[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>>> OH, MY GOD, MR. PRESIDENT, WELCOME.
IS IT JUST YOU? >> NO, I'M MEETING SOME FRIENDS.
>> OKAY. GREAT.
WELL, LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
>> I DO ACTUALLY. IS HPV DIFFERENT THAN HIV?
>> I'LL GIVE YOU A MINUTE. ♪♪♪
♪ JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRL LIVING IN A LONELY WORLD
SHE TOOK THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOING ANYWHERE ♪
♪♪♪ >> HEY.
>> HEY. >> HOW YOU DOING?
>> SO, RUDY, DID YOU GO ON FOX NEWS LAST NIGHT?
>> LIKE 20 TIMES, YEAH. AND DON'T WORRY, I TOLD THEM YOU
WERE OPENLY COLLUDING WITH RUSSIA, BUT THEN I ENDED WITH
"SO WHAT?" SO IT SHOULD ALL BE FINE.
>> THANKS, RUDY. >> I EVEN CONFESSED TO SOME
CRIMES YOU DIDN'T DO. I SAID, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO
DO, ARREST THE PRESIDENT? I DARE YOU.
>> OKAY. I THINK THEY GET THE POINT.
RUDY, I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR ME.
>> HEY, YOU'RE THE BEST AND LAST CLIENT I'LL EVER HAVE.
>> MICHAEL COHN. THERE'S MY GUY.
>> SO HOW WAS WORK TODAY? >> AH, YOU KNOW, REALLY BAD.
MOSTLY JUST PREPARING TO GO TO JAIL AND STUFF.
THEY SAID I MIGHT GET 20 YEARS UNLESS I GIVE YOU UP.
>> I HEARD JAIL'S FUN. >> FUN?
>> YEAH, LIKE CAMP. PLUS A FREE GYM.
DUDE, YOU'RE GOING TO GET SO JACKED.
>> HEY, THEY EVEN HAVE A PROGRAM IN JAIL WHERE YOU CAN GET A REAL
LAW DEGREE. HA-HA-HA!
>> WELL, YOU CAN ALWAYS COME VISIT.
>> I WOULD, BUT -- GOLF. >> ANYWAY, YOU'VE GOT TO FOCUS
ON THE GOOD TIMES. ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU TOLD ME
ONCE, BOSS? >> I DID.
>> YEAH, REMEMBER, THAT'S WHY YOU TOLD ME TO KEEP A COPY OF
THAT RUSSIAN PEE TAPE. >> OH, I GOTTA REMEMBER TO SHOW
THAT AS A CLIP ON CNN TOMORROW. DON LEMON'S GOING TO LOVE THAT.
>> HEY, WHATEVER HAPPENS, I'M PROUD OF YOU, MICHAEL.
>> THANKS, I LOVE YOU, TOO. >> I DIDN'T SAY THAT.
DON JR.! >> HEY, DAD.
>> SO WHERE'S ERIC? >> HE'S STILL PARALLEL PARKING
OUTSIDE. >> DANG IT.
>> YOU KNOW, I COULDN'T THINK OF THREE PEOPLE I'D RATHER BE WITH
HERE TONIGHT. MY BEST SON, AND TWO OF MY LAST
15 LAWYERS. >> HEY, TO A GREAT FIRST YEAR OF
THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION. >> AND MANY MORE.
>> DAD, MAYBE TOMORROW I CAN SHOW YOU THE CHINESE DEAL WE
DIDN'T TALK ABOUT. >> YEAH, YEAH.
THAT SOUNDS GREAT. IS THAT ROBERT MUELLER?
>> OH, GOOD NEWS. YOU KNOW THAT WOMAN WHO'S SUING
YOU FOR GROPING AND DEFAMING HER?
I FOUND A GUY WHO'S WILLING TO THREATEN HER KIDS.
>> THAT SOUNDS GREAT, MICHAEL. AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT SEES THAT
GUY? >> I THINK I FIGURED OUT A
LOOPHOLE WHERE THEY CAN'T LEGALLY SUBPOENA YOU.
OKAY, HAVE YOU HEARD THE PHRASE "FAKING YOUR OWN DEATH?"
>> SURE, RUDY. WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT FOR SURE.
>> DAD, ARE YOU OKAY? ♪ DON'T STOP BELIEVING
HOLD ON TO THE FEELING STREETLIGHTS PEOPLE ♪
♪♪♪ >> LIVE FROM NEW YORK IT'S
"SATURDAY NIGHT"!
Sarah and Chris knew how to make the current political climate funny. These new head writers clearly do not. It’s not enough just to mock Trump and his cronies. You also need some solid jokes.
This sketch only works if you a) get the reference and b) understood the final scene of The Sopranos. And even then, it’s not really funny.
The original scene is Tony meeting his family for a dinner at a classic jersey diner. It’s supposed to be a nice moment of normalcy that he’s been after the whole series. But as the camera cuts to people coming in, both Tony and the audience get the sense that anything can happen in this moment and Tony can never truly stop living with a quiet fear and anxiety.
The SNL bit riffs on that and tries to have Trump and his cohorts meeting up for a simple meal together. Trump seems like everything is fine, but somebody kind of spooks him.
The sketch doesn’t really work because it doesn’t have the cutting around, and he actively acknowledges the man about to do him in. The scene doesn’t have the building anxiety of people entering the bar, possibly being there to kill Tony/Trump.
This seasons political stuff wasn't very good, especially compared to last year.
I thought it was funny. The premise was pretty surprising, too, since The Sopranos ended so long ago. One of the highlights of the season for me.
You know a show had a good series finale when even the parody gets you a bit teared up. It was the music. Once Journey started playing, I flashbacked to the melancholy, bittersweet vibes of the actual ep and Gandolfini's expressions.
Did anyone else think the Sopranos cut-to-black reference might mean they’re ‘killing off’ Baldwin’s version of Trump? There’s been rumours that Baldwin’s getting sick of playing him - a guest spot that he got permanently stuck with after Trump won.
Maybe they’ll hand over the impression to someone in the cast next season. No idea who, though. (Unless Leslie still wants the job...)