Wed Nov 06 05:40:00 UTC 2024: ## SNL Strikes a Familiar Chord: Election Fatigue and the “Most Important Election Ever”
**New York, NY -** Saturday Night Live’s final pre-election episode saw a surprise appearance by Vice President Kamala Harris, but it was a recurring sketch, “What’s That Name?”, that truly captured the zeitgeist of the moment. While Harris’s cameo brought cheers from the audience, the sketch, which mocked the constant hyperbole surrounding elections, elicited a more muted response.
The episode opened with a biting satire of former President Trump, with James Austin Johnson’s impersonation showcasing the ex-president’s rambling style and culminating in a desperate plea, “Get me out of here. Make it stop.”
However, it was “What’s That Name?” that hit home. Host John Mulaney, playing a politically-obsessed news junkie, was quizzed on obscure 2024 election players, confidently declaring, “This is the most important election in American history. Democracy is on the line.” This, however, elicited only weak applause. The sketch then brought in former Vice President candidate Tim Kaine, who pointedly asked Mulaney, “At the time, you said it was the most important election in American history, and that democracy was on the line. It’s been less than eight years. What’s my name?”
Kaine’s pointed questioning exposed the fatigue surrounding the constant pronouncements of election importance. It also served as a subtle critique of the political rhetoric that seems to repeat itself every election cycle.
The episode, with its juxtaposition of Harris’s cameo and the “What’s That Name?” sketch, highlighted the exhaustion surrounding the political landscape. SNL’s willingness to critique the excessive hype surrounding elections suggests a shift in perspective from 2016, when the show faced criticism for hosting Trump.
While SNL’s “What’s That Name?” sketch may have landed the evening’s most resonant point, it remains to be seen whether this shift in approach will influence the show’s future political coverage.
First Piper 