SNL at Home: Season wraps up in typical kooky fashion with third remote episode

It has been a weird almost-two months in New York City, and in many places across the world. Fortunately for Saturday Night Live, it’s a show that does weird exceptionally well, having embedded it into its very DNA. The third episode of SNL at Home, fittingly, wasn’t afraid of getting strange, at times to hilarious results, and at others, not so much. Through this mix of funny and downright kooky, SNL ended its 45th season on an emotional note, serving as a reminder that the show will be missed, likely more than usual, during our first quarantine summer.

The final instalment relied heavily on NBC’s own treasure trove. Alec Baldwin revived his infamous impression of President Donald Trump, sans wig but with a red “Make America Great Again” hat. He appeared as the commencement speaker (or, as he described himself, the "valedictator") for an online graduation ceremony. SNL alum Kristen Wiig was revealed as the evening's surprise host, while Tina Fey, also a former cast member on the show, livened up Colin Jost and Michael Che's Weekend Update segment. As musical guests, Boyz II Men delivered an emotional performance of "A Song for Mama", a timely choice on what was the eve of Mother's Day in the US.

There were a few notable changes since the first episode of SNL at Home in April. Where the remote version of the show once had a distinct homemade feel, this episode was more polished, with the cast seemingly more comfortable taping their sketches from their respective homes. Over the past few weeks, we, as an audience, have changed too: We've grown used, perhaps, to the lack of an audience to laugh along with. The moment of silence that follows Weekend Update's one-liners, for example, already sounds more natural than it did in April.

The show has found creative ways around lockdown restrictions: sketches denouncing the trials of video chats (and there are many) seem to always land, and present the advantage of being recorded using the very software they aim to poke fun at. This week, Kenan Thompson was especially brilliant in that category as a preacher desperately trying to host a religious service despite his noisy parishioners.

As was the case in previous weeks, Pete Davidson unveiled a new musical skit. His previous creations have focused on Drake, the nostalgia that comes with missing an ex, and the challenges of home confinement (the latter as a duet with Adam Sandler). This time around, Davidson delivered a tribute to Danny Trejo, which is just begging to become a classic. (Davidson has explored this format brilliantly in the past with "Tucci Gang", a spoof of Lil Pump's "Gucci Gang" and a much-needed ode to actor Stanley Tucci.)

What else? Oh, yes – Chloe Fineman is rapidly establishing herself as SNL​'s impersonator-in-chief. After a flawless Timothée Chalamet impression during the first episode of SNL at Home, Fineman returned this time with a spot-on Phoebe Waller-Bridge who'd been tasked with teaching an online class. Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon continue to be the heroes of SNL's remote episodes: Bryant was brilliant in a surreal sketch about a birthday party gone awry, and McKinnon's spoof of The Lighthouse (lockdown edition) was the remedy we did not know we needed.

This 45th season ended on a moving note, with a final skit featuring the show's cast members dreaming of simple New York City joys, all put on hold due to the coronavirus lockdown. Of course, this is SNL, so the genuine display of emotion was counter-balanced by some sardonic touches (see: Alex Moffat feeding a horde of rats in Central Park). But perhaps this is how New York City is best loved: sincerely yet cleverly, at times begrudgingly, but somehow always, at the end of it all, unreservedly.

Being able to tune into SNL over the past few weeks (almost) as usual has been a joy and a delightful callback to more normal times. The programme is planning its return in September, in accordance to its usual broadcast schedule. Until then, we're left with the memory of a show that managed to adapt, quickly, to extraordinary times, and found humour in a period of rare stress and darkness.