Saturday Night Live: Margot Robbie, The Weekend
October 1, 2016 11:40 PM - Season 42, Episode 1 - Subscribe

Host: Margot Robbie, Musical Guest: The Weekend

  • Opening - 1st Presidential Debate Michael Che, Kate McKinnon, Alex Baldwin
  • Monologe - Margot Robbie
  • Action News 9 - Cecily Strong, Beck Bennett, Kenan Thompson, Margot Robbie, Mikey Day, Alex Moffat, Leslie Jones
  • School Librarian - Bobby Moynihan, Margot Robbie, Kyle Mooney, Keenan Thompson, Alex Moffat, Leslie Jones, Cecily Strong,
  • Family Feud - Keenan Thompson, Kate McKinon, Margot Robbie, Bobby Moynihan, Beck Bennett, Darrell Hammond, Melissa Vilasenor, Cecily Strong, Larry David, Mikey Day, Alex Moffat
  • The Weekend - Starboy
  • Weekend Update - Michael Che, Colin Jost
    • Undecided Voter - Cecily Strong
    • The Weekend Update - The Weekend
    • David Ortiz - Keenan Thompson
  • Hunch Bunch - Margot Robbie, Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, Aidy Bryant, Mikey Day, Bobby Moynihan

  • Melania Trump - Cecily Strong

  • New York Film Festival - Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong, Margot Robbie, Sasheer Zamata, Kate McKinnon

  • The Weekend - False Alarm

  • Mr. Robot - Pete Davidson, Leslie Jones, Margot Robbie

posted by DizzyOnBugSpray (15 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Oh my GOD how did I not see the Pete Davidson/Rami Malek thing before?
posted by Etrigan at 5:16 AM on October 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


Also, Kate McKinnon's reaction work in the debate sketch is going on her Emmy reel, or heads will roll.
posted by Etrigan at 5:18 AM on October 2, 2016 [3 favorites]


A totally okay episode. Starting with the debate was a good idea, and even if the sketch might have benefited from a little more invented absurdity, McKinnon and Baldwin just literally reading from the real life transcripts was funny enough. I loved Hillary's Willy Wonka maneuver with the cane, though (and have to wonder if someone in the writers' room saw the 2008 Alec Baldwin interview with Gene Wilder that TCM ran Thursday night, in which Wilder's cane-to-somersault improv was discussed at length).

On the downside, the writers were clearly uninspired by Margot Robbie, who got stuck in two "omg she's hot" sketches in a row, both of which were pretty weak. Family Feud showed some recovery, Hunch Bunch was cute, but nothing really hit hard until the New York Film Festival. The Mr. Robot sketch was great mostly because it gave Leslie Jones a much-needed moment to show everyone she's still on top of the world. Good on her.

Che and Just continue to be the best part of the show, and Che just killed it this week.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:16 AM on October 2, 2016


I knew as soon as I saw the musical guest in the opening that we were going to get The Weeknd Update again, but that doesn't make the bit not funny.
posted by ckape at 11:02 AM on October 2, 2016 [3 favorites]


If you hooked me up to a Create a Kate McKinnon For You Character Machine, the result would be Debette Goldry, who very much should return in a Weekend Update Hollywood Celebrity Correspondent.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:25 AM on October 2, 2016


This ep made me laugh a lot but it kills me how they under-utilize Sasheer Zamata in particular. I would love to see her getting to make a joke herself instead of being the straight man all the time. I wish they would stop adding more and more generic white dudes and just let the cast they already have get on stage more. It's doubly frustrating whenever they have a good episode because then it's like ugh this show has so much potential and they just throw it away.
posted by bleep at 12:38 PM on October 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


Maybe it's because I've been really missing SNL over the break (something I never thought I'd say) or maybe it's because I've been so glued to the election threads on the blue and was just waiting for even more Trump-bashing, or maybe it was simply the rum - but I really enjoyed last night's episode. I wasn't thrilled when Baldwin was announced as Trump but he knocked that shit out of the park. It's a shame that Trump's unhinged speech in Pennsylvania was even more wacko than what the SNL writers thought to bring to the table.

... you know, on the other hand, it's sublime when reality transcends parody at the same time the parody is happening. How often do we get to see that?

I was disappointed to see [white guy] and [white guy] in the 'featuring' intro, but whaddya gonna do? SNL's gonna SNL. It's been forever that people have been asking for greater representation on the show and it's still not happening. At least all three new faces got some positive screen time, though I think VillaseƱor got the least. Her Silverman impression was pretty good though.

I miss Jay Pharoah already. He would have done a better job as Holt than Che did, in my opinion. Oh well, at least it's a step from the days when Keenan had to play all the black parts regardless of gender or body type.
posted by komara at 12:55 PM on October 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


I also thought it was interesting how Alec Baldwin did a better job with Trump than Darryl Hammond, and I think it's because Darryl Hammond wasn't taking it over the top. He was barely keeping up with Trump in ridiculosity. Hammond did a lot better as Clinton. They also did a better job with Alec Baldwin's trump makeup.
posted by bleep at 1:45 PM on October 2, 2016


Che has become one of my favorite WU anchors, and his unarmed boobies bit was amazing, controversial word and all. The look on his face when he was done was flawless. Jost is such a bland white guy, but I give him credit for admitting it, and he and Che have a good dynamic when talking about race issues.

During the first scene of the Mr Robot skit, I actually thought it was Rami Malek, until my eyes and brain focused.

I'm not sold on the newbie yet. I can't tell the two guys apart, and literally all I know of Villasenor is that she deleted a bunch of racist tweets.
posted by Ruki at 3:29 PM on October 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


This ep made me laugh a lot but it kills me how they under-utilize Sasheer Zamata in particular.

Indeed! And Vanessa Bayer wasn't even there! We had to check to make sure she hadn't been nixed from the cast. And for the three new people we saw a lot of Tweedledum and Tweedledee (they seemed fine) but very little of Melissa Vilasenor. We were sort of surprised how timeless a lot of the sketches seemed, not quite in that "They will have lasting appeal" way but more in that "They're not really based on anything current or even really recent" which is no big deal but I think SNLs strengths are when they poke fun at stuff in the news. Loved the Mr Robot sketch. Loved The Weeknd. I felt it was a "safe" opening, it will be interesting to see if next week gets edgier or if this one set a tone for the season.
posted by jessamyn at 8:05 PM on October 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


Margot Robbie, who got stuck in two "omg she's hot" sketches in a row, both of which were pretty weak

I would be totally with you there but then she ate the banana wrong.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:27 PM on October 2, 2016 [6 favorites]


To me it seems like their funniest, freshest, most original material has nothing to do with current events.
posted by bleep at 10:14 PM on October 2, 2016


A solid episode with an underutilized host.

I'd only ever seen Margot Robbie in the tub scene in The Big Short so I didn't know what to expect. I, too, got a bit too worried that every sketch was going to be based on how hot she is. The library was a nice twist, if predictable. I thought she had potential but they didn't really use her much.

The Mr. Robot sketch should have been in the first half hour of the show. I was really expecting Leslie to have a nice rant session on WE so I'm glad they at least addressed the issues she faced over the summer.

Kate McKinnon has beaten out Tina Fey for my all time SNL crush. She is just perfect in everything she does on that show, and she wasn't even in this episode all that much.

I would be perfectly happy if Melania Thoughts were the new Deep Thoughts. At least until the election is over.

The cold open debate sketch was ok. Baldwin nails trump, but the sketch itself could have been better. I guess it's tough to be original on Saturday after we've all been hearing thousands of debate jokes all week on Twitter.
posted by bondcliff at 6:24 AM on October 3, 2016 [1 favorite]


Even though we were given two new white guys, I think they hit the ground running. I could tell Mikey Day apart from [mumble mumbphson] cause Mikey looks to me like Brooks Wheelan, and you KNOW it was a mistake letting HIM go. (Deep down in your heart, you all want Brooks Wheelan back. I will never give up that ship. Him and Paul Brittain.) Anyway, they seemed ready and able to fit right in.

Anyway, a solid start to the season, and it'll be interesting to see where they go. Beck Bennett as Putin was awesome, Kate McKinnon could read the phone book using any character and make me laugh. I hope they utilize Melissa Vilasenor more... and yeah, when the fuck are they gonna give Sasheer some more FUNNY. I think those two could play well off each other. Last time I remember Sasheer playing the funny part was the character who has a Youtube channel while Kyle's character as her best-friend was trying to not explode.

Glad Pete Davidson's getting more and more airtime. I'd also be happier if the next two white men they added to the cast were Larry David and Alec Baldwin. And I hope Vanessa Bayer returns!
posted by not_on_display at 11:27 PM on October 3, 2016


I DO want Brooks Whelan back, actually. He's really funny, but they never figured out how to use him.

Dressing up Kyle Mooney like Steve from Blue's Clues in everything was weird, though.
posted by Ruki at 3:36 PM on October 5, 2016


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