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S41.E04: Donald Trump / Sia

formerlyfreedom

By formerlyfreedom
in Saturday Night Live

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mehtotheworld

mehtotheworld

I think it's got more to do with the idea of providing a nasty person a platform and free publicity than how much power SNL has...

Plus, didn't he threaten to sue NBC? This has all been talked to death, but that part's just confusing to me. The network cancels his show, he bashes them and threatens to sue, and now he's appearing on SNL? Just weird.

I won't be watching, but I'll be checking the thread to see how the sketches come out. I'm not really expecting much in the way of classic sketches.

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Galileo908

Galileo908

(edited)

I was out at a party for most of the night, but from what little I ended up seeing, the stuff without Trump was pretty funny. He just HAD to show up and not even try to act. Trump as a sleazy record producer should've been gold, but is there a term for an acting performance worse than "phoning it in?"

 

Loved seeing the return of the Porn Stars, and I'm sad that I missed Larry David, Drunk Uncle and a Drake parody (featuring an Ed Grimley cameo, no less). Also, the cast looked like they wanted nothing to do with the Trumps during the good nights, only shaking his hand out of obligation.

Edited by Galileo908
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vb68

vb68

(edited)

Well that happened.

 

They worked around him as much as they possibly could.  I really feel his contributions were pretty minimal.  I thought the audience was deadly silent during most of the monologue and then the White House in 2018 sketch.  I wasn't sure if he got that the latter sketch made his wife the joke.

 

I was embarrassed for the cast in the tweeting sketch.  That had to be awkward as hell.

 

The cold open was genuinely great.  I'm a political junkie and watched the forum.  They nailed it.  And thank god for Larry David.  Not only is his Bernie Sanders awesome, I noticed him moving as far away as possible from Trump during the goodbyes.  No hug from Larry.

 

Update was also pretty damned good.  Micheal's joke about Obama needing I. D. to get into the White House and then talking out of the side of his mouth, "I'm talking about the guy hosting the show" may be my favorite line from him.  And Drunk Uncle was on.  Bobby was on fire there.

 

The show was OK. Not the best, but at least Trump was mostly a secondary player. 

Edited by vb68
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Gemma Violet

Gemma Violet

I liked the opening sketch and I thought the monologue was OK.  I liked the 2016 sketch (Trump being in office for the past two years) and I also liked the tweeting sketch.  It was nice to see Ivanka make an appearance...she did well.  Weekend Update was pretty good...about as usual.  I agree that they used Trump minimally.  All in all, it was an average show...not the greatest and not the worst.  

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Arkay

Arkay

I thought Trump did a decent job at poking fun of himself, for a man who is never self-deprecating, and to me it was fun to see him costumed outrageously instead of in his omnipresent suit and tie. The audience and cast were very withholding, though. I expect that from a cast that is All About Hillary, but while I find Larry David mostly hysterical, I thought it was rude to not even glance at Trump during the good nights. You know Trump is hosting when you agree to appear, so though you may have political differences, at least be a mensch.

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vb68

vb68

 

You know Trump is hosting when you agree to appear, so though you may have political differences, at least be a mensch.

 

To be fair, Larry did a bit of that in the monologue.  He was playing along, and he didn't have to do that.  But yeah, I certainly agree his dislike came through duriing the goodbyes.

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Trini

Trini

So I just skipped anything that had Trump in it; because I was still interested in the cold open and Weekend Update. Essentially, I only watched those two plus "Bad Girls" and Porn Stars...until Trump showed up.

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Janimo

Janimo

(edited)

Trini, and I were on the same page. I fast forwarded thru anything with Trump in it...and was disappointed when he showed up at the very end of the porn stars sketch. I did think Bobby did a pretty good Trump impersonation then, what with that HUUUGE red clown wig on and that stupid (imo, anyway) speech pattern the donald has...
I do hope though, that the ratings wind up being in the tank for this particular episode.

Edited to ask how does Sia manage to see through all of whatever the heck it is on her head? Wig? Hair??

Edited by Janimo
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JakeyJokes

JakeyJokes

I thought Trump did a decent job at poking fun of himself, for a man who is never self-deprecating, and to me it was fun to see him costumed outrageously instead of in his omnipresent suit and tie. The audience and cast were very withholding, though. I expect that from a cast that is All About Hillary, but while I find Larry David mostly hysterical, I thought it was rude to not even glance at Trump during the good nights. You know Trump is hosting when you agree to appear, so though you may have political differences, at least be a mensch.

 

I can't help but be reminded of when Sarah Palin came on and Tina Fey didn't want to acknowledge her during the goodnights because, in her words, "the campaign was getting really weird at that time" (this was toward the end, when people were yelling racist shit at rallies and Palin didn't endorse it but didn't go out ofher way to oppose it, either). That being said, they got along well backstage and Palin was more concerned about not wanting to acknowledge Oliver Stone.

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Trick Question

Trick Question

Is that the first time they've ever turned the 'introduce the musical guest' bit into a sketch?  I'd like to think that somewhere, Adrien Brody is fuming that they let Kenan Thompson play a broad Jamaican stereotype to introduce a musical guest and not him.

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Ms Blue Jay

Ms Blue Jay

(edited)
I'm sad that I missed Larry David, Drunk Uncle and a Drake parody (featuring an Ed Grimley cameo, no less).

 

These, plus Sia, were the good parts!

 

Drunk Uncle:  Kids today... They don't even vote anymore, Colin!  All they care about is "Can I eat my flaxseeds on my hoverboard? Is this Apple watch Gender neutral?" 

Edited by Ms Blue Jay
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tomsmom

tomsmom

Drunk Uncle: Kids today... They don't even vote anymore, Colin! All they care about is "Can I eat my flaxseeds on my hoverboard? Is this Apple watch Gender neutral?"

"Her name is Bruce!"

So wrong but I lmao!

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nowandlater

nowandlater

What astounds me is that we're 4 episodes into this season, amid a very fascinating Republican presidential campaign, and yet we've had nobody play Jeb Bush or Ben Carson.

 

Granted, SNL probably couldn't do a GOP sketch with Trump hosting, but Bush and Carson were big news during the first three weeks of this season. (And even bigger news the past week.) Oh, I didn't even mention Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubo, etc.

 

I love Larry David, and his "heckling"* of Donald Trump, but back-to-back Bernie Sanders was a bit much. Two Democratic candidate sketches in a row was just lazy.

 

*I hate news outlets making it sound like David calling Trump a racist was spontaneous. I'm sure he genuinely feels that way, but the cameras were ready to capture him. It was all pre-planned.

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Pete Martell

Pete Martell

(edited)

I'm ok with Larry David or anyone else not being fake and offering hugs and handshakes to a man who has made some pretty racist and misogynistic statements.

It's not just "political differences".

 

If he was that serious about it he never would have appeared on the show in the first place, especially being the main force in a moment that made light of very real criticisms Trump faces about his views. Making pouty faces while sharing a stage with him is utterly meaningless.

 

To me the whole thing was a sideshow. They likely see Trump as a sideshow as well and they thought they could gently send him up with some cute winks. The problem for me is the show barely even manages to keep its eyes open these days, much less wink. It was all very tired and very self-indulgent - a calling card for exactly how Lorne Michaels has hollowed this show out over the last 20 years. The man who thumbed his nose at the idea of going easy on President Ford just because Ron Nessen was hosting would shake his head at the gladhanding pabulum he now parades across the screen.

Edited by Pete Martell
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Pete Martell

Pete Martell

(edited)

What astounds me is that we're 4 episodes into this season, amid a very fascinating Republican presidential campaign, and yet we've had nobody play Jeb Bush or Ben Carson.

 

The Jeb jokes would write themselves. I tend to wonder if it's because no one is "talking" about him. Or because the show was generally soft on his brother and feels the same way about him.

 

As for Ben Carson, they'd probably get Fred Armisen back, so it's probably for the best to ignore him...

Edited by Pete Martell
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nowandlater

nowandlater

The Jeb jokes would write themselves. I tend to wonder if it's because no one is "talking" about him. Or because the show was generally soft on his brother and feels the same way about him.

 

As for Ben Carson, they'd probably get Fred Armisen back, so it's probably for the best to ignore him...

 

 

Yeah, but in terms of politics, the Republican field has been huge news. Very huge news. The Democratic race is interesting, yes, but nobody is talking about the Rachel Maddow thing (and I actually watched that.)

 

It's just so odd to see SNL ignore the biggest news in the political world, besides Trump.

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Princess Sparkle

Princess Sparkle

(edited)

It may have taken Donald Trump, but I finally got Drunk Uncle back. And it makes perfect sense that he'd be a Trump supporter. "YEAH IM AFRAID OF GEORGE LOPEZ!" and "Colin, he's right there!" cracked me up.

Actually, most of WU cracked me up, especially the parts with Michael. I actually had to pause and rewind at one point, because "Wait wait, let me try the glove back on, I can make it fit! I'll try my stabbing hand!" made me laugh so hard that I missed the next few jokes. And I enjoyed Michael cracking up during Leslie's bit (you can hear him laughing hard when she said 'What kind of penises have you been looking at?') and that Colin was laughing in the background of Drunk Uncle (I can't remember what line, but when they panned away from him to just Bobby, you can hear him laughing). I just like when the cast cracks each other up enough that they can't contain their laughter.

WU was all I could bring myself to watch so far. I don't usually sit out hosts, but I don't know if I can bring myself to watch Trump look smug in every sketch while everyone tries to act around him.

Edited by Princess Sparkle
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vb68

vb68

 

I love Larry David, and his "heckling"* of Donald Trump, but back-to-back Bernie Sanders was a bit much. Two Democratic candidate sketches in a row was just lazy.

 

 

The Democratic Forum was Friday night, so they were going with something very timely.  I was a little surprised at first, but I don't there's any more to read into it than that.  I definitely don't think it was lazy content wise.  They are likely saving the big Republican sketch for next week because there's another debate. 

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lovinbob

lovinbob

I wonder if Ivanka was thrown off when NO ONE cheered for her. Normally cameos are met with applause and hooting. Instead, crickets. I was surprised (though not displeased.)

Drunk Uncle was inspired. He really is the Trump voter. And the "Her name is Bruce" line was perfect, because for me it highlighted how ridiculous people's anger around that issue is.

I didn't stay for the end so I didn't see Larry David, but I didn't really like the monologue joke. Those protests aren't a joke and while I don't believe trump hosting equals an endorsement of his views, there are times that I think making comedy out of bigotry normalizes it, and I think this was one of them. No, Trump, your views are not ok. They are racist and ignorant. And the people protesting your appearance are more representative of america's greatness than you'll ever be.

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Milburn Stone

Milburn Stone

The nomination for Worst Cameo of All Times in an SNL Sketch™ goes to Ivanka Trump who couldn't remember a sequence of 50 words and had to consult a cheat sheet in her left hand the whole 10 seconds she appeared.

 

I was shocked (not appalled, but shocked) that the audience reacted to her not at all. Usually that kind of "surprise celebrity walk-on" gets some hoots and claps from the audience as soon as the surprise celeb shows up. I wonder if someone on the crew just forgot to turn on the applause sign, or if they did and nobody cared.

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dbro

dbro

is it possible that Larry David's heckling was a condition of his appearance in this episode to clarify (for those that may not know or suspect otherwise) his disdain for Trump?

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Fostersmom

Fostersmom

Wait, that Democratic mess in the cold open was a real thing? I loved Kate's Hilary trying to sit casually, but I honestly thought the thing was made up. I watched that part and then moved from the living room to the bedroom. I turned it on and apparently fell instantly asleep. I do remember Trump coming on stage and then nothing. I was just coming to see if I should watch it or not. I love Bobby and Drunk Uncle, so I might go the fast forward route. 

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peeayebee

peeayebee

I thought the show was fantastic! One of the best!

 

j/k. I didn't watch.

 

I actually thought Taran was going to town with his facial expressions standing right next to him. It was very pointed, and I thought he was silently taking a few jabs.

I saw a still of the three of them, and my impression -- no pun -- was that Taran was making fun of him while standing next to him.

 

My DVR recorded the ep, and I may FF and watch a couple of the skits. I read that the pre-taped bit with all the women on the show, a la On My Twin Bed, was really good. I'll probably watch Former Porn Stars just to see Bobby as Clown Trump, which may be the most accurate impression yet.

 

I wonder how Trump will spin this show. I'm going to guess he'll blame the writers.

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cpcathy

cpcathy

The nomination for Worst Cameo of All Times in an SNL Sketch™ goes to Ivanka Trump who couldn't remember a sequence of 50 words and had to consult a cheat sheet in her left hand the whole 10 seconds she appeared.

 

And had so much makeup and/or surgery I thought she was made of wax!

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Bees

Bees

Of all the episodes there was of SNL, that was one of them. I can't say it was the worst of all time, since there were some sketches that got a little smirk out of me but it certainly wasn't great either. Far from great. Just bad.

 

Cold Open: I too appreciate the value of a vacuum penny. Larry David as Bernie Sanders is what made this work for me. Also Kate being unable to sit casually was nice. Did kind of like the cut to sideeye from Leslie Jones. That was amusing. I kept expecting Trump to come into the fray.

 

Monologue: This was boring. Did like Larry David calling him a racist. You know that even though it was scripted, he relished in yelling that out. I know I would.

 

White House 2018: This was just stupid. Just plain stupid. And not even in the enjoyably stupid sense. It was just...bad. I feel like this was a big in-joke for the writers where Trump was so against every idea they had they made this shit up as a joke and were shocked to see Trump actually approve it.

 

Bad Girls: I love this whole first world anarchist thing they were going for here. Though throughout the sketch, I kept thinking that this sketch reminded me of something...then the point with Kate on the toilet made me realize it plays out a lot like the "Brave" sketch they did last season. Also I really liked how they were like with the tip "We'll tip 20% because we don't know what's been going on in her life and she may need the money" which was kind of oddly sweet.

 

LiveTweeting: Once again, this was stupid. The fact that I somewhat saw the punchline of Trump hating everybody but Leslie says a lot. The writers were just really lazy this week and I kind of don't blame them. I wonder if they must've felt the way a lot of 90s SNLers felt when Steven Seagal hosted.

 

Hotline Bling: One of the other good things about this episode -- I really liked this bit with the whole Drake dancing like a dad. Though I guess it's been done a thousand times already. That being said, I did love the Ed Grimley cameo. That made me happy. Hell, Martin Short and Steve Martin were actually doing a performance the next town over last night...unfortunately, I couldn't make it and even if I could, my heart wouldn't have been in it since I got informed that my contract was done w/ the place I was working for the past two and a half years. Anywho, this was enjoyable.

 

Weekend Update: I kind of liked Michael Che's somewhat saltiness and the weird "we really don't care how much we fuck up this episode" feeling from him and Jost. There were a few enjoyable jokes but, as the SNL Scorecard said, it felt really off this episode. Drunk Uncle was great though, he would be a Trump kind of guy. Leslie Jones was okay...I always enjoy her shamelessly flirting with Colin Jost. I also kind of enjoyed the joke about the Mets losing of "Colin cried like a little bitch for three days" then Colin retorting "Then I found out the Mets lost!"

 

Rock Band Intro: This would've worked better with anybody but Donald Trump. This feels like a sketch that was written for Larry David but Trump got all pissy about the lack of airtime and inserted himself in there. I mean doesn't it feel like Larry David would've been a good laser harp guy?

 

Mr. Crocker: I honestly thought there was going to be a Betty Crocker joke in here. This sketch had potential but didn't really go anywhere. Though Trump DOES kind of look like a skeevy agent. That being said, this could've been better than it was but once again, just didn't go anywhere. 

 

Toots Intro: Why do I have the feeling that did this as a cry for help to Lorne to ban Trump from SNL? Like I honestly wouldn't be shocked if this was actually improvised, though I think that'd be giving Trump way too much credit. It's just the parallels of Adrien Brody doing that Jamaican accent thing to introduce Sean Paul and this are too hard for me to ignore. And since Brody got banned, maybe this was SNL's way of saying "Goddammit, ban this asshole!"

 

Porn Stars: Bobby as Trump Clown was good. Though to be honest, they didn't really feel like they were really into it. They were just like "let's get this over with so we can finish this goddamn show and regroup for the next episode" in their attitude. 

 

This whole episode kind of felt like they were employees that were forced to take their jerkass corporate boss out for a night on the town against their wishes. They clearly didn't want to be there, but they knew they had to do so and the energy really showed, though the boss surely didn't get that feeling. Or like when students are putting on a variety show and are banned from making fun of the teachers because of said teachers' inability to take a joke. It just felt like nobody really wanted to be there and the energy had that forced feeling to it.

 

That being said, there were a few decent sketches in spite of all of that. Coincidentally, the decent sketches had minimal to zero Trump featured in it.

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Traveller519

Traveller519

I watched out of curiosity. Larry David's Sanders is just stupendous and is what a political impression should be. I thought the cast held up well when they didn't have to interact with Trump. Beck's "recording dad" character and the porn stars were doing good work until Trump showed up to MIG at the end of the skit.

And I will grant that Trump's dancing in the Hotline Bling parody cracked me up.

I appreciate the girl's music videos, but this One was their weakest.

Colin's stress wore over into his weekend update performance as it's wont to do on a bad show, but Michael was firing.

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