The Surreal Comforts of the <em>SNL</em> Quarantine Episode

Hanks, a frequent SNL guest host, was a perfect choice for virtual emcee, even if he declined to don a David S. Pumpkins suit for his opening monologue. He became, as he put it, “the celebrity canary in the coal mine” for America’s understanding of the coronavirus threat after he and his wife, Rita Wilson, were diagnosed with the virus in early March. Something was soothing about seeing Hanks in good spirits to kick things off, as he warned viewers that the episode might feel a little jarring, given the lack of colorful sets, fancy costumes, and a live audience.

In fact, it was quite the opposite. Watching cast members such as Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Pete Davidson rattle around in their homes may have had a touch of public-access strangeness to it, but each of their performances had a pent-up quality that many a home viewer could probably relate to. They’re performers, after all, and they have nobody to perform for. As McKinnon bounced around the room doing home workouts as part of her Ruth Bader Ginsburg impression, her exuberance to finally unleash some energy felt contagious.

Other offerings included Davidson filming music videos in his basement (with direction credited to his mother, with whom he lives); a series of impressions from up-and-coming cast member Chloe Fineman; a seated dispatch from Larry David (nominally in character as Bernie Sanders); and a Twitch video-game stream parody starring Mikey Day. As is typical for SNL, almost every sketch was grounded in the events of the past few weeks, which called for satire of Zoom conference calls and home makeup tutorials. Most poignant was a tribute to Hal Willner, the show’s legendary music producer, who died on April 7 from symptoms consistent with the coronavirus. The “Weekend Update” host Michael Che also paid tribute to his grandmother, another victim of the pandemic, by having co-host Colin Jost read a particularly tasteless joke.

The most recent episode broadcast before last night, a March 7 edition hosted by Daniel Craig after his James Bond film was pushed back on the release calendar, feels like a lifetime ago. That entry included a couple of cute sketches nodding to the building paranoia about the pandemic, but it also featured a daytime-TV cooking parody and a guest appearance by Debbie Downer. For decades, one of SNL’s best functions has been as a recorder of topical history, often contributing to lasting cultural impressions of world-famous figures. Delving into the show’s archives can serve as a reminder of America’s instant reactions to presidents, wars, sporting triumphs, and pop phenomena. On rewatch, the shift in format from Season 45, episode 15 to episode 16 will be particularly unforgettable.