Saturday Night Live: Trump is back and finally it’s an impression worth laughing at
It was only a matter of time before Saturday Night Live utilized new featured player James Austin Johnson’s incredible impression of Donald Trump. That moment finally came in tonight’s cold open, by way of a new episode of Fox New’s Justice with Judge Jeanine, hosted by shrill lush Jeanine Pirro (Cecile Strong).
After a brief, toothless, and ultimately pointless minute spent with antivaxx doofus and now Covid-contagious quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Pete Davidson, putting zero effort into his characterization, as per usual), Pirro welcomes Virginia governor-elect Glenn Youngkin (Alex Moffatt).
The Republican is cagey about aligning himself too closet with Trump, which makes for an awkward turn when the former president makes a surprise appearance on the show to take credit for Youngkin’s victory, as well as ramble about various topics, including Star Wars, Dune, Marvel’s Eternals, Chris Pratt, Mario, Santa Claus and more.
Beyond his uncanny ability to mimic Trump’s accent and singular speech patterns, Johnson’s impersonation works so well because he’s able to replicate the insanity and, even more importantly, the inanity of the ex-president’s stream of consciousness ramblings. This was something that Baldwin and the writers never really tapped into during Trump’s four years in office, but thankfully, the show seems keen on letting Johnson do his thing, as well they should. The studio audience – who, like the majority of home viewers probably aren’t familiar with Johnson’s prior work – were clearly blown away by him, alternately wheezing in laughter, gasping at the accuracy of it all and breaking out in applause not once, but twice.
Actor Kieran Culkin makes his debut as host, but not his debut on the show. The Succession co-star spends the majority of his opening monologue reminiscing over the “three sketches (two of which are non-problematic)” he acted in 30 years ago when his brother Macaulay hosted. He plays a clip of
Kevin Nealon lifting him up during the curtain call and hopes that one of the current cast or crew members will help him recreate the moment at the end of the night (he’ll get his wish, as it turns out).
In his first sketch, Culkin tries to cancel his subscription with Spectrum cable over the phone, only to be passed around between a number of obnoxious, nosey, patronizing, aggressive and sinisterly upbeat customer service reps and techs. The sketch serves as a good opportunity to give most of the cast some time to shine – Andrew Dismukes’s helpful, but high Dominoes employee and Bowen Yang’s omniscient Spectrum super being are standouts – but the premise, as well as some of the lines (particularly Culkin’s repeated use of the word “triggered”) seem a little dated.
In The Heist, Culkin, Mikey Day and Chris Redd play a team of high tech thieves whose plans are foiled when Redd’s cocky car thief can’t figure out how to drive a stick shift. A very one note sketch, it’s still a good note. Redd has really been hitting his stride recently playing flashy dudes overcompensating for their massive insecurities.
On The Dionne Warwick Show, the aloof diva (Ego Nwodim) questions/ roasts her guests Miley Cyrus (Chloe Fineman) – or “Myles Circus”, as Warwick calls her; the “not famous anymore” Jason Mraz (Culkin) and “more than a little nasty” Ed Sheeran (playing himself); and, replacing the “too scary” Machine Gun Kelly, Post Malone (Davidson), whom she immediately boots from her set and banishes back to “scary town”. “Sick and tired of interviewing people who are not icons”, her final guest is …herself (the actual Dionne Warwick). It’s nice to see Warwick get in on the joke and give Nwodim a big moment by joining her in a duet of What the World Needs Now Is Love.
Next, a handful of coworkers run into each other in the men’s room. Their rote small talk gives way to dramatic inner monologues full of tortured, existential introspection: “Why did I laugh? Why did he laugh? Why are we not ourselves in the men’s room?” “Why am I talking so loud? In the men’s room my voice gets loud and I shout things like FOOTBALL IS CRAZY!” “Why am I commenting on his pee?!” A fun sketch, it kicks into higher gear when first Moffatt’s office alpha confesses to a murder, and then the great Tracy Morgan pops out of one of the bathroom stalls for a surprise appearance.
(Great as it is to see Morgan, it’s a little disappointing that this is his only spot in the episode proper, as a promising-sounding Black Succession sketch featuring him was cut for time.)
Then, Culkin plays a 90s skater turned professional jockey and Kentucky Derby winner in a, frankly confusing sketch. It’s unclear what the whole thing is parodying, as it alternately seems plays out like a pop-punk/ ska music video, a hypothetical movie his older brother would have made in his heyday, and a commercial for one of Tony Hawk’s video games.
Sheeran, who emerged from isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 only a few days ago, is the night’s musical act. He performs the song Shivers.
On Weekend Update, Michael Che welcomes rapper and actor Ice Cube (Kenan Thompson), who recently lost a starring role in a movie because he refuses to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Vacillating between chiding Che (his repeated hurling of the word “Bozo!” is a highlight) and respectfully acknowledging his valid points, he laments how the vaccine mandate has forced him to pull the plug on a number of other projects, such as Barbershop 4: Just a Little Off the Sides, Thursday (a prequel to Friday), an M Night
Shayamalan collaboration called Uh Oh, Twist Comin’, and Mama Mia! Cubed.
Then, to discuss the Texas abortion ban currently up before the supreme court, Colin Jost welcomes Goober the Clown (Who Had an Abortion When She was 23) (Strong). Trying her best to lighten the mood – “it’s a rough subject so we’re gonna do fun clown stuff to make it more palatable!” – by blowing up balloon animals, squirting Jost with a prop flower and sucking down helium, Goober engages in a highly emotional reminiscence not only of her abortion, but of her gradual realization that the procedure isn’t something she should have had to hide or feel ashamed of.
It’s often hard, if not outright impossible, to take Saturday Night Live seriously when it engages in some righteous political anger, given the show’s repeated willingness to buddy up with conservative politicians and figures. But this time it works, thanks entirely to Strong. Her go-for-broke, deeply felt performance is sure to be brook lots of impassioned vocal support – and, to be sure, probably a fair amount of rightwing backlash.
Sheeran returns for a performance of Overpass Graffiti, before the show wraps up with a new Please Don’t Destroy digital short. Ben and Martin console John over a fresh breakup and convince him to call his ex and tell her how he really feels. Unfortunately, once he has her on the other line, he can’t help but to heap insults on her (mostly variations on “F—k you!”). To their mutual horror, the other guys also involuntarily blurt out their true feelings when they take the phone from him. As with all PDD sketches, the laughs come less from zany premises or punchlines and more from the absurd non sequiturs, wild twists and idiosyncratic performances.
Regardless, it’s an excellent choice to close the show, and a fitting bookend to a roundly solid episode that kicked off with what might well have been a star-making performance from another of the show’s freshmen.