Anyone who has spoken to me for more than ten minutes probably knows that I’m a huge fan of Amy Poehler (and subsequently, Tina Fey, who I’ve tried to hunt down during this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival). Last Saturday, she came back to host SNL. She brought her first and second wife, Tina Fey and Seth Meyers with her to the weekend update desk where, in my opinion, the five best weekend update anchors joined in a weekend update joke-off. Her parody trailer of The Hunting Wives Season 2 starring Aubrey Plaza about conservative Southern lesbians has also taken the internet by storm, fulfilling the expectations of many Parks and Recreation fans who were hoping for a cameo (as Amy Poehler has also made a cameo in the latest SNL episode Aubrey Plaza hosted). Unfortunately, all other sketches were painfully slow, awkward, and not the greatest showcase of the five new cast members’ talents. On that note, I’d like to recommend five Amy Poehler SNL sketches that you should watch instead!
- Meet Your Second Wife
This sketch has Tina Fey written all over it, and stars Helen Walsh (played by Amy Poehler) and Tina Fey (played by herself) as prophetic game show hosts showing three male contestants who their second wife will be. It’s a deeply dark comedy that pokes fun at old men who date much younger women, and ends at the perfect beat where all foreshadowing recurs in a even more hilarious and hysterical context.
- Mama’s Boy
This is perhaps a deep cut, but a timeless classic for me. Starring Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler as a newly engaged couple staying the night at Seth’s childhood home, only to reveal the overly intimate and somewhat Oedipal relationship he shares with his mom (played by Megan Mullally). The premise of man-child is not just unfortunately realistic, but in my opinion, cleverly cast as Amy Poehler and Megan Mullally looks almost identical in that era.
- Bronx Beat (the one starring Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake)
Bronx Beat has some of my favourite recurring SNL characters, starring Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph as two ladies in the Bronx who complains about their mysterious warts and incompetent husbands, they are simultaneously fascinated and annoyed by the guests in their talk show. Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph riff off each other so wonderfully in an almost improvisational rhythm, and this particular episode stands out as their shameless seduction of the male guests are countered and even overdone by their film crew played by Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake.
- Really?!? with Seth, Amy, Tina
I cannot not spotlight Amy Poehler’s time as a weekend update anchor. After the departure of Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey asked Amy Poehler to co-anchor weekend update and became the first and only two female co-anchors. As Tina Fey left to make the series ‘30 Rock’ (amazing show by the way), Seth Meyers took over her position as head writer and co-anchor with Amy Poehler. The ‘Really?!?’ segment is said to be inspired by how Seth Meyers reacts whenever he sees a terrible political event, which is by aggressively and sarcastically saying really?, really!. This particular one is my favourite not just because my favourite anchors are re-united, but also features Tina Fey speaking and signing off in Greek!
- Sarah Palin and Hilary Address the Nation
Ending off on perhaps the most well-known characters portrayed on SNL, this sketch stars Sarah Palin played by Tina Fey (as they share an uncannily similar appearance) and Hilary Clinton played by Amy Poehler. This sketch had an immense influence on the American political scene leading up to the 2008 US election, and Tina Fey’s skilful and ridiculous portrayal of Sarah Palin is said to have influenced voters’ decisions. This is a sketch that perfectly showcases the impeccable comedic performance and timing of these two, and ending on this note, happy watching!
“Amy Poehler (53671989427) cropped” by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.