It’s a soft sophomore ‘SNL’ hosting outing for Quinta Brunson

When Quinta Brunson hosted SNL in 2023, I wasn’t yet ranking the hosts for each season for Deep SNL Thoughts. In my wrap up of that season, though, I did praise the Abbott Elementary creator as host, noting that had she successfully become a member of SNL’s cast years before, “we wouldn’t have Abbott Elementary in that reality, so we’re lucky we live in the timeline where Brunson instead hosted the show.”

I wish I could offer that level of praise for Brunson’s second hosting gig.

After SNL took a few weekends off, I had high hopes for the show kicking off the final trio of episodes as it closed out Season 50. Unfortunately, nothing Brunson did for this episode really caught my attention.

There were good bits here and there. — the “compliment sandwich” jokes in “Leadership Summit” — but the highlight of this episode was really Weekend Update thanks to the continued looseness between Colin Jost and Michael Che with the added menace of a Michael Longfellow appearance.

Two episodes left to go in the season. Is everyone looking forward to what Walton Goggins will bring to SNL next weekend? How about hoping for Scarlett Johansson’s revenge for that raunchy Weekend Update joke exchange earlier in the season?

COLD OPEN

Trump Executive Orders Cold Open

I guess there isn’t any other way for SNL to kick off an episode these days. James Austin Johnson’s take on Donald Trump is the best of the best … but is this how audiences want to jump into a new episode of SNL?

I’m pretty sure this was the first time we’ve seen Mikey Day as Stephen Miller, with the portrayal getting paired with Marcello Hernandez back as Marco Rubio.

• “The letter L for El Salvador, he’s not coming back”: It’s a shame that Trump is trying to defund PBS. It’s even worse for Elmo.
• “We’re sick of the ghosts”: It’s about time someone puts a stop to the trio of ghosts who keep visiting Trump every Christmas Eve.

THE MONOLOGUE

For Brunson’s first time hosting SNL, she focused on her history with SNL and her thoughts on teachers and the entertainment industry. For her second time hosting SNL, Brunson sang a song about being short.

When Brunson hosted in April 2023, Hernandez swung by Weekend Update to do a bit about being a “short king,” which made this monologue feel like a retread. Hernandez even appeared during the song alongside guest stars Sabrina Carpenter and Dwyane Wade.