The first episode of the new year for Saturday Night Live found host Aubrey Plaza welcoming back an old friend to the Update desk, while Sam Smith played tracks from his upcoming Gloria album with two mesmerizing musical performances.
With a timely opening sending up Fox NFL post-game coverage of Giants/Eagles – which ended less than a half hour before, SNL wasted no time using the Congressman and life story fabricator George Santos (Bowen Yang) reporting from the Super Bowl, delusions of grandeur on full display. Yang’s Santos would make an appearance on Weekend Update, driving the bit even further, as the jokes write themselves with the continually unraveling fictional backstory of Santos front and center this past week.
Aubrey Plaza (The White Lotus, Parks and Recreation) took the stage of Studio 8H and recounted her longtime desire to host SNL, including her time as a page. This led to the SNL monologue trope of a tour behind the scenes, meeting cast members, the set design team and special guests – like former cast member and Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler – popping up along the way.
A take on the recent TikTok clip-worthy Miss Universe pageant featured cameos from both Property Brothers, and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.
Digital short “The Black Lotus” reimagined The White Lotus as a no-nonsense black-owned and staffed hotel, while “Game Night” brought together new neighbors in a revealing game of Taboo, and despite obvious cue card reading from Plaza, the rapid fire humor was refreshing and aligned perfectly with the host.
Sam Smith’s first song “Unholy” found the London singer in a fluffy pink ball gown under pink curtains and lighting, with Kim Petras appearing out from under the dress to join in the song. By the end, this performance turned into a devilish hallucination, with Smith donning a horned helmet. This marked Smith’s third time performing on SNL, having made their debut in 2014 and performing again in 2017.
Weekend Update showed that the Santos well of comedy will not run dry, with Yang showing longterm potential for his satiral take. Plaza joined the Update team as April Ludgate, revisiting her character from Parks and Recreation, and then bringing on Leslie Nope (Poehler) who made herself at home at the update desk, once again. Poehler shared Weekend Update duties with Seth Myers from 2006-2008.
The second performance from Sam Smith found him clad in gold, standing behind a choir who sang much of the track “Gloria.” Actress Sharon Stone – who starred in a remake of the movie Gloria in the late 90s – laid on a golden bed, moving to a new pose once Smith began to sing under the golden hued stage, a piece of performance art that was Smith’s idea.
Saturday Night Live returns on Saturday, January 28 with host Michael B. Jordan and musical guest Lil Baby.
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