Each episode of Saturday Night Live's 39th season has been an improvement on the one preceding it, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the finale was a triumph.
Hosted by former cast member and Golden Globe winner Andy Samberg and bursting with special guests and former cast members, the event (yes, event) indicated not just how well the cast and writers now work together, but how well they know us as viewers. We deserved those Digital Shorts, and it’s important they recognized that.
Here are the best moments from the night. In the US, clips can be seen here.
1. Jay Z, Solange, and Beyoncé address the elevator drama
Of course SNL had to have a take on the week’s most infamous “victure”. Jay Pharoah and Shasheer Zamata’s Jay Z and Solange impressions were flawless, as was Keenan Thompson as Jay’s jumpy bodyguard and Maya Rudolph as Beyoncé. We can only hope that somewhere, that spider was watching.
2. The monologue
Samberg began with a harsh truth: Justin Timberlake would not be making an appearance. But who needed him when there were cameos by Seth Meyers, Bill Hader and Martin Short? Even those cameos somehow managed to get overshadowed by Samberg’s 20-something rapid-fire impressions. The Dad from Alf will now live in infamy.
3. Digital Short #1: 'When Will the Bass Drop?'
With Samberg as a DJ with a zest for anticipation, we were given an answer to the most important question of our time: when will the bass drop? Answer: it doesn’t matter – we now have a video to show people who ask why we’d rather watch SNL than go to their DJ nights.
4. St Vincent
St Vincent performed essentially perfect versions of Digital Witness and Birth in Reverse. If Annie Clark's fanbase didn’t expand to include every person watching, we have all failed as a people.
5. Weekend Update
To cap off the Jost-Strong anchor team's debut, the two were given a boost by the return of “Get in the Cage” and Paul Rudd (aka “Clueless”), who held his own against interviewer Nicolas Cage (Samberg).
6. Vogelchecks House
Considering this episode was a family reunion, it made sense to see the Vogelchecks (the Kissing Family) reuniting with Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen and Hader (alongside Samberg, Taran Killam, Rudd, Kate McKinnon and Rudolph) to up the PDA ante. Spoiler alert: suck and blow will now save lives.
7. Digital Short #2: 'Hugs'
Not just a second Digital Short, but one introduced by Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany then performed by Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Pharrell Williams. (Whew.) Turns out, you can’t hug a rolling stone. But you can score drugs off Maya Rudolph.
8. Blizzard Man
Finally, Vanilla Ice fans were given a gift with the introduction of Blizzard Man, a hip-hop artist with the “talent of A$AP Rocky and the street cred of Katherine Heigl” and championed by 2 Chainz himself. Viewers, however, were given a better gift, when Samberg started rapping the way most of us would.
What were your thoughts on the season finale? What sketches would you like to see returning next year? Let us know in the comments below
