Perhaps sensing that the country was in a desperate need of a pick-me-up, Saturday Night Live brought back hall-of-famer Kristen Wiig for her second go-around as host since leaving the show in 2012. During her seven seasons on Saturday Night Live, Wiig developed a cavalcade of offbeat characters en route to becoming one of the defining cast members of the show’s Obama era.
Seeing Wiig take the stage last night unleashed a tide emotions for those of us nostalgic for a pre-Trump America, especially when she resurrected her coterie of classic characters.
First up was Mindy Elise Grayson, the melodramatic Hollywood starlet who can’t quite get the hang of the classic game show "Secret Word." “I know I blew it … just like I blew all of my lines in Siamese Sally and the Pad Thai Clan,” she said after realizing that she'd cost her civilian partner a chance at some serious cash. Also, shouts to Cecily Strong for her spot on impression of a slap-happy Italian actress in the mold of Sophia Loren.
Wiig also brought back Aunt Sue, the woman who just can’t handle surprises. So, when a family was preparing to welcome their son home from the army just in time for Thanksgiving, well let’s just say Aunt Sue had a little trouble keeping her excitement in check. In fact, so did Leslie Jones, who was on the verge of breaking character multiple times in the face of Wiig’s manic energy.
Finally, for the moment everyone had been waiting for, Wiig and her Ghostbusters costar Kate McKinnon teamed for a sketch featuring McKinnon’s oddball cat adoption agency owner. And while it was entirely new territory for Wiig, the thrill came from seeing two of the funniest women to ever do it share such a historic stage.
Watch all three clips above.
