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There were no surprise celebrity guests to come to the rescue of “Saturday Night Live” this weekend — no return visits from Matt Damon as Judge Brett Kavanaugh or Alec Baldwin as President Trump. So the show’s ensemble cast was on its own, for better or for worse, to address Kavanaugh’s contentious confirmation to the Supreme Court in its cold opening, just a few hours after the narrow Senate vote.
This broadcast, hosted by the comic actress Awkwafina (“Ocean’s 8,” “Crazy Rich Asians”) — one of the very few Asian women to host the show in its history — and featuring the musical guest Travis Scott, made an oblique acknowledgment of the representation issues that “S.N.L.” frequently faces. The episode also addressed, in comic fashion, a controversial speech that the rapper Kanye West made on set in support of Trump last week after the closing credits rolled.
But first, that cold open.
In a sketch purporting to be a TV broadcast from a raucous, revelry-filled Republican locker room, Heidi Gardner played the CNN correspondent Dana Bash, quizzing various senators who were cheering Kavanaugh’s appointment. “There a lot of pacemakers being put to the test tonight,” she said.
Beck Bennett, playing Mitch McConnell, declared, “Republicans read the mood of the country and we could tell that people really wanted Kavanaugh. Everyone’s pumped, from white men over 60 to white men over 70.”
Kate McKinnon, returning as Lindsey Graham, proudly asked, “How amazing is this? We made a lot of women real worried today, but I’m not getting pregnant so I don’t care.”
Cecily Strong appeared as Susan Collins, who announced her support for Kavanaugh in a speech on Friday afternoon. “Oh please, the last thing I wanted was to make this about me,” Strong said. “That’s why I told everyone to tune in at 3 p.m., so I could tell all my female supporters: Psych!” She added that she and her colleagues were “going to party like it’s 2020 when Susan Rice takes my seat.”
Representing the Democratic side of the aisle, Alex Moffat played Chuck Schumer, who observed, “We thought this time would be better than the Anita Hill hearing, because Dr. Ford was white. But then it turned out Brett Kavanaugh was white too, and we were completely blindsided by that.”
In other memorable moments from the show:
Kanye West Rebuttal of the Week
In a monologue delivered from the “Weekend Update” desk, cast member Pete Davidson responded to West’s off-air speech, in which the rapper wore a red “Make America Great Again” hat and said that Democrats planned “to take the fathers out the home and promote welfare.”
Davidson stated that “what Kanye said after we went off the air last week was one of the worst, most awkward things I’ve ever seen here — and I’ve seen Chevy Chase speak to an intern.” He denied that anyone had discouraged West from wearing his MAGA hat, saying, “I wish I had bullied you. I wish I would have suggested that it might upset some people, like your wife or every black person, ever.”
Addressing West’s political observations, Davidson said, “Um, do you know how wrong you have to be about politics for, like, me to notice? Do you know how annoying that is? Kanye is a genius, but a musical genius. Like, Joey Chestnut is a hot-dog-eating genius. But I don’t want to hear Joey Chestnut’s opinion about things that aren’t hot-dog related.”
Davidson, who has previously spoken on “S.N.L.” about his own efforts to achieve mental health, said that he was taking medication and encouraged West to do the same. He used a crude term for “fool” to refer to West, and stated that “Being mentally ill is not an excuse to act” in such a manner. As he concluded his segment, Davidson put on his own red cap that said: “Make Kanye 2006 Again.”
Nostalgic Monologue of the Week
Awkwafina concluded her opening monologue with a tribute to Lucy Liu, who hosted “S.N.L.” in 2000, shortly after the release of “Charlie’s Angels.” As Awkwafina explained:
Back in 2000, I came here to 30 Rock and waited outside when my idol, Lucy Liu, hosted “S.N.L.” I was a kid — yes — I was a kid, I didn’t have a ticket so I knew I wasn’t getting in. But I just wanted to be near the building. And I remember how important that episode was for me and how it totally changed what I thought was possible for an Asian-American woman. Standing here tonight is a dream I never thought would come true. So, thank you, Lucy, for opening the door. I wasn’t able to make it in the building back then, but 18 years later, I am hosting the show. I love you, Lucy Liu.
[Catch up on the week in pop culture here.]
Technological Innovation of the Week
In a twist ending, the segment was revealed as a commercial for Cricket Wireless, boasting, “Now aren’t you happy we have awful service?”
‘Weekend Update’ Jokes of the Week
At the “Weekend Update” desk, anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che continued to riff on the Kavanaugh confirmation.
Jost:
Even if you look past Dr. Ford’s testimony, which many people seem to have no trouble doing, Kavanaugh did a bunch of disqualifying stuff, just this past week. He basically lied under oath at a job interview to become a judge. That’s like cheating on your wife during your wedding. And then after he went full “Do you know who my father is?” at the confirmation hearing, he had to publish an apology letter in The Wall Street Journal, which is something A.A. calls “Step 9.”
Che:
My question is for the five out of six Republican women that voted for Kavanaugh. So are y’all like hostages? This feels like one of those horror movies where the white lady’s in love with the monster but doesn’t know it. And all the black people watching are like, “Aw, man, you about to get ate.” This is not good for any of us. And I say us, because if these Republicans don’t care about you, they definitely don’t care about me. If a white lady in tears can’t get justice, then there’s no hope for my black [expletive] in Jordans.
Jost:
I’m also angry at Democrats like Cory Booker, who came out and called Brett Kavanaugh evil when his nomination was first announced. Then when he was accused of actual evil, they had nowhere to go. It’s like seeing O.J. do a Hertz commercial in the ’80s, and saying, “This is the worst thing he’ll ever do.”
‘Weekend Update’ Characters of the Week
Reprising their frequent roles as Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., Alex Moffat and Mikey Day returned to the “Weekend Update” desk of “S.N.L.,” which Day mockingly said stood for “Saturday Night Liberals.”
With the midterm elections approaching, the actors playing the Trump sons said that they had both been given important assignments by their father. “He asked me to stump for Republicans on the campaign trail,” Day said.
Moffat: “And he asked me not to do that.”
Day: “That’s right, bud. You get to stay home and watch all the action on TV.”
Threatening to take the “Update” chair away from Jost, Day said, “I’ve got some jokes I can tell.”
Moffat: “Me, too. What did the gay black Jew — ”
Day: “No, don’t tell that, no. No. You can’t tell that joke.”
Moffat: “But dad does.”
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