hernández plays shampoo and spoofs “Do-Re-Mi.” The sound of music. Chloe Fineman leads a chorus line of Timothée Chalamet lookalikes and Devon Walker returns as Mayor Eric Adams, dressed as Aladdin. Samberg raps while the bear RFK Jr. took off in Central Park, channeling Lin-Manuel Miranda, before a grand finale kicked off Fat. There you have it, a theater kid’s dream!

Chappell Roan plays “Pink Pony Club”

This song is about a small-town Tennessee girl who dreams of gay and drag culture in West Hollywood. She dreams of becoming a dancer at the Pink Pony Club, a gay and drag club on Santa Monica Boulevard – her mother wouldn’t be proud. I love the story and the synth – extremely catchy. “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” she shouts at the end.

The song has had a long life; it was first released as a single The rise and fall of a Midwestern princess back in 2020! Roan recently shared a throwback Facebook post from 2011, posted under her birth name, Kayleigh Amstutz. “I am committed to appearing on SNL,” she wrote. Fun fact! Three weeks ago, Roan was also the subject of a ‘Weekend Update’ from Bowen Yang, in which he mocked some of her public statements as part of his impression of his baby hippo Moo Deng.

Weekend update

The elections will decide whether the SNL cast and crew are checked! Our anchors focus on both candidates’ closing arguments and the wild week. Celebrities are coming out of the woodwork to support their favorite candidate. Heidi Gardner comes out as Reba McEntire, who is indecisive. She is sociable and concerned about “Team Reba”. The voice. True Conehead stans remember Andy Samberg singing a very raunchy techno-rap ballad about his love, Reba McEntire (played a bit by Kenan Thompson) in 2009.

There are a lot of unlikely couples popping up these days. To comment: gregarious, boisterous Grant (Hernandez) and his mousy girlfriend Alyssa (Jane Wickline). How did they meet? She looked Steven Universe on her phone in the club.