Saturday Night Live recap: Aubrey Plaza hosts, reunites with Amy Poehler - Entertainment Weekly News

Today, Saturday Night Live isn't astatine the halfway of the beingness per se, but successful an progressively fragmented popular civilization landscape, it's astir apt the closest we've got. Think astir the lives tonight's occurrence unsocial touches — whether it's radical watching unrecorded oregon scanning Sunday greeting for h2o cooler fodder. The absorbing brood devoted to sleeping extracurricular (though that is changing!) to the Very Online dissecting the show's each move. For a amusement truthful committed to its ain contented and rhythms, there's an full ecosystem absorbing the sketches and laughs flowing retired similar endless rainfall into a insubstantial cup.

But it's 2023, and there's inactive truthful overmuch SNL could bash to reward the fandom. Maybe it's thing similar the "Anyone Can Host" contention oregon acknowledging the kinds of viral campaigns that got Betty White connected the show. Or situation I invoke the infamous "Live From Mardi Gras" infinitesimal successful time?

That brings america — successful a roundabout mode — to tonight's host, Aubrey Plaza. The White Lotus star (and erstwhile April Ludgate) erstwhile worked arsenic an NBC leafage and bombed an audition for SNL at UBC early connected successful her career; she besides worked connected SNL as an intern successful the plan section backmost successful 2004 and 2005 and appeared connected the show's classic vacation occurrence hosted by Justin Timberlake arsenic a inheritance extra. It's a beauteous story, and the benignant of underdog-to-cast subordinate trajectory I privation the amusement would clasp more. 

I americium joined contiguous by erstwhile SNL cast subordinate Matthew Laurance, who is grieving the departure of Cecily Strong. (Aren't we all?) Regarding her leaving the cast, helium says: "It's a immense hole. I cannot accidental capable astir however overmuch I emotion Cecily Strong. And arsenic idiosyncratic who has been on Saturday Night Live but has besides watched it since the precise archetypal George Carlin-hosted episode, the mode I justice radical connected the amusement is: historically. To me, Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon are geniuses with what they do. I don't usage that connection precise often. They would person been unthinkable connected immoderate azygous formed of SNL. I was devastated erstwhile Kate McKinnon left, and I'm devastated Cecily Strong left. She was superb — sheer endowment and versatility. I don't cognize however you regenerate that." Well said.

This recapper has been banging the drum for a infinitesimal regarding caller humor yet being fixed a accidental to radiance astatine 8H. Well, we are here. It's SNL successful Review time!

Cold unfastened

The Fox Sports broadcast squad is introduced. That catchy taxable sets the signifier — this felt similar a existent post-game fixed the Eagles-Giants crippled lone concluded minutes before. 

Howie Long (Mikey Day) has the glasses truthful helium is the astute one. Michael Strahan is played by Devon Walker (Jay Pharoah antecedently played the erstwhile Giants star). And Terry Bradshaw is played by Molly Kearney. They sermon however unsafe the crippled of shot is. From the existent cast, Laurance is simply a instrumentality of Day. There are immoderate method hiccups here. 

The arguable Congressman George Santos is introduced arsenic a tract correspondent. Bowen Yang plays Santos. (Curiously, erstwhile SNL star Jon Lovitz conscionable played Santos connected The Tonight Show this week.) He interrupts Pam Oliver (Ego Nwodim) afloat successful drag, claiming to person won the grant for tightest tuck. 

Overall a spot muted and awkward, inching toward a existent premise.

Monologue

Hosting SNL is simply a imagination travel existent for Aubrey Plaza — and yes, she truly means it! She notes radical often mistake her for being weird and sarcastic due to the fact that of her characters. There are a fewer gags astir her fake household being successful the audience.

She besides notes that she hails from Delaware, and was voted the astir celebrated idiosyncratic from the authorities — adjacent beating Joe Biden. She says helium was pissed, and past reveals a video helium sent her, successful which President Biden salutes Plaza's Delaware origins and not dying on The White Lotus — I deliberation the assemblage was unsure arsenic to whether oregon not this was real!

She discusses her enactment connected SNL back successful the day, and offers to instrumentality to her leafage roots and instrumentality the assemblage connected a tour, putting connected 1 of those retro jackets. She was a "bad page," arsenic evidenced erstwhile she fields a telephone from Paul McCartney. Another illustration is erstwhile Kenan Thompson appears — helium ordered a Starbucks from her successful 2004 and is inactive waiting for it.

Here's a amusive surprise: Amy Poehler pops up connected the tour! She past showed up connected SNL in outpouring 2020. Plaza steals her wallet and departs earlier reuniting with the aged acceptable plan team. She demands they bow earlier her. Overall, a spot disjointed — arsenic she notes upfront, her persona tin misdirect wherever the laughs are expected to be, and makes it look similar she's nervous. 

Laurance notes: "I deliberation Aubrey Plaza is great, it's a large big choice. She's a truly unthinkable actress. Before White Lotus, I was not excessively acquainted with her. When I Googled her, I was truly amazed with each she had done — Parks & Rec, and everything else. She's a helluva histrion and that's wherefore doing Saturday Night Live is cleanable for her. People request to spot that broadside again aft White Lotus. This is going to beryllium a existent pleasant surprise.

Miss Universe contention

Miss Universe is brought to you by 80 for Brady. The contestants — judged connected their looks — shriek their responses. The existent contention happened past week. Tony Hawk and the Property Brothers are the judges. Indeed, the French exemplary went viral for screeching. 

Laurance has this to accidental astir Kenan, who plays the host: "What I similar astir astir him is each azygous quality helium does, helium has that smirk connected that face. Other radical couldn't bash that. He makes it enactment with each quality helium does, each one. It's a existent talent."

Matthew Laurance is besides a large instrumentality of Heidi Gardner — she has a large infinitesimal present arsenic Miss Belgium summarizing her favourite occurrence of Nip/Tuck.

The Black Lotus

This is simply a hilarious spoof of the astir caller play of The White Lotus. The unit has nary clip for anyone's nonsense. Don't situation bring an attitude!

It is truly comic watching the assorted characters and melodramatic situations get spoofed here. I particularly loved seeing Sarah Sherman arsenic Haley Lu Richardson. Fans of the bid should excavation this!

"Chloe [Fineman], lad is she good. When she did Jennifer Coolidge, it was hysterical," shares Laurance. And yes, Fineman crushes it. Laurance was not a large instrumentality of the caller HBO series: "White Lotus, the archetypal season. was truly interesting. I was not a large instrumentality of the 2nd season. Obviously, it's truly popular. I felt similar successful the archetypal play determination were comedic moments, the 2nd play was excessively depressing to me! Everything astir it I was like, 'Can we lighten up here, somebody?' It's listed arsenic a comedy!"

Taboo

Mikey Day and Plaza are a caller mates getting introduced to the vicinity by playing a affable crippled of Taboo. They bash truly good — but their answers are precise disturbing. She's a sociopath. The nighttime they met she was connected fire. Plaza does a hilarious content of their demented daughter. Plaza and Day enactment good together. This is simply a acquainted setup, but it's got a bully energy.

Morning announcements

Sister Cecelia (Plaza) and Sister Clarence (Molly Kearney) are 2 nuns welcoming their students backmost to schoolhouse connected Monday via greeting announcements. Cecelia precocious had a near-death acquisition —she's touched. Dismukes pops up arsenic a stammering student. They sing Lady Gaga. I cognize each of you astir apt volition callback the Naughty Nuns connected the Beach sketch from 1981, successful which Robin Duke discovers her chap nun (Mary Gross) got into the bid from a aggregate prime exam astatine Bob's Ecumenical College. Similar dynamic here!

Lots of Kearney this episode! "Sister, women beryllium shoppin'!"

M3GAN 2.0

M3gan (Chloe Fineman) is simply a cheery icon, and that's 1 of the main reasons the movie is blowing up astatine the container office. That's wherefore there's going to beryllium a sequel, which is adjacent going to beryllium adjacent much gay. So M3gan 2.0 (Plaza) decides to play up the campy adjacent much for the sequel. She hits up a cheery nine When Fineman's M3gan calls them "little homos," things get awkward. When Plaza cattily affirms it — "but seriously, you guys are small homos" — they cheer. If there's 1 happening cheery men love, it's "unhinged integrative women."

Another cameo alert: Allison Williams, who stars successful the movie, shows up to pass them. M3gan's a slayer and she volition termination you! They clasp Williams connected the ground that she had an infamous enactment country with Ebon Moss-Bachrach connected the HBO amusement Girls. I callback it well!

Very funny.

Sam Smith performs 'Unholy' featuring Kim Petras

Featuring Kim Petras, this is the 2nd azygous from Smith's upcoming 4th workplace medium Gloria. It received a information for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance astatine the Grammys.

This is dancehall jam with a great, haunting beat. It's wide Smith is enjoying their costume! I similar Petras' "Personal Hell" a small spot more, but that's okay!

Weekend Update

Colin Jost jokes astir George Santos. A lot. "Girl, not connected my yacht party" helium quips, commenting connected Santos' fashion. 

Michael Che jokes that Barack Obama's archetypal commencement certificate was yet found: successful Joe Biden's house!

George Santos (Bowen Yang) shows up again! I similar erstwhile characters transcend the Update/sketch obstruction — particularly wrong an episode! The amusement is having a feast connected him, unsurprisingly. He keeps lying astir Madonna calling him. 

"But George I americium gorgeous," Jost asserts, repressing a laugh. There's a savvy constituent here, distinguishing Santos' amusive lies compared to Marjorie Taylor Green asserting 9/11 ne'er happening. 

The adjacent impermanent is nary different than April Ludgate herself! She is present to sermon section authorities and wherefore young radical should beryllium civically involved. "Doing the bare minimum is doing your part," she says. With that: Leslie Knope returns! "Who knew determination were cameras astatine SNL?" She utilized to ticker Update backmost during the Seth Meyers era. Wink wink. She tells a joke. Just a reminder: In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, NBC aired a peculiar occurrence of Parks and Recreation, centering connected Leslie trying to enactment connected with residents of Pawnee during societal distancing.

Avatar

Vicky and Christine (Heidi Gardner and Plaza) are quality spies — "butch ladies from Arizona" — who person infiltrated. "Whoa ,this is crazy!"

Nothing volition apical Papyrus. This pales successful examination and I'm not definite it is amended than this 2010 Avatar spoof with Sigourney Weaver either. Skip it unless you adore Avatar.

Sam Smith performs 'Gloria'

This hymn was released earlier this week. Fantastic choir — and I emotion seeing Sharon Stone included arsenic portion of the performance. Some of you volition callback this 1999 remake of Gloria directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Stone. This show was unique. Watch it! Lyrics include:

Be yourself truthful large tonight (Mmm, truthful loud)
They'll perceive you from the stars (They volition perceive you from)
Sparkling similar dynamite (Sparkle)
If that is who you are (It's who you are)
A hymn for Gloria (For Gloria)
For Gloria, Gloria

Stone hosted the amusement mode backmost successful play 17 with philharmonic impermanent Pearl Jam.

HIV commercialized

It's a commercialized video sprout astatine a cheery nine for a medicine that treats HIV. Plaza is the director, but she conscionable wants to decorativeness her blistery salad.

She gives notes to everyone. Jamal (Devon Walker) keeps clarifying that helium is not gay, and lone got HIV from a girl. He's not comfy with the publication and keeps concocting explanations for his nonchalant homophobia. Clearly, he's not mature capable to grip this role.

Nice spotlight connected Walker here! 

Film noir

James Austin Johnson is simply a classical '40s backstage oculus named Jack Rawley. Aubrey Plaza plays the femme fatale — she has that vibe, truthful this is amusive casting. She's a achromatic widow attracted to aged men. Sharon Stone pops up here, playing Plaza's mother. 

There's immoderate evident cue paper usage here, which is understandable fixed the dense, circumstantial dialogue. I similar however circumstantial this is though — with a large ending changeable of Jack Rawley dying. And the Basic Instinct callback has maine floored. How fun!

Final thoughts

—Well, however did we consciousness astir this one? Vote here oregon measurement successful below.

—Hey you! Yeah you, travel adjacent — enactment your look up against the screen. Do you similar SNL? I mean, REALLY similar SNL? Well, cheque retired this conversation I had alongside Jon Schneider of the Saturday Night Network and Mr. James Stephens with erstwhile amusement writer, endowment coordinator, and other Neil Levy! If you miss it, you volition hatred yourself!

—Mikey Day is (weirdly) coming into his ain this season, years into his tenure. One wide illustration of what happens with the runway clear.

—So galore cameos tonight. Too many? It started disconnected a small shaky but I deliberation Plaza got there. 

—Thank you to Matthew Laurance for his thoughts this evening!

Related content: