#chloefineman

I should say that I wrote that title before I watched the whole episode. The whole thing wasn’t superb but sweet baby Jesus did season 45 come out swingin’ with a sublimely funny Democratic debate sketch. It is also a credit to Woody Harrelson because he carried some seriously unfunny sketches to safe landings more than once. He is by far the best host in recent memory. If they could have him host the whole season we’d be good! Although, I did see that Phoebe Waller-Everything-I-Touch-Turns-To-Gold-Bridge is hosting next week so that should be good too.

Some highlights from the debate sketch included a jaw-dropping impression of Marianne Williamson by newcomer Chloe Fineman. Like Williamson herself, she came across whimsical, enchanted by her own charisma, and even though you’d like to hate her, charming. Fineman is Insta-famous but for good reason. She’s a stunning impressionist and a confident performer. The same can’t be said for Bowen Yang but it was literally episode one and what can you really tell from that? The stakes must be so high. I can’t imagine the nerves getting out onto that stage. A stand-up gig is terrifying enough and then you multiply that by 10,000,000 and...my stomach hurts. While Fineman appeared relaxed and self-assured, Yang’s moments felt tense. And when you consider the hype surrounding him being the first Asian-American cast member, of course he was tense! He’s got a lot riding on him. So now I rescind my criticism and wish to send to him a big Marianne Williamson astral hug in the form of a yoni egg (watch the sketch).

I could give a TED talk on the debate sketch. It truly felt like a return to the SNL of my dreams. Larry David did another stellar portrayal of Bernie Sanders. Kate McKinnon delivered one of my favorite lines as Elizabeth Warren (”I’ve got the energy of a mom to five boys who each play a different sport.”) Then, we got to see past cast member Maya Rudolph shine as Kamala Harris in the most playful, silly, sexy and out of touch nod to the Senator’s sometimes contradictory public image. She’s equal parts boss-lady lawyer and flirtatious “fun aunt”, or as she likes to call it “funt”. I would pay good money to hear Maya Rudolph deliver again: “I’m the kind of funt that will give you weed and then arrest you for having weed...Can I win the presidency? Probably not...But can I successfully seduce a much younger man? You better funting believe it”.

It was comedy heaven.

Last but not least, Woody Harrelson’s neon-white veneered Joe Biden knocked it out of the park. Woody himself possesses a sexual swagger that men and women are drawn to. He’s got a groovy self-confidence that feels comfortable but polite. Masculine, yet sweet. And up until recently, Biden occupied the same safe space. But no longer. Now, Joe Biden is a creepy, hair-sniffing, long-hugger that might make the hairs on your arms stand up if you got stuck in an elevator with him. He doesn’t cross the line because he doesn’t think about the dang lines! Harrelson ratcheted up his sexual charisma a notch or two to edge his way into the creepy zone, delivering perhaps my favorite lines of the entire episode:

Daddy’s here, America. I see you. I hear you. I sniff you. And, I hug you from behind. Now I ask what I ask every time I enter a room: Where am I and what the hell is going on?