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Popculturology • Deep SNL Thoughts

Goggins unhinged, Strong back as Pirro as ‘SNL’ nears the end of an era

The ‘White Lotus’ star gave it his all, but the future of cast members like Colin Jost and Michael Che loomed large.

Bill Kuchman

Bill Kuchman

— 7 min read
Goggins unhinged, Strong back as Pirro as ‘SNL’ nears the end of an era
Mikey Day, Sarah Sherman, Walton Goggins, Heidi Gardner and Andrew Dismukes on SNL. / NBC

As the penultimate episode of Season 50, this weekend’s Walton Goggins-hosted installment of SNL definitely felt like the show was cutting loose before summer vacation. Across the board, Goggins never shied away from playing the weirdest, most unsettling versions of his characters. He hit on moms. He had tiny baby feet. He made it clear that America’s vibe is “we don’t play.”

“What is this show?” Michael Che asked at one point during Weekend Update.

Yeah, it was a very loose episode, one that very much felt like the end of an era. Are we down to one more episode with Che and Colin Jost behind the Update desk? Was this our final time seeing Heidi Gardner and Mikey Day as a guest of theirs? (And Chloe Fineman got shut out during what could be her second-to-last episode?)

With Scarlett Johansson hosting next weekend, it feels like Season 50 is going to go out with a bang. To borrow from a sketch during this episode, it might be the last for several longtime SNL cast members.

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COLD OPEN

Trump Mother’s Day Cold Open

This cold open had everything. A Mother’s Day tribute fake out. James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump. The triumphant return of Cecily Strong as Jeanine Pirro. Jost in an actual sketch.

  • “Invading all aspects of your life”: I kind of wanted the Mother’s Day cold open. It would’ve been a nice break from — waves hands at the state of the world — and while Johnson is in a league of his own when it comes to his Trump impression, I think SNL has misread the appetite for it.
  • “I’m so glad we talk like this again”: I’ll always allow Strong to return to SNL, especially if it’s to play Pirro.
  • “That’s the stuff”: Whoa, Jost in not just a sketch but the cold open? Lorne Michaels must’ve wanted to change gears on Pete Hegseth, switching gears from Andrew Dismukes, who portrayed the Trump Cabinet official during the Mikey Madison episode. I’m guessing the Weekend Update history between Jost and Strong’s take on Pirro lead to this swap.

THE MONOLOGUE

OK, I guess this was technically a monologue. But Goggins’ intro to the SNL audience was pretty much over before it began. He made some jokes about becoming a sex symbol at 53 thanks to The White Lotus — his hairline isn’t receding, it’s holding its ground — before bringing his mom onstage to do a quick dance with.

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