Welcome again, one and all, to your SNL in Review. This week’s SNL is shaping up to be one for the history books. It’s the first show after this week’s midterm “blue tsunami,” so expect the election to dominate the cold open and Weekend Update.
But the real curiosity for us SNL historians? Tonight, Druski becomes the show’s first true “influencer” host, a pretty wild milestone for a legacy media program increasingly curious about online trends.
I am joined tonight by former cast member Chris Kattan! He says he thinks booking Druski was “a very smart move for Lorne. A great deal of SNL‘s audience is now on social media, as we know, so having Druski host will probably be a big success.” Well said and welcome to the column, Mr. Kattan!
Meanwhile, former cast member Gary Kroeger knows of Druski, having seen him over the past several years on various videos “but SNL will be the first time I will pay serious attention to him and his craft. I look forward to that because that is an essential ingredient to SNL, bringing outside of the mainstream talents into their mainstream vehicle. With the political scene being what it is, this feels like a convergence of good things on Saturday.” Welcome back Gary!
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We have two show legends with us to think about the significance of tonight’s episode. Plus: The Strokes are back! Scroll down and follow along!
Cold Open
Thunderous applause from the audience. Establishment Democrats, the dream team, Chuck Schumer (Sarah Sherman) and Hakeem Jeffries (Kenan Thompson) are celebrating Tuesday’s midterm election victories. Their first mission: tell Donald Trump to “knock it off!” They debate passing the torch to the next generation of Democrats getting voters excited — and laugh.
How did they do it? “Me!” says James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump. He hates his life, the next two years will be hell. For him and us! Another long-range monologue from Johnson, including a riff on New Girl.
“He finally yields the floor to Colin Jost’s Secretary Pete Hegseth. He calls back to Quagmire from Family Guy: “Giggity!”
James Talarico — the Senator elect from Texas — pops up, saying he wants to work together. The people want something new… referencing, of course, a new approach to these cold opens! How many of these will the show do? “Infinity!” answers Trump.
Gary Kroeger says he was hoping no “new Senators or Congresspeople make an appearance. That, to me, cheapens the seriousness of this moment in political history. I think they need to avoid the adulation and commentary that will alienate a lot of people. Colin Jost as Hegseth always has a place, however.”
Kroeger says yes, “the show should open with a satire about the midterms.” He was preferring “to see Hegseth and Natalie Harp giving Trump a bubble bath and handing him toys that still belong to him. “‘Here’s your submarine, Mr President.'” He concludes though: “The comedic potential this week is almost too big… I say, stay tight in the lane; don’t gloat, don’t celebrate, but take a look into the quiet repercussions” from this week.
This may have failed that test by having Talarico on — or at least, gotten very close to the line! What did you think?
Monologue
This is a dream for Druski! He discusses some “lies” and truth about himself. The show will not water him down. He just has a few rules to follow, like no cussing and no white face.
He shows his family, proudly watching him in the crowd. How can he ever repay them? His grandmother asks for some money.
Druski just finished a new movie with Emma Stone. She is also here! They joke briefly about him not being her love interest in the film. He also compliments her Oscar-nominated work in Bugonia, claiming he wanted to be the first black person to ever tell her that.
“Washington in Focus”
Marcus James (Thompson) is joined by Daniel Roth (Andrew Dismukes) from The Atlantic. It is his first time on the show, alongside the Black hosts. They note all the big African-American politicians who won this week… including ‘Sherod Brown’ from Ohio, confusing the pronunciation of Sherrod Brown’s name. They also mix up Jerome Brown from the Federal Reserve, showing a picture of a guy with an alto sax.
I really like Saidah Belo-Osagie’s work here! Chris Kattan says he doesn’t “know a lot about her background, but I think she’s very confident and charming, and I loved her Nicki Minaj impression. I think the more opportunities she gets for airtime, the more she’s going to show just how talented she is.” Agreed.
“Dru Can See Everything”
Before Elizabeth Holmes (Jane Wickline) and her partner Billy (Ben Marshall) contacted Nathan Fielder about making a documentary about her final days before prison, they hired Druski. Just like Fielder, Druski used reenactments to understand Holmes… cue the white face!
Good work from Wickline channeling Holmes (and the film’s weirdly intense close-ups). Fun.
“Bubu Mobile”
Two friends (Jeremy Culhane, Mikey Day) are being helped at a phone story by Marcello Hernández. His pants are so tight, Day can tell he is uncircumcised. Druski joins them, as they increasingly become overwhelmed.
Hernández is the cast member that most reminds Kattan of his own work on the show. “He has this infectious, charismatic energy that reminds me of myself. LOL. But he does! He’s not dry at all, and he creates all these different original characters.” (Kattan knows Mikey Day well. “We did a movie called Totally Awesome together with Tracy Morgan, Michael Schur, and Neal Brennan, who worked with Dave Chappelle and directed the film.” Like Kattan, Day is also a graduate of the Groundlings, “the military of comedy.”)
“Birthday Girl”
Tina (Veronika Slowikowska) is served sizzling shrimp fajitas at the birthday for Danielle (Druski), who takes exception. You can’t do that at another girl’s birthday! Very upsetting.
“New Health Tracker”
Are you concerned about giving your workout data to Big Tech? There is a new app with personalized health insights with the observational power of a guy (Druski) who hangs out on the corner. It’s raw, sometimes offensive data. He is brash, but totally harmless — it’s important just never give him your phone number! (Not unless you are ready for him to call at all hours of the night.)
The last two sketches showed good work from Ashley Padilla. Kattan has never met Ashley, who also was trained in the Groundlings, but says “if you make it into the Main Company, you’re probably one of the funniest people in the country and one of the strongest comedy writers.”
He notes that she “is crazy talented. If you’re going to be funny or create characters, having strong acting abilities first makes all the difference. When a character needs to show real emotion and isn’t just a surface-level character, those acting skills give you so many more layers to work with.”
The Strokes perform “Lonely in the Future”
On “Lonely in the Future,” The Strokes turn their sights on the modern music industry, with Julian Casablancas delivering a swaggering, almost arrogant stab of its biggest names and prevailing trends. Rick Rubin’s production gives the live performance here an appropriately sharp edge, as the production makes it feel like we’re on the set of Backrooms.
Chris Kattan tells me he’s been looking forward to hearing how the band’s sound has evolved: “I’ve always been a big fan of The Strokes. When I was on the show, they had just released their first album, and their sound was fantastic. They were great live.”
Gary Kroeger shares: “No one should be surprised that someone of my era loves them. They bring back the Ramones for me, as well as a hint of The Cars… ‘Reptilia’ is on my playlist in the car.”
Weekend Update
Huge week for the Democrats! So many states are turning blue, Colin Jost’s grandfather was right: the whole damn country is transitioning. (In terms of Tuesday’s election, Kroeger says there is obviously “room for a joke about MAGA repudiation,” but says writers should not “make the entire Update about the midterms.”
The Mississippi Senate race is also discussed by Michael Che. Trumpism will live inside all of us, he says, like Long COVID. Jost lands a popular jab involving Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. More applause re: Abdul El-Sayed’s election in Michigan and Nithya Raman.
It was a tough week for Elon Musk. Here to comment: Elon! It is not Mike Myers this time (thankfully). Instead: Jeremy Culhane!
He wasted a half-billion in the midterm elections. No, he says, it is because his car did a flip. Brilliant work by Culhane here, he’s absolutely spot-on capturing Musk’s many tics. His Cybertruck halted production too.
He calls out Jost’s “epic vulgar roast” of him, trying multiple times to pound him. Jost can’t believe this is the richest person in the world. Consulting Grok to roast him, it confirms: he is the worst thing South Africa has ever done! Brutal.
Two people who just hooked up (Dismukes and Padilla) return to discuss the midterms. Good to see them back at the desk. As always, their commentary is punctuated by innuendo and long gazes into one another’s eyes. Dismukes suggests some donations can be small, but still effective. She whispers “stop,” smiling. But will Republicans still want this in 2028? That’s two years away, a lot can change!
“A Failed Proposal”
Jamie (Sherman) and Alec (Culhane) are eating at the restaurant where they went for their first date. Suddenly, he proposes. Jamie pauses… the answer is “no.” Ouch.
Druski comes out and sings “She Said Yes” accompanied by a light show, dancers, and back-up singers (Brennan, Johnson, Thompson). Then, a marching band! Bagpipes! ASL translator! Even her no-contact dad (Dismukes) delivers a guest rap verse.
She is humiliated, as Alec is lifted above their table, Culhane floating above the cast. Awkward!
“Wedding Photographers”
Interestingly, following a failed proposal, now we are inside a wedding. Two photographers Roxy (Grace Reiter) and Baptise are very eager — and fully miked. The groom’s sister (Sherman) reads a biblical passage during the ceremony with her infant, and they get close. During the vows, they use drones to film it. Very unconventional — they shoot everything… except the first kiss.
Kattan says: “I know Grace’s work from American High, and the way that cast works is not easy. They’re all wearing multiple hats. She’s a strong writer, has a lot of fresh ideas, is Gen Z, directs, and is a really good actress who actually listens to her fellow performers. She does NOT read the cue cards while they’re speaking. You can tell she does her homework. If you have even one of those qualities, you could become a star, but she’s got all of them. This is just the beginning for her. Plus, she does characters! That’s something I think has been lacking on SNL for a long time, and I think viewers have missed it. You can tell Lorne, the cast, and I’m sure the network love her.”
The Strokes perform “Going Shopping”
“Going Shopping,” also produced by Rick Rubin, takes aim at modern consumerism and commercial distraction, contrasting the anxieties of aging with a yearning to escape it all for the countryside.
The Strokes have made four previous appearances as the musical guest before tonight: season 27 with Jack Black (2002); season 31 with Peter Sarsgaard (2006); season 31 with Miley Cyrus (2011); and season 46 with John Mulaney (2020). Former cast member Jeff Richards shares: “I remember The Strokes’ debut performance on SNL. It was a few months after I’d started. Rolling Stone just revealed their top rock songs of the 21st century and actually listed Strokes’ ‘Last Night’ in the top ten. Seeing them live was incredible.”
“Golden Age of Hip-Hop”
Chris Eckman (Dismukes) spotlights the forgotten rap pioneers, Lenny & the Street Smart Crew, created to discourage gang activity in the ’80s. They recorded a few well-intentioned yet deeply homophobic songs, including a misguided plea for John McCain and Barack Obama to be co-presidents.
We needed more Kam Patterson tonight! Glad he made it in the 10-to-1.
Final Thoughts
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Thanks for following along everyone! Please vote here.
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Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock appear at the goodnights! I believe Chappelle just played Madison Square Garden. Fun!
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Great thoughts from Chris Kattan — thank you Chris! He says he’s been “spending a lot of time filming, writing, and working on a number of really cool projects, some of which will be getting theatrical releases! Go theaters! Touring has been great! Whether it be stand-up or a convention, I’m in a new city practically every weekend!”
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Thank you as always to Gary Kroeger! Check out his podcast with Ken Ceizler, The Gary and Kenny Show. He also just recorded an interview with former writer/season 5 featured player Alan Zweibel at Williams College —check it out! Suffice to say, he says he is “happy in New England trying to spread the Progressive Gospel.”
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Check out Pay to Die with Jeff Richards!
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Finally, nice to see Dismukes used well again.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
