As an unabashed Tina Fey fan, I was probably predisposed to enjoying last night’s Saturday Night Live, and for the most part, I wasn’t disappointed. The opening monologue — a duet between a pregnant Fey and Maya Rudolph about “uterus hogs” and what causes them (rosé wine and unprotected sex on a roller coaster, apparently) – was more amusing than uproarious, but a couple of skits were pretty genius. My two favorites?
Best: Pregnant in Heels Parody
I was howling from start to finish as Abby Elliott performed a grotesquely marble-mouthed impersonation of Bravo reality star Rosie Pope, and Fey showed up as Shoshanna Bunt, a self-absorbed client who’d already lost 35 pounds during her pregnancy. Shoshanna’s demands included a delivery room with “no randos, no uggos, no fatties, no docties — that’s doctors,” a water birth where the water would be replaced by Diet Coke, and a “ship in a bottle” procedure to ensure the arrival of a fully clothed infant (because naked babies are “disgusting”).
Best: GOP Debate
I also got a kick out of what could have been an obligatory Fey-as-Sarah-Palin bit that was enlivened by sharp writing — “Michele Bachmann, when MSNBC wants to scare liberals into caring about elections, they have you on as a guest” — and loopy impressions of Shepard Smith, a depressed Mitt Romney, and Donald Trump. Fey was typically scathing as Palin, thanking Fox News for being the network that “both pays me and shows me the questions ahead of time,” explaining she’d been boning up for her next presidential run by purchasing “Rosetta Stone: English,” and expressing delight that America has “finally vanquished one of the world’s great villains, and I for one am thrilled to say good riddance to Katie Couric.”
Not everything about the episode worked — when does it ever? — but one skit stood out as particularly laugh-free:
Worst: Little Mermaid
The concept? Fey’s Little Mermaid and her friends have their reverie interrupted by Osama bin Laden’s floating corpse. This one should’ve been left under the sea.
Best: Pregnant in Heels Parody
I was howling from start to finish as Abby Elliott performed a grotesquely marble-mouthed impersonation of Bravo reality star Rosie Pope, and Fey showed up as Shoshanna Bunt, a self-absorbed client who’d already lost 35 pounds during her pregnancy. Shoshanna’s demands included a delivery room with “no randos, no uggos, no fatties, no docties — that’s doctors,” a water birth where the water would be replaced by Diet Coke, and a “ship in a bottle” procedure to ensure the arrival of a fully clothed infant (because naked babies are “disgusting”).
Best: GOP Debate
I also got a kick out of what could have been an obligatory Fey-as-Sarah-Palin bit that was enlivened by sharp writing — “Michele Bachmann, when MSNBC wants to scare liberals into caring about elections, they have you on as a guest” — and loopy impressions of Shepard Smith, a depressed Mitt Romney, and Donald Trump. Fey was typically scathing as Palin, thanking Fox News for being the network that “both pays me and shows me the questions ahead of time,” explaining she’d been boning up for her next presidential run by purchasing “Rosetta Stone: English,” and expressing delight that America has “finally vanquished one of the world’s great villains, and I for one am thrilled to say good riddance to Katie Couric.”
Worst: Little Mermaid
The concept? Fey’s Little Mermaid and her friends have their reverie interrupted by Osama bin Laden’s floating corpse. This one should’ve been left under the sea.
