SNL Crisis

 

To the surprise of no one, Governor Sarah Palin’s appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live was roundly cheered by the right and just as roundly, though not universally, panned by the left. Her supporters said it showcased her charm and poise and gave her a chance to show her lighter side. Some of her critics opined that it only served to further reinforce the caricature that has been painted of her due to her self-imposed media embargo.

 

I think it was much more than that and much more nefarious. I found it to be a cleverly concealed series of pointed jabs which, when taken in their entirety, add up to a savaging of Sarah Palin’s image. If you’ve read my previous posts (and judging by my blog stats, you haven’t), you’ve probably noticed I am occasionally possessed by the conspiracy theorist in us all. So, with that in mind, I offer my take on the Governor’s SNL gig.

 

The opening segment starts with a fictional press conference with Tina Fey playing the role of Governor Palin and continuing to poke fun at her and John McCain. It then cuts to the real Sarah Palin who explains to SNL’s Executive Producer, Lorne Michaels, why she demurred from doing the skit herself. “I just didn’t think it was a realistic depiction of the way my press conferences would have gone.” The key phrase there is “would have gone” which further emphasizes the fact that since she was picked by McCain as his running mate, Governor Palin has never held a press conference.

 

Next up is Mark Wahlberg, who is so intent on settling his feud with Andy Sandberg, he doesn’t even acknowledge Palin’s presence. More importantly, as Wahlberg exits, the Governor shares the screen with Abraham Lincoln (an Illinois legislator who became President), a Rockette (possibly alluding to Palin’s pageant background) and the rear end of a llama? Maybe they couldn’t get a horse on short notice. 

 

Enter Alec Baldwin, an especially vocal Palin critic, who mistakes Governor Palin for Tina Fey then proceeds to call her “that woman”, “Caribou Barbie” and “that horrible woman”. When Lorne Michaels introduces the Governor as ‘The Governor’, the only compliment Baldwin can muster is, “You are way hotter in person” reducing her to little more than a sex object. And the llama’s still there.

 

Baldwin then informs the fake Sarah Palin (Fey) that the real Sarah Palin is there and as Fey exits, she passes the Governor and as with Mark Wahlberg, scarcely acknowledges her. Governor Palin then takes the podium to announce she’s “not going to take any of your questions” and to deliver the ubiquitous “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”

 

We were then forced to sit through some seriously unfunny ‘comedy’ bits and more interestingly, two ads for Barack Obama–the first addressing women’s issues and the second tying John McCain to George Bush.

 

On to ‘Weekend Update’ where Governor Palin reappears ostensibly to “clear up some misconceptions about her campaign” but instead she declares she’s “not going to do the piece we rehearsed” because it “might be bad for the campaign” and “might be over the line” and leaves it to a very pregnant Amy Poehler to deliver a Palin-stereotype-laden rap song which managed to insult Native Alaskans, Todd Palin, and ultimately Governor Palin herself. Oh, and Poehler shoots a moose. All right, she shot him with her finger and it wasn’t a real moose. So, Poehler does the rap while Palin does some seat dancing in silence proving, once again, if you take away her script, Governor Palin has nothing to say.

 

Heckuva job, Palie. Joke’s on you.

 

 

This just in: Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

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