Best SNL Skits So Far This Season

Victoria Kuebler, Managing Editor

Last Saturday marked about the halfway point of the current season of Saturday Night Live (SNL) hosted by Christopher Waltz. In commemoration of the mid-point of SNL’s season 38, check out the Top 10 skits so far:

#10. The Second Presidential Debate. Host: Bruno Mars. SNL jumps into the boxing ring with President Obama and Mitt Romney for the Second Presidential Debate. Obama, played by Jay Pharoh, and Romney, played by Jason Sudeikis, basically ignore the questions from the audience and interrupt Candy Crawley, played by Aidy Bryant. And who else would appear to ask the last question? Tom Hanks, who shows up to take an awkwardly long time to prepare himself to ask one question: “Libia.”

#9. Long Island Medium. Host: Daniel Craig. Kate McKinnon, a newcomer to SNL, plays a perfect Theresa Caputo, the star of the TLC show “Long Island Medium.” No matter where she is, Caputo runs into people with dead relatives. The actors in the skit automatically burst into tears to emphasize how much crying occurs on the actual TLC show. The sketch also pokes fun at the population of Long Island. “The problem with being a medium on Long Island is that a lot of people have shared experiences with their loved one,” says Caputo to which she then calls out to a room full of people if they know anyone named Sal, to which everyone raises their hands. Daniel Craig plays the husband so well that he is unrecognizable by his accurate American accent and makeup.

#8. Low-Information Voters of America. Host: Daniel Craig. This was truly an election determined by the undecided voter. And these undecided voters had some questions, like: When is the election? What are the names of the two people running? How long is a president’s terms of office? One year, two years, three years, or life? Can women vote? And, yes, they want answers. But if they get those answers is another story.

#7. McDonald’s Firing. Host: Anne Hathaway. While Anne Hathaway plays a nerdy McDonald’s manager, Gloria, that has to fire some of the employees because of low profits, she is not the start of this skit. Bobby Moynihan and Cecily Strong play Nif and Dana, two disgruntled outspoken cashiers who assume that they are getting fired. They take that chance to tell off and insult every single one of their coworkers. In fact, they get so feisty and creative with the new guy, Randy, that they turn the classic McDonald’s slogan into a new song: “Ba da ba ba ba, go kill yourself.” It turns out they’re not the ones getting fired. But they do get to do what everyone wants to do and insult their coworkers.

#6. Biden Bash. Host: Adam Levine. Jason Sudeikis’ Joe Biden is the man I want in the vice presidential chair. Why should President Obama be the only person recognized at the inauguration? Let’s give Joe Biden an inauguration of his own and call it the Biden Bash. And where is it located? At the Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware. There will be no better governmental sanction than partying with Joe Biden in a bouncy castle, challenging him to a game of do-you-think-you-can-jump-higher-than-me and watching his kung fu demonstration. This proves the SNL writers would throw the greatest government meetings ever. And as Joe Biden says, “So come on down to Delaware: a place that knows how to party. You know how the saying goes, ‘What happens in Delaware.’”

#5. Girl At A Party You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With. Host: Martin Short. Everyone knows one person that they wish they hadn’t started a conversation with and immediately regret it five words into the conversation. Welcome to one of the newest SNL characters this season, played by newcomer Cecily Strong. In her third appearance, she discusses the “tragesty” around the Christmas spirit, tries to mutter up whatever big political words she thinks she knows, and tries to make her sound better than you for being so smart. Again, we all know at least one person like her. Her confidence as she says absolutely nothing in circles is entertaining and mind numbing at the same time. The best line: “I’m sorry, why can’t secret Santa just be openly gay?”

#4. The Miley Cyrus Show. Host: Justin Bieber. In two words, this sketch was “pretty cool.” “The Miley Cyrus Show” is a reoccurring sketch starring Vanessa Bayer as an overzealous, now adult Miley Cyrus and Jason Sudeikis as Miley’s doting, guitar-playing dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. Both Miley and Billy Ray were sporting the real-life Miley’s recent Pink-esce bleach blond hair cut. Justin Bieber plays Pete DeFalco, Miley’s biggest fan and head of her fan club, who is no fan of Justin Bieber. Bieber’s portrayal of Miley’s biggest fan has recently gained a lot of attention for his somewhat apology for smoking pot. “I heard he still has his baby teeth. I also heard he got busted for smoking weed, and he’s really sorry about it, and people make mistakes, and he’s never going to do it again,” said Bieber’s DeFalco to which Bayer’s Miley responds, “Yeah right, me, too.”

#3. YOLO. Host: Adam Levine. “This life is a precious gift, so don’t get too crazy: it’s not worth the risk.” Just because Andy Samberg left the cast last season, it doesn’t mean the death of the Digital Short. This song is a new take on the phrase You Only Live Once (YOLO); you should not do crazy and stupid stuff while you’re young, but rather be as safe as humanly possible. Adam Levine sings the hook while the trio of hilarious hoodlums who make up The Lonely Island, including Samberg, rap about things to avoid, like loud clubs and wall sockets. This sketch also features a guest rap by musician Kendrick Lamar.

#2. Lincoln. Host: Louis C.K. Why Louis C.K. wasn’t offered to play Abraham Lincoln for the Oscar nominated film after this sketch, I don’t know. The sketch was based off of his FX series “Louis.” Even if you have never seen the show, it’s interesting how SNK can take a historical event and make it modern. The sketch is a combination of a Lincoln stand-up comedy routine and skits of Lincoln’s personal life. But one thing Lincoln knew for sure is that someone was going to murder him. “I feel really bad for the detective who has to try to solve my murder because if they’re going to go ‘who could’ve done it?’ Oh I don’t know, anyone from the middle of the country down,” said Lincoln.

#1. Sad Mouse. Host: Bruno Mars. For anyone who has ever been to New York City, they have seen the poor replication of mascots standing outside for money in Times Square. This sketch explores the emotional side of the person inside the mascot suit. Bruno Mars plays Matt, a man whose girlfriend just left him and whose father left him for another family, all in one day. He’s over-emotional and sensitive that no one will wave back at him while he’s in the Patriotic Mouse costume. Over the course of the night, the sad Patriotic Mouse goes from hopeless to hopeful as he makes a new friend with a mascot Iguana.