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On Saturday after the dress rehearsal, Saturday Night Live let slip that this would be Cecily Strong’s final show as a regular cast member. Strong, 38, joined SNL in 2012. She had taken a couple of breaks since the pandemic, first to star in Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+, and then to stage her version of Lily Tomlin’s play, “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe,” in both New York City and Los Angeles. With her finale episode this week, Strong would pass Kate McKinnon for the crown as the woman with the longest-serving tenure in the cast in the show’s history.
Now it suddenly makes obvious and perfect sense why the show also released their season 48 cast photo this week, and not at the end of the season.
So how would Strong go out? Let’s find out together!
What’s The Deal For The SNL Cold Open For Last Night (12/17/22)?
Longtime producer Steve Higgins (now known as Jimmy Fallon’s sidekick and dad to John Higgins from the show’s “please don’t destroy” trio) provides the voiceover welcoming us to a special Christmas message from Donald Trump. Because the former president had the good sense to release his NFT digital trading cards before SNL could go on vacation! James Austin Johnson brought his best stream-of-dissociation to the proceedings, calling himself not only better than Lincoln but also “Better Than Ezra,” calling NFTs “nifties, ’cause they’re so neat,” and explaining just how much his cards are not quite like Pokemon. Mikey Day as “my third least-embarrassing child” Don Jr. is on hand to help close the sale, but also hawks a Christmas CD by his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle (Cecily Strong): “Now That’s What No One Calls Music.” There’s a wonderfully awkward silent moment after Strong’s shriek-singing as Guilfoyle.
How Did The SNL Guest Host Austin Butler Do?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKwralwfbiw
Host Austin Butler played Elvis on the big screen this year in Baz Luhrmann’s dizzy biopic, and after first reminding viewers how last year’s SNL Christmas episode got wrecked because so many cast and crew caught COVID, then reminding us all that Butler started out as a child actor on shows such as iCarly, he got really heartfelt and sentimental. He wanted us all to know how much this would’ve meant to his mother to see him on the SNL stage, and promised that any goofy voices or funny faces would be in tribute to her. Awwww. If only he’d saved that Gollum impersonation for one of the sketches! But if he’s willing to share it in the monologue, he must have more tricks up his sleeves, right? Then again, he doesn’t appear to wear shirts much.
If you’re going to lead with a game-show sketch (The Phrase That Pays), it might be nice if there were some ridiculous revelation or more to back up or heighten the weird thing: Austin’s ability to solve every word puzzle with his first guess. Heidi’s insistence that she sees the X is a nice touch, but otherwise, this one didn’t pay off.
A pre-tape shot in black-and-white, on the other hand, starts off resembling a parody of It’s A Wonderful Life, before veering into darker comedy territory. While Austin’s drunk lone wolf stares through a window at a family having dinner, the family’s experience feels quite terrifying seeing him in their window. Turns out nobody’s life is quite as wonderful as it first appears?!
What’s the deal with marzipan? I’ve heard and seen the tales of fruitcake as a verboten holiday gift, but who decided we were ready for a roasting of this mostly European almond-based candy custom? Feels half-baked, pardon the pun?
Austin plays a horny old lady at a retirement community who’s sitting with her friends (Cecily Strong, Ego Nwodim) and one of their granddaughters (Chloe Fineman), and what’s got her all hot and bothered. Why, Jewish Elvis, of course! Sarah Sherman rocks out in blue rhinestones, and at the end, everyone joins her onstage for a rendition of “Suspicious Cheese” instead of “Suspicious Minds” (because, lactose intolerance). Turns out this sketch serves as SNL’s nod to Hanukkah. Oh….alrighty then.
Austin also gets the meatiest part in a White Elephant gift exchange sketch, where he’s horny for an ash tray and doesn’t want to let anyone steal it from him. This would’ve been a great time to break out that Gollum impersonation.
How Relevant Was The Musical Guest Lizzo?
Lizzo replaced Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who had to bow out of their scheduled slot this week due to illnesses in their band. Since Lizzo just hosted and performed on the show back in April, she’s a reliable super sub, not only able to perform two tunes, but also jump in a sketch or two if need be. Her first performance: “Break Up Twice” from her current album, “Special.”
She followed that up with “Someday at Christmas,” a cover of a Stevie Wonder song fit for the season.
Which Sketch Will We Be Sharing: “Blue Christmas”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvTmjdhBRVs
They saved the best for last, starting with the conceit that it’s Cecily’s last day working at Radio Shack of all places, with Kenan as her boss Mr. Lasagna, toasting her accomplishments “after eight incredible years.” To which she replied: “I’ve been here 11.” But they’re both fighting back tears, and the set gives way to “Casual Elvis” aka Austin Butler, who serenades Cecily with “Blue Christmas” before her other cast mates join her onstage to sing and sway. Even Colin Jost slides into frame to sing a verse, and you can tell how important that was for both of them.
Honorable mention? For a bit that involved neither Strong nor the host, we also were treated to a pre-taped showcase for Chloe Fineman’s impersonation of Jennifer Coolidge dishing about Christmas!
Who Stopped By Weekend Update?
Three guests at Update this week.
As Krampus, the mythological demon visiting naughty kids for Christmas, Bowen Yang is feeling burnt out on the job. And literally falling apart at the horns! He’s quoting Brene Brown and SZA for inspo. And his therapist taught him: “Your job is to punish children, not yourself.” Curiously, with the marzipan sketch, this is the second bit of this episode devoted to customs usually not seen so much in the States.
Sometimes an Update character shows up just to cause chaos in the form of sexual sight gags, and that’s what Colin’s Great Aunt Pat (Heidi Gardner) came to serve, kissing Jost on the lips and grabbing Mikey Day’s crotch after having him apply her lipstick with his lips. Why is Day doing this? “I’m barely in any sketches this week, and I need money for Christmas.”
A half-hour before Cecily’s “Blue Christmas,” she showed up on Update as Cathy Anne, getting “a little emo” because “I’m here to say goodbye” as all of her past crimes have caught up with her. But she’s content knowing she has friends on the inside (cut to photoshop of Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon in prison orange jumpsuits) and she has memories with Jost (cut to photo of that brief period when she co-anchored Update!). She even sang, “I did it high, Che!” a sly reference to her earlier faux finale a couple of seasons ago when she dunked herself in wine singing “My Way.”
What Sketch Filled The “10-to-1” Slot?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAxEaZ-NkLQ
At 12:50 a.m. Eastern, it’s the “please don’t destroy” trio trying to sell Austin on investing in their latest get-rich-quick scheme: Plastic shirts. Plirts. Why do they need his investment? “We make 30 dollars a video!” This is the second time cast members have referred to themselves as cash-poor in this episode, and that’s just weird in this economy. Anyhow. Everything escalates, per usual, but a bunch of other cast members model plastic clothing and Lizzo is there, too, as Herlihy’s girlfriend.
Who Was The Episode’s MVP?
Cecily Strong has been an MVP for the show since even before she decided to return for Season 47. Kate McKinnon may have won the Emmys and reigned as the star of the show for much of her tenure, but Strong proved herself the most valuable performer time and time again. She will be missed at 30 Rock, most definitely.
The show is taking the rest of 2022 off. See you in 2023!
Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat for his own digital newspaper, The Comic’s Comic; before that, for actual newspapers. Based in NYC but will travel anywhere for the scoop: Ice cream or news. He also tweets @thecomicscomic and podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.
