9.7/10. I always appreciate it when SNL has standup comedians on because, unlike many other performers, standups have a clear comedic voice -- it's essentially a necessity in their line of work -- and that allows the show to have a certain clarity and focus in its perspective that makes those episodes stand out. Getting a solid set from Chappelle riffing, as he is wont to do, on the election, on racism, on the unique position of being both black and wealthy in this country, was worth the price of admission alone, and as always his insights and laughs were cathartic. His closing bit about seeing the progress this country has made, and how it prompts him to want to give Donald Trump a chance, and the hope that he'll give the historically disenfranchised a chance too, was sincere and affecting -- the perfect way to end the monologue.
The cold open was affecting too. Kate McKinnon's not the world's greatest singer, but having her sing "Hallelujah," in a way that serves as the perfect mournful epitaph for both Leonard Cohen and Hillary's 2016 campaign, was an inspired choice. It's always a bit polarizing when the comedy people get a bit serious, but the hushed, sad atmosphere of the performance worked for me.
The election, understandably, permeated a lot of the show. The sketch after the monologue, with Chappelle hanging out with a bunch of stereotypical liberals on election night, did a nice job at capturing the sort of confidence morphing into shock that a good chunk of SNL's audience experienced. And the perspective behind the sketch (aided by a cameo from another great standup comedian, Chris Rock), that the African American community wasn't shocked by this, but rather sees it as a lot of more of the same, and that there's a naivete and myopia to the coastal elite crowd experiencing this, was the kind of nice specificity you appreciate from having folks like Chappelle and Rock host the show. (And the "kids talk politics" sketch felt like a neat little coda to that.)
Politics, again as expected, played a big role on "Weekend Update" as well. Jost and Che continue to offer cutting commentary in the wake of the election. (Che's chuckle at "united" in "United States" was a nice opening touch.) And their pseudo joint monologue at the top of the show did a nice job at commenting on the election and the response to it. Bits like Jost's "women of color in the senate" montage were great, and Kate McKinnon's Ruth Bader Ginsburg is always a fun mix of political commentary, goofy dancing, and amusing insult humor.
But the show was funny even when it wasn't digging into the political side of things. The "Inside SNL" sketch was a fun, inside baseball bit. The idea of turning the criticisms of a sketch into a post-game press conference was a nice way to explore the critiques of the show, and the way it leaned into the legitimate criticisms of this cast (which, I have to admit, I myself have made) from Kyle Mooney's broadness to Leslie Jones's unpreparedness to reliance on wacky props, worked well. It was a nice way for the show to respond to those criticisms without seeming too thin-skinned about it. And despite that, I actually liked the pre-taped sketch about Leslie and Kyle dating. It had a different energy than a lot of SNL bits (and Leslie and Kyle bits for that matter), using understatement and sincerity and drawing out the comedy from the little exaggerations on the edges. A highlight to be sure.
Really, the weakest spot was the Walking Dead parody, and even that was solid! It was a thrill to see all the old Chappelle's Show characters again, but there wasn't much of a point to the sketch beyond the nostalgia factor. (Though, Tyrone Biggums's weird speech at the end was good for some laughs.) The other pure comedic sketches worked for me as well. I have to admit I groaned a bit when I realized were gearing up for another "Kate McKinnon is the last girl at the bar" sketch, but the writing of the episode ("that gave me a hard-off") and the absurdity of Kenan's bartender character finding signs of the apocalypse and handing out yellow cards, won me over. And the middle-aged dude still breastfeeding sketch is the kind of out there premise that gets a little gross, but embraces the ridiculousness of it for laughs (and Kyle Mooney's character being oddly into it was a nice touch.)
Overall, it's as strong an episode as SNL has had in what has already been a strong season. I don't know if this is the kickoff of a Dave Chappelle "comeback" as he stated in the goodnights, but if Dave can bring this level of wit, insight, and humor to television once again, I will be incredibly grateful for it.
