Unit Two Response
I would definitely say that the 2008 season was the BEST and FUNNIEST single season in political sketches with funny women at its core making it so memorable. The reason is mainly because of Governor Sarah Palin (Tina Fey) and Senator Hillary Clinton (Amy Poehler). Their spot on impersonations and their true to life jokes made for a perfect storm of art imitating life. These comic genesis were at the top of their game and it showed. The ratings were up and people were tuning in to watch in hopes that they would do a Fey as Palin and Poehler as Clinton sketch.
Palin and Hillary Address the Nation - SNL
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| Governor Sarah Palin (Tina Fey) and Senator Hillary Clinton (Amy Poehler) address the American public about sexism, the 2008 presidential election, global warming and their inability to agree on anything. Aired 09/13/08
They were able to show the political differences at a extreme between the two while having fun at their expense. However the best sketches were when the real Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Hillary Clinton would come by and make a guest appearances. They were able to joke about themselves which made them more relatable and likeable.
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Palin and Hillary Address the Nation - SNL
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| SNL Weekend Update with Amy Poehler rapping for Governor Sarah Palin and Seth Myers |
As the next generation of SNL women continue the political sketches they are starting to slowly draw in a new fan base. Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton has in my opinion done the most as a lead female. Her version of Hillary Clinton is very different than Poehler's and puts her own take on it. The jokes are extreme and isn't something that would really happen in real life but the jokes are still funny.
Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton Third Debate Cold Open - SNL
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| Chris Wallace (Tom Hanks) moderates the final debate between Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) and Hillary Clinton (Kate McKinnon). |
As the fan base continued to gain momentum other female guest stars wanted to get in on the action. Such as Melissa McCarthy playing Sean Spicer press secretary. Having a female play a man was a new spin but was the perfect touch. McCarthy was aggressive and loud that added a hilarious touch. Had a great time watching all these videos, hope you do as well.
Sean Spicer Press Conference (Melissa McCarthy) - SNL
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| White House press secretary Sean Spicer (Melissa McCarthy) and secretary of education nominee Betsy DeVos (Kate McKinnon) take questions from the press (Bobby Moynihan, Kristen Stewart, Cecily Strong, Vanessa Bayer, Alex Moffat, Mikey Day). [Season 42, 2017] |
I love the comedy sketch with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hilary Clinton, Alex. I have not seen the more recent SNL political sketches, so thank you for sharing. I look forward to watching them!
ReplyDelete[This comment is from Cara. Cara is having problems posting her comments, so I am doing it for her. She emailed them to me.] I really enjoyed reading through your series of of events through the years for SNL, especially considering that I've never watched a full episode or seen any of these people's skits prior to this class. I like how you included some of the differences between Poehler's take on Hilary Clinton and Kate McKinnon's take. After reading through your post I'm tempted to search some of the skits and watch an episode! I found the pictures very helpful throughout your post as well!
ReplyDeleteI added the links to watch the skits as well
DeleteIt was quite interesting to read your recap on the evolution of political sketches on SNL. I haven’t kept up with it much since Fey’s representation of Sarah Palin and Poehler’s representation of Hillary Clinton. While I have to give credit where credit is due to Poehler, I agree with you that Kate McKinnon did an excellent job as Clinton as well. I also just really love Kate McKinnon as a comedian and a person! She’s so funny!
ReplyDeleteSomeone (maybe in this class?) could write an entire paper on the differences in these two interpretations of Hillary Clinton. I think they are both great, but they are definitely different.
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