‘SNL’ Recap: Dave Chappelle Hosts a Dignified Evening of Comedy

Before the show had even aired on the West Coast, SNL‘s cold open with Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton had already gone viral. She sits alone onstage playing piano and singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” When she finished, McKinnon-as-Hilary turned to the camera and said, “I’m not giving up and neither should you.” It was sincere and heartbreaking and wonderful, but not really at all funny.

In the wake of an election season almost unparalleled in its bitterness, kicking off the show with the song is a smart move on many levels. It’s a lovely send-off for McKinnon’s Hillary impression — which we won’t see much of anytime soon. The conciliatory tone contrasts with the sharper takes on election night that come later. And, certainly not least of all, it’s a tribute to one of the more influential musicians in modern music.

They followed up by giving host Dave Chappelle more than ten minutes to do stand-up. It was a level of trust only masters of the craft are afforded; the last was Louis C.K. over a year and a half ago. You might expect a comedian as race-conscious as Chappelle to really lay into Trump, but he went gentle on the president-elect. So gentle that, when he was workshopping material in clubs earlier in the week, headlines blared that he was “pro-Trump.”

Related: Ken Tucker: ‘SNL’ Tried to Apologize to America

That said, Chappelle did get in a few pointed comments like, “a handful of p—y,” followed by a semi-contrite, “Sorry about that, Lorne,” — as if Lorne Michaels wouldn’t have known Chappelle would test the limits of vulgarity as host. Chappelle ended the set by wishing luck to Trump and saying, “I’m going to give him a chance and we, the historically disenfranchised, demand that he give us one too.” It was a good-natured tone that lasted the entire episode — even though the breastfeeding sketch, which wasn’t nearly as over-the-top as it could have been at almost 1 in the morning.

Best Sketch: “Election Night”

There are a few possible scenarios to explain the lack of topical sketches following the election. 1) The writers had dozens of “Clinton Won” sketches ready to go and had to rewrite the show Wednesday morning, 2) they were just as glad as we were to be done with the election and only wrote a bare minimum of political sketches because Lorne threatened to take away the free sodas in the break room if they didn’t, or 3) the guest star budget for Alec Baldwin ran out and nobody else has a Trump impression.

However it happened, it’s a brilliant sketch, made sharper by the presence of Chris Rock (did he have a hand in writing it?). In it, the white liberals watching election returns become increasingly aware of the nation’s undercurrent of racism while the black guys sit back and laugh as their friends come to a realization that Chappelle and Rock have known their entire lives. It’s a smart way to talk about the race without seeing either of the candidates.

Worst Sketch: “Kids Talk Trump”

Wait… is the joke that the little girl’s father tells her things she doesn’t understand? Or that it’s hilarious to see a child say “pussy” in reference to a cat? Or did they just forget to add jokes?

Best Use of Dave Chappelle: “Walking Dead Chappelle’s Show”

For those of you still hoping for Chappelle to bring back his sketch show, this may be as close as you get. Some series favorites — Silky Johnson, Clayton Bigsby, Lil Jon and, of course, the crackhead Tyrone Biggums — all appear onscreen simultaneously as Negan (also played by Chappelle) decides whose head to bash in with Lucille. It even began with him introducing the segment from the stage like the old show, so enjoy the rush of nostalgia while it lasts.

MVP: Kate McKinnon

Her “Hallelujah” opener would have earned he the slot on its own, but she also brought back two of her goofier characters — the dancing Ruth Bader Ginberg and the last woman at the bar, Sheila Sovage — to prove that she’s a master of both low and high comedy. Ginsberg is more Sophia Petrillo from Goldern Girls than an accurate portrayal of the Supreme Court justice, but who cares? Sovage is deliriously grotesque, and the premise will never get old so long as the guest host is willing to commit to looking just as awful and ridiculous as McKinnon does.

Line of the Night: “Man, the wig was funny, alright? I put it on; I really thought I was gonna be the next David S. Pumpkins!” Self-referential humor is always hit or miss — unless you’re in the hands of a master like Chappelle.

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:35 p.m. on NBC. Watch clips and full episodes of SNL for free on Yahoo View.