It didn’t take long for “Saturday Night Live” to address its major criticism this season: Its lack of female cast members of color. Earlier this season, Kenen Thompson, go-to cross dresser as needed, announced he would no longer don a dress to emulate Oprah Winfrey or whoever. And aside from the question, “Do ‘SNL’ cast members have this kind of power?” you wonder why of the six new featured players added this year, all were white and five were men.
In the cold open Saturday, host Kerry Washington appeared as Michelle Obama (“haven’t seen you in a long time,” Jay Pharaoh as Obama says) and then has to rush off to play Oprah Winfrey and Rhianna. Then a long scroll comes out apologizing and saying producers were working on the problem (though having Lorne Michaels come out and do one of his “If you want to pay Ringo less, fine” speeches would have been better).
And having addressed that internal business right off the top, a very unusual move for the show, it progressed into a OK episode.
Having Washington on didn’t do all that much for advancing women on the show, but it sure did a lot to advance the other people of color on the show. You never saw so much Pharaoh or Thompson in a single episode, and if we can place Nasim Pedrad in the women of color, she had a terrific sketch as a self-improvement speaker at a high school.
But a “How’s He Doing” sketch involving African Americans discussing Obama’s presidency, there was the sharpest topical humor in a long time, not only showing how blacks will not stop backing the president no matter what, but in a discussion about how much white people like “The Wire.”
There was a well-done parody of the internet hit “What Does the Fox Say?” involving Pharaoh and Washington that will likely be a breakout viral hit of the season.
A Miss Universe sketch was a pretty funny way to use the talents of the female cast as well as the host, even as it made fun of people from every nation had a kind of jingoistic air to it.
“Weekend Update” was better than usual with Kate McKinnon coming on as Angela Merkel complaining about having her phone tapped and confessing the most embarrassing parts of the texts she sent. Then Pharaoh (again) came out with Thompson as a cross-eyed Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley.
Pharaoh even revived his announcement-spouting principal Frye once more in a sketch about a school carnival, where Washington is the unpopular teacher in an (off-screen) dunking booth.
Of the other sketches, “Date or Diss” seemed to be an outdated parody of MTV’s “Next” and “Cartoon Catchphrase,” despite the premise, didn’t have a lot going for it than the contestants not knowing the basic catchphrases.
As musical guest Eminem was full of energy and old school beats (with bearded Rick Rubin spinning old school turntables). But nowhere was the issue raised of a white rapper in a black art form. Maybe we’re past that in hip-hop. Just as someday we might be past that on “Saturday Night Live.”