As we all await the chaos that is likely to come on November 3rd, I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight my favorite part of the election season, the SNL Cold Opens.
*All thoughts and opinions in this article are my own*
- First Debate Cold Open
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Now SNL is consistently highlighting current events in politics year-round but it gets particularly intriguing as November inches nearer. The beginnings of the political escapade by SNL was the Saturday following the first debate which debuted Jim Carrey as former Vice President Joe Biden.
I was shocked to see this casting but they could not have made a better choice for this role because it’s so accurate, even down to Joe Biden’s body language as they reenacted the highlights of the debate with an added comedic flare that SNL is known for.
- VP Fly Debate Cold Open
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Next was the Vice Presidental debate where we all became captivated with the fly that landed on Mike Pence. SNL was so captivated that they created an entire storyline surrounding this incident that is definitely worth the watch.
This sketch also features a magnificent performance by Maya Rudolph as Senator Kamala Harris coming in spraying Lysol and saying what we were all thinking while watching these debates.
- Dueling Town Halls Cold Open
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The following week, the Cold Open was based around the town hall hosted on ABC with both candidates in attendance. The introduction of Joe Biden in this sketch showcases his attempts to be relatable to the young generation.
This segment is contrasted with the segment of Savannah Guthrie talking to Donald Trump. In this sketch, Kate McKinnon as Savannah Guthrie is grilling Trump on various things he has said in the media as he dodges the question via his usual word vomit. The sketch goes back between the two very different town halls that occurred to show the very different views of the two candidates.
- Final Debate Cold Open
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In this sketch of the second presidential debate, they have enacted a “mute button” to eliminate the problem of the candidates talking over each other, which was very present in the first debate. In the role of Kristen Welker, we have Maya Rudolph who adds some extra comedic flare to break up the intensity of the debate itself. They discuss how Trump uses a million excuses to try and tear down Joe Biden by calling him “Creepy”, “Sleepy”, and “Criminal Mastermind” which in the end is the equivalent of elementary school name-calling.
- Biden Halloween Cold Open
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The final Cold Open is Joe Biden giving his final message to urge people to go vote and poke some fun at what happened in the previous election. He also addresses some of our own fears with the coming election with a reading of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” which in this sketch is Kate McKinnon as Hilary Clinton who comes bursting in dressed as a raven. As it cycles through the ghosts of elections past in our haunted country, when many Americans don’t vote.
No matter what happens on Tuesday, we will be okay!