Sarah Palin finally appeared on Saturday Night Live a couple nights ago. Not only did she make a cameo in the Cold Open, she returned later on during Weekend Update. The results were mixed. Palin herself wasn’t given much responsibility. She read a few lines, didn’t have to say anything funny. The professionals took care of that. The episode itself was pretty middle of the road for Saturday Night Live; some laughs, some flops, easily DVR-able. But, the Palin stuff is what we’re supposed to talk about, so let’s. Isn’t it funny that we more or less force our political figures to be in attendance when we make fun of them? Sarah Palin, a serious candidate for public office, was lambasted to her face on Saturday by professional satirists. She took it like a champ, I suppose, but I can’t imagine it was much fun, no matter how often Palin was assured that the whole venture was harmless.
SNL Palin Videos:
Sarah Palin and Alec Baldwin
Amy Poehler’s Sarah Palin Rap
Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin Sketches
Saturday Night Live, in negotiating Palin’s appearance, must have made it perfectly clear: they would be pulling no punches, and Palin would just have to take the abuse. In the Cold Open, Alec Baldwin mistakenly thought the real Palin was Tina Fey, and went on a tirade about how bad of a woman Palin is. He really gave it to her. Usually, when this type of joke is played, the person getting raked over the coals is given a great, triumphant comeback, putting the other to shame. In the Baldwin-Palin gambit, when Baldwin was informed about Palin’s identity he simply made a comment about how attractive the real Palin is. He didn’t take back any of the harsh criticisms he had leveled seconds earlier. In Palin’s second appearance, at the Weekend Update desk, it was almost a repeat in formula. Palin was brought on to witness a rap making fun of her. She even danced to it.
“Hey, so, we’re going to make fun of you in front of millions of people in a probably brutal manner. Would you like to be there on screen while we do it?”
Isn’t that basically what happened with Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live? I’m not saying that I didn’t love it and think it was very funny. The Palin Rap was classic (especially Jason Sudeikis as Palin’s husband Todd), and it was made better by the fact that Palin herself was on hand. I just don’t understand how Palin and her people would allow her to go on the show. She was a punching bag with no ability to defend herself. I know that it shows that Palin is a good sport and all, but is that really enough to make the appearance worthwhile? They say all publicity is good publicity, but when it comes to politics, this is clearly not the case.
Personally (and this is coming from someone who has never had a favorable view of Palin), I thought Sarah made a fool of herself on Saturday Night Live. I normally don’t feel this away about political cameos on SNL, but the appearance felt desperate on Saturday. What did you think?
Read related articles:
Watch Sarah Palin and Mark Wahlberg on Saturday Night Live
Considering the Importance of Laughter, Escapism and Sarah Palin
Best Tina Fey Clips on SNL
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of NBC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
