Is This The Week Stephen Colbert Becomes An All-American Comedy Hero?

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has struggled to find its place in the seismically shifting late night landscape. For years, The Colbert Report — and its lead-in, The Daily Show — were America’s conscience. Together, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert offered a night one-two comic punch in the name of liberal anger. Now, that mantle has been adopted by the likes of John Oliver, Samantha Bee, and Seth Meyers, while Colbert has spent months trying to figure out what his new late night voice is on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

But if last night’s epic show is any indication, this is the week that might mark a major sea change for the program. Stephen Colbert might have finally found his Late Show groove — and all it took was “Hulking” out and letting “the other guy” take the reins for a bit.

This whole week, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert is live and they are tackling the 2016 Republican National Convention. Colbert has made no bones about his liberal leanings on the show, but last night he went for broke. After opening with a splashy song-and-dance number, Colbert brought out the big guns. He got Jon Stewart to cameo as himself (hiding out off the grid in a shack).

Throughout this election, many comedy fans have lamented Stewart’s silence. He weighed in on both Trump and Clinton in a town hall talk a few months back, but he has purposely stayed silent despite many calls for him to weigh in. Stewart mocked Trump for a few minutes, but then he pulled a gambit and put the onus on the other guy we’ve all been missing: “Stephen Colbert.”

The old “Stephen Colbert” visited The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night and it was glorious. Not only did Colbert seem to relish giving in to his old persona, but tapping into it gave him a freedom to say things he otherwise might not be able to. The old “Stephen Colbert” is an idiot savant who gets to reveal deeper truths by fudging reality so his jokes are often more absurd, more scathing, and more delightful. But there was also something undeniably emotionally powerful about seeing this character’s return.

Throughout the segment, “Colbert” was throwing to the idea that feelings are more powerful than facts. Ironically, seeing this old character, this old friend, this old trusted voice take the stage provided a sense of relief (at least for me personally). Part of the insanity of this election cycle is the prevailing feeling that we are out at sea without a plan. Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show and The Colbert Report used to serve as barometers for what we should make of the political landscape and in their absence the chaos in the air seems all the more frightening. So the old Colbert’s appearance — coupled with the real Colbert’s later comment to guest Zoe Saldana that the United States of America will exist next year — felt like a welcome bit of reassurance.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert didn’t just throw to nostalgia last night, though. Towards the end of the broadcast we saw Colbert invade the RNC venue as Caesar Flickerman. Colbert has used this new character throughout the election cycle to make frightening light of how closely it’s all resembled a cutthroat reality show. It’s a great bit and proof Colbert might be finally zeroing in on his own voice as a host by realizing that he can have the most fun playing someone else.

There are still four more nights of live shows planned for this week. Jon Stewart is confirmed to return, but will Colbert let “the other guy” come back for more fun? Was that an aberration? Or was last night’s show a sign that Colbert is plugged in to how he can bridge the tone of The Colbert Report with what The Late Show — and America — needs today? Is this the week that Stephen Colbert becomes a new kind of all-American comedy hero? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

[Watch The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS All Access]