The penultimate episode of Saturday Night Live's 51st season opened in a quiet bar in Washington DC. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) burst in for his usual, a shot of beer dropped in a pint of whiskey, happy to be somewhere he wouldn't run into anyone from work since none of Trump's people like drinking as much as he does.
Right on cue, he ran into Trump-appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh (Matt Damon), who ordered his usual: three Buds and six Jamesons. The two celebrated their mutual accomplishments before opening up about their fears. For Hegseth, it was the possibility that the war in Iran would end soon. Kavanaugh was lonely, missing his boys club. They were joined by FBI Director Kash Patel (Aziz Ansari), who arrived with a bottle of his personalized bourbon. Kavanaugh revealed that the Supreme Court would allow Trump to run for a third term, and the trio celebrated by singing Chumbawamba's Tubthumping.
As with past SNL mockery of buffoonish political figures, amplifying their buffoonery can make them more likeable. However, the show avoided mentioning sexual assault allegations against both Hegseth and Kavanaugh, which felt cowardly.
Damon took center stage for his third hosting gig, promoting his new film The Odyssey and breaking the tradition of flying in cast members' mothers. He starred as a nonplussed navy commander in a Godzilla movie, spitting food and drink into a soldier's face. The sketch Mom the Movie was designed for mothers, with no conflict and name tags for characters. A cookout sketch featured Italian wannabe tough guys trading stories of getting their asses kicked, with convoluted humiliations.
An advertisement for Tidy Care kitty litter turned unsettling when blue crystals indicated human urine. Weekend Update featured Tucker Carlson (Jeremy Culhane) ranting about the Met Gala, and Jane Wickline performed a song apologizing for chronic lateness. Damon played a substitute teacher throwing a dance party for embarrassed students, and a sketch featured a crumbling marriage of auctioneers arguing in fast-paced auction speak.
Damon shined in this excellent episode, full of offbeat conceptual sketches. SNL would do well to lean more into this style of verbal and physical comedy.
