‘SNL’ sees Nate Bargatze return as host, along with another debate cold open

It’s been less than a year since comedian Nate Bargatze made his debut hosting “Saturday Night Live,” but the appearance was so well received that he’s back already, alongside a stacked lineup of Season 50 hosts that include Jean Smart, John Mulaney and Michael Keaton.

Was it as strong a showing as last time? Not exactly. The monologue was more scattershot and less finely crafted than last year’s and the sketches were less uniformly great, but there was still some strong material. Bargatze’s every-guy vibe still fits “SNL” nicely, particularly in sketches where he’s playing with language, such as a sequel to 2023’s fantastic George Washington weights and measurements scene or a pitch-perfect “Sábado Gigante” parody (it only took 50 years) in which Bargatze plays a befuddled audience member pulled into the show with only a rudimentary — but not completely blank — understanding of the Spanish being spoken around him. Bargatze led a funny pre-taped sketch in which a golf tournament competitor keeps inadvertently harming wildlife on the course.

Elsewhere, Bargatze played an EMT who, with his partner (Michael Longfellow), is trying to convince water park workers to let a dead body go down a slide rather than carry it down 255 steps. He portrayed a coach who wants to be paid for football jerseys and the husband of a woman (Heidi Gardner) determined to win a very messy eating challenge at a restaurant. Musical guests Coldplay performed “All My Love” and “We Pray,” the latter featuring Palestinian singer Elyanna and Argentine singer Tini. A title card before the closing hugs honored Kris Kristofferson, who died Sept. 28 at 88. The singer-songwriter and actor hosted “SNL” in 1976 during the show’s first season.

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As with Bargatze as host, this week’s cold open was a case of: “It worked great, let’s do it again.” All the guest stars who appeared in last week’s cold open were back for the “SNL” take on the vice presidential debate. Bowen Yang and Jim Gaffigan returned as Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz, respectively, on the debate stage, while Vice President Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph) and husband Doug Emhoff (Andy Samberg) watched at home and were visited by a mostly confused President Biden (Dana Carvey).

Kamala, on top of the world, celebrated endorsements from Liz Cheney and Bruce Springsteen, but her joy was short-lived as she watched Walz flub lines — “I’m friends with school shooters” — and got too friendly with Vance. “Why are they friends?” she cried. “Why are they vibing?” On the debate stage, Vance and Walz get so familiar that they try to touch hands across the split scene while “Take My Breath Away” plays. Walz explained his mistake about saying he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre by telling viewers he forgot he was at Epcot. Vance, meanwhile, inserted mid-sentence pleas to not be fact checked while expressing support for former President Trump.

But like last week, it was Dana Carvey’s Biden impression that stole the show, whether he was announcing things that are down, like gas prices and Emmys for “The Bear,” or waving an ice cream cone that landed ice cream on Kamala’s face. As Rudolph maintained her composure even as ice cream dripped down her chin, it was hard to forget that Carvey and David Spade, the co-host of “Fly on the Wall” podcast, said last week that sometimes physical ad libs or flubs on the show are really accidental-on-purpose, as was the case with Biden burying his head in Kamala’s hair on last week’s show.

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Bargatze’s monologue was shorter than last time around and without a strong close, but it still had great lines as the comedian discussed going to community college (“... where they’re like, ‘You’re probably staying in your community‘”) and, at length, his addiction to processed foods (“I’m a farm-factory-table guy”) and ordering junk food from DoorDash late at night. Bargatze said he’s even double-dashed, ordering from two places simultaneously on the food-delivery service, which causes him anxiety when two different drivers show up at the same time. “I need one of them to get in a wreck! I’m mortified!” he said. There were also funny bits about the “extra” in extra virgin olive oil and what happened when he ate a raspberry for the first time at the age of 40. Unlike last year’s monologue, this one wasn’t as razor sharp, but the material overall had the comic’s signature specificity and bafflement at the world.

Best sketch of the night: Washington returns to claim freedom for hot-dog lovers

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Diminishing returns are sometimes fine if the original was this strong. In a sequel to the weights and measure sketch, George Washington (Bargatze) stands on a boat, telling his soldiers about the future of the English language. A dozen is a word for 12, but, “Only 12 shall have its own word.” We’ll spell Jeff two ways, one with a J and, “The stupid way with the G.” A hot dog, Washington says, will not be made of dogs. But when asked what they’re made of, he says, “Nobody knows.” When a soldier questions that, he’s invited to leave the boat, right into the water. Like last time, Washington largely ignores questions from a soldier (Kenan Thompson) over what will happen to slaves after the war, at least this war in 1776.

Also good: You don’t have to know Spanish to understand ‘Sábado Gigante’

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Bargatze plays an audience member called on stage by host Don Francisco (Marcello Hernández), who leads him through a random set of sketches, dance numbers and game-show segments, which is not at all different from what the real show was like; ask anybody who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household before 2015. For Hernández’s absolute commitment to the sketch, Bargatze’s so-real-it-stings confusion, the kid in the beard dressed like Bargatze’s character, and the puppet orange in a sailor suit, this one wins our hearts as much as winning five dogs on a game show might.

Will probably go viral: ‘Sushi Glory Hole’ is the new ‘Dick in a Box’

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Slotted as it was so late in the show, a new “SNL” digital short featuring Lonely Island’s Samberg and Akiva Schaffer was so surprising, catchy and pushing the line of good taste that it feels like something that could take off in a big way online. (The term “Sushi Glory Hole,” in fact, was already trending on X shortly after the episode aired.) The premise? Two musicians (or are they businessmen?) pitch the idea of a hole in a bathroom wall that feeds you fresh sushi. That’s it. That’s the joke. But it’s taken to hilariously dumb lengths even as those being pitched (Maya Rudolph among them) are just trying to leave the room.

‘Weekend Update’ winner: Jane Wickline stayed at the party too long

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It sometimes takes a while to get to know new cast members, but this segment was a nice introduction. Jane Wickline appeared in the water slide sketch as the only voice of reason and in a “Weekend Update” segment, playing piano and singing about staying overnight at a party that has long since stopped being a party. When Colin Jost tries to wrap up the song midway through, she says, “I intend to keep singing.” Clever, playful lyrics and a strong performance suggest great things to come on “SNL” for Jane Wickline.