Can you parody viral videos in a way that might also go viral? That’s an question Saturday Night Live has tried to answer in the affirmative. Last season, Daniel Kaluuya and Kyle Mooney starred in a sketch parodying apology videos that involved everything from mouse bones to projectile televisions. In last night’s episode, a new sketch took that same basic structure — a series of videos viewed online — and heightened it further.
The subject of the sketch? TikTok. And by that we mean, basically, all of it. Twerking nurses, MCU-style trailer analysis, videos of comedians and self-defense advice — that’s a small fraction of what’s on offer here. It doesn’t hurt that the cast, including guest host Billie Eilish, seemed up for most anything. Nor does it hurt that the framing device for the sketch ends up having a terrific payoff.
The sketch uses nearly every member of the cast well, including Kenan Thompson offering absolutely terrible self-defense tips and Kate McKinnon dispensing very useful advice for anyone on social media. The individual bits are funny unto themselves, but the way that several escalate are what really makes this work. It’s the kind of comedy that doesn’t make its construction apparent until you think back on it — a crucial quality for something like this to have.
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