SNL Highlights: Amy Schumer Leads Handmaid's Spoof, Melissa McCarthy Plays Embarrassing Stepmom

Saturday Night Live‘s second-to-last episode of the season was also among its least inspired.

Returning host Amy Schumer was wasted in a series of (mostly) underwhelming sketches, including a Handmaid’s Tale spoof that lacked any bite whatsoever. Later, Melissa McCarthy stopped by Weekend Update, not as former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, but as… Michael Che’s stepmom? It was one of many Mother’s Day-themed gags, the first of which landed in the cold open qnd featured cast members being humiliated by their actual moms.

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Suffice it to say, the penultimate outing was a step down from Donald Glover’s hosting debut. Here’s hoping SNL‘s saving the best for last with next week’s Tina Fey-hosted finale.

BEST: THE DAY YOU WERE BORN

This digital short juxtaposed the alleged joys of motherhood with flashbacks to a nightmarish childbirth, a grotesque diaper-changing mishap and a painful breastfeeding incident. Schumer was particularly great during the delivery room scenes.

BEST: GRADUATION COMMERCIAL

This 12:55 am sketch covered all the “greatest hits” of a high school graduation, such as the class speaker who doesn’t know how to work the mic, and the principal who mispronounces that one Indian kid’s name.

HONORABLE MENTION: MELISSA MCCARTHY as MICHAEL CHE’S STEPMOM

It was the Weekend Update that just. would. not. end. McCarthy’s appearance as Che’s overbearing stepparent was amusing enough (I enjoyed seeing her react when her head was covered by an over-the-shoulder graphic), but it dragged on about three minutes too long.

HONORABLE MENTION: MOTHER KNOWS BEST

Anyone else find it weird that this was the second game show sketch in less than two months where the punchline was incest? (The Bill Hader episode did it better.) Here, Mikey Day and Kate McKinnon played John Christopher and Ebisaleth (sp?), a mother and son who shared a bed and never-ending mouth kisses.

WORST: NEW HULU SHOW

Every time this Sex and the City/Handmaid’s Tale mashup seemed to be going anywhere, it cut away to a Cecily Strong voiceover. It was more concerned with nailing the aesthetic than the satire.

WORST: LIL’ RENT

This post-Update skit starred Mikey Day as a local theater director putting on an all-kids production of Rent, in which the HIV/AIDS epidemic was replaced by… diabetes. (Oddly enough, it was the second sketch of the night with diabetes jokes, following the slightly-less-painful “Gospel Brunch.”) Most grating of all all was the repugnant, lock-her-up-chanting actress played by Schumer.

What were your favorite sketches this week? And what missed the mark? Grade the episode via the following poll, then hit the comments to flesh out your thoughts.

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