The real reason S.N.L. Is so obsessed with Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande



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By Kevin Mazur / WireImage.

The last season of S.N.L. as one could expect, started by covering the most important political news of the week. But if the Brett Kavanaugh hearing has been cropped directly and indirectly throughout the night, it was not the real star of the show. The greatest attention was actually dedicated to the actor Pete Davidson and his quick romance with the singer Ariana Grande. The subject was discussed several times during the episode and we know that the writers and producers wanted to be interested in it even more. Great originally had to participate in the show as a musical guest before being replaced by a very unstable Kanye West. Imagine what the show could have done with the two together on stage. But the real reason for Davidson's fascination with the series and Grande's highly publicized relationship is as much to do with some of the issues at the heart of S.N.L. as he does with some ribs of good mood between casting companions.

Davidson's relationship, which began in May throughout the final of last season, was the host's center line. Adam Driver's opening monologue largely not exceptional. (Driver himself is an exceptional host and disappears effortlessly into the work of the characters.This particular monologue concept for the summer holidays, however, has not been favorable to him.)

The show then followed with pieces that went from alienatingly insular …Kyle Mooney's A prerecorded sketch on jealousy vis-à-vis Davidson's rising star – at the limit of Davidson's scary appearance in "Weekend Update," which included a joke about replacing control pills Great births by Tic Tacs in order to lock her as a partner. It's part of good business sense. Great and Davidson toasted celebrity gossip this summer and, aside from Kavanaugh's sketches, Davidson's "Update" is currently the most popular YouTube video in the series. S.N.L. first.

And it must be said that aside from Tic Tac's joke, Davidson's "Update" look was rather charming and self-deprecating. Although he has never been distinguished in skits, Davidson has always done better when he tackles very personal issues like his [hard-won sobriety](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB_0gVcLCJo and mental health.

But the real insight into the inner workings of S.N.L. these days can be found in Mooney's sketch. At the most conscious moment of the episode, Mooney is watched by the producer Lorne Michaels who praises Davidson after his summer in honor.

It's a joke, of course. . but is that it? S.N.L. In recent years, he has become more and more obsessed with celebrity. Once upon a time, the show itself was a machine to make stars. But that does not seem to be his goal anymore. With audiences more fractured and distracted than ever, S.N.L. relies more and more on outside talent to attract attention. If it is hiring Matt Damon like Brett Kavanaugh, Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer, Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump, Ben Stiller as Michael Cohen, Scarlett Johansson (girlfriend to the current chief writer Colin Jost) as Ivanka Trump, or Robert de niro as Robert Mueller, S.N.L. seems disinterested to allow any actor other than the star of the series and the winner of Emmy Kate McKinnon the piece to shine.

In fact, the growing reliance on political skits has drastically reduced the number of skits and recurring characters outside the office's "Update" cameos to almost nothing. Once, S.N.L. litigiously protected against his rising sketches online. Now, the program is adopting its new identity as a collection of YouTube videos to be watched Sunday morning by occasional web viewers insensitive to continuity.

Last season, only Three members of the cast – the aforementioned Emmy winner McKinnon; the most reliable and oldest player in the series, Kenan Thompson; and Davidson – must repeat non-update characters during the season. For McKinnon and Thompson, the platform was their sketch of connection to the "Last Call" bar, which serves as a showcase for the disgusting behaviors of McKinnon and the host of the week. For Davidson, it was "Chad", whose most characteristic color was the absence of personality, accompanied by a flamboyant slogan: "OK!". These two premises concern both the reinforcement of guest guests and their parade. recurring distribution.

Last year, the current cast also had the opportunity to bring back a handful of characters from previous seasons. Thompson resumed his presenter duties for the new "Black Jeopardy" and "Family Feud" skits (which are also primarily showcases for the host), while McKinnon received the winning host of the show. Emmy contest Tiffany Haddish to join her in another crazy late-night tradition: "Whiskers R We". McKinnon and Strong revived their "Close Encounter" characters for the host. Ryan Gosling's come back. And that's it. . . he. The show that once used the familiarity to transform characters like Matt Foley, Blues Brothers, Church Lady, Coneheads, Wayne Campbell, Roseanne Roseannadanna, Ladies Man, MacGruber and many others into icons of pop culture to quote (not to mention movie stars) now has almost zero recognizable devices. Those S.N.L. staples made of Chris Farley's celebrities, Dan AykroydJohn Belushi Dana Carvey, Jane Curtin, Mike Myers, Gilda Radner, etc. How are the incredibly talented Beck Bennett, Helene Strong, Aidy Bryant, Alex Moffat, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, and more supposed to be different in the same way?

The answer seems to be to build a celebrity outside the scope of the show. The episode of the Davidson episode had a big crisis after its famous summer. Similarly Leslie Jones-Which constantly blurs the lines of all the sketches in which she appears – is not going anywhere anytime soon thanks to the following text, she has built her attractive and compelling presence in social media, as well as her intense Olympics The iron Throne super-fandom. So the truth is that this summer, Davidson and Great managed to do something S.N.L. can not: transform a comedian's sketch into a star. Davidson's reward for the new shine on his star? Even more screen time than ever before.

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