On October 11, 1975, George Carlin hosted the first-ever episode of Saturday Night Live. It was only fitting to bring in a seasoned pro to emcee the same night 50 years later — and former Not Ready for Primetime Player, Amy Poehler, was more than up to the task. After a bumpy start to Season 51, SNL delivered a solid second episode, chock full of cameos. Here are the standout moments.
Cold Open
SNL’s go-to President Donald Trump, James Austin Johnson, got a break this week. Instead Attorney General Pam Bondi was in the spotlight with Poehler re-playing her contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. As in real life, Poehler’s Bondi arrives ready to brawl, holding a Mean Girls burn book of prepared zingers, including: “The DOJ has many ongoing operations and we’re moving like Kash Patel’s eyeballs – very quickly, in multiple directions at once.”
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A few new cast members get some screen time, and Andrew Dismukes also does a nice job as Sen. John Neely Kennedy. But the sketch truly ascends to greatness once Tina Fey shows up as Homeland Security secretary — and No. 1 Old Yeller fan — Kristi Noem. “Dogs don’t just get shot,” Fey says. “Heroes shoot them.” Watching Fey and Poehler shout “Live From New York, it’s Saturday Night!” just feels right.
Opening Monologue
“SNL is such a special place to me,” Poehler says in her opening monologue. “I found my first love here: being famous.” Poehler doesn’t have a big project to promote — she’s a podcaster now. “If that’s not a recession indicator, I don’t know what is,” she quipped. But by now she’s also a natural at this, and it’s a joy to see her back in Studio 8H. She even gets a great barb directed at AI “actress” Tilly Norwood. “You’ll never be able to write a joke, you stupid robot!”
The Hunting Wives Season 2 Trailer
It was only a matter of time before SNL skewered The Hunting Wives, Netflix’s surprise summer hit about a group of gun-toting conservative women. Poehler and Chloe Fineman take the reins here, doing solid impersonations of Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow. The actual show is racy and scandalous, and like all great parodies, this leans into that impression. One of the onscreen blurbs from a fake New York Times review is credited to “A.I. Scott” and reads: “It’s like if The L Word took place in Yellowstone. This show has healed our nation.” It also features a Parks and Recreation reunion: Aubrey Plaza enters the mix as a new character who is quickly seduced by Fineman… then Poehler… and then eventuallu everyone.
Role Model performs
Role Model performed his smash hit “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out,” featuring a cameo from Charli XCX. The Grammy-winning Brat artist recently made headlines amid the rollout for Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl; one track is speculated to be a swipe at Charli. Last week, Swift staged an NBC late-night takeover, but the mega pop star has yet to drop by SNL. Perhaps she’ll make an appearance next week, when Sabrina Carpenter pulls double duty.
Weekend Update
Does it get any better than watching Poehler, Fey, and Seth Meyers crash the Update desk? Seeing this classic trio back together is the warm blanket we all need right about now. What follows is a hilarious throwdown between the early aughts SNL alums and current anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che. Everyone hits buzzers (that don’t work) to lock in their best punchlines for a joke about a woman in Tennessee who broke a hospital record after giving birth to a 13-pound baby. Fey’s take: “The new baby’s name is AHHHH.” Jost counters with: “The baby’s nickname is Magician, because it basically sawed his mother in half.”
Theme Songs Masterclass
In the final sketch of the night, Poehler and Bowen Yang play composers giving a talk about how they crafted theme music for hit shows like Severance and The Pitt. Most people don’t know that the original versions weren’t gloomy, serious instrumentals — they actually sounded a lot like the The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme. Yang and Poehler make this bit with their enthusiastic performances of the crazy lyrics. Take this line from the the little-known original Severance theme: “They take a big knife and cut your brain in half. One half for work, one half for sex.”
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