As much as we might talk about actual scripted dramas or reality television, the saga that’s actually captivating the nation these days is the Trump administration, something Saturday Night Live has used to its massive advantage for nearly two seasons now. And in two of the earliest sketches in Saturday night’s episode, hosted by Sterling K. Brown, the show proved that there’s pretty much no drama on television that can’t, somehow, connect to Trumpworld.
First up was the cold open, a remarkably accurate recreation of Monday’s instantly infamous The Bachelor finale, with Cecily Strong in the role as the soon-to-be-jilted Becca and Kate McKinnon as . . . special counsel Robert Mueller!
Though the sketch starts off a bit awkward (though not nearly as awkward as the real-life breakup that inspired it), it picks up speed when it becomes clear this isn’t just jamming together two ubiquitous pop-culture figures, but making a pretty compelling argument that liberals hoping the Mueller investigation will result in impeachment is maybe about as smart as believing in true love on The Bachelor. “Collusion is literally the only thing I’ve been looking forward to for the past year,” Strong says; later, coming out of the bathroom after sobs, she asks plaintively, “So I have to wait two more years for him to be out of office?“ “Honestly, probably six,” McKinnon‘s Mueller responds matter-of-factly. Her Mueller impression isn’t as dead-on or memorable as Sessions or Kellyanne Conway (more on her later), possibly because no one really knows what Mueller looks or talks like. But the reality check is no less stark for it.
After Brown’s opening monologue and a Celebrity Family Feud sketch that gave him the opportunity to debut a surprisingly accurate Common impression, the show went with a pre-taped fake ad for the number-one drama on television . . . This Is U.S. Featuring Ben Carson, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Jared Kushner weeping on a weekly basis about how their lives have gotten to this point. (Kellyanne Conway is there too, but as she reminds us in the sketch, “I can’t cry. There’s nothing inside me.”)
The critics are raving: “You’ll be laughing through tears. Except without the laughing. So I guess just regular crying.“
Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Katey RichKatey Rich is the deputy editor of VanityFair.com.
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