‘SNL’: Sticky Buns, Elegant Mr. Chocolate And Ethnic Names Aim For Bipartisan Laughs

Veering off the political path proved yet again what a bumpy, pothole-bouncing drive such detours can be for NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Last night’s episode, hosted by a game Octavia Spencer, had a few non-Trumpian highlights, a few lowlights and at least one addition to the show’s long history of oh man, what was that?

First, the better: “Sticky Bun” had three hapless employees-in-training (Octavia Spencer, Mikey Day, Melissa Villaseñor), learning how to interact with customers at an airport Sticky Bun restaurant. Not much to look at, but Day scores a few points for delivery.

Next up “Drug Company Hearing,” with Spencer as a fired pharmaceutical company worker suing her old bosses for stealing drug names from her address book of family and friends. There’s Celexa, Cymbalta, Allegra, even little Nicorette. The sketch has a couple of worthy moments – and mostly skirts any real ugliness from racist stereotypes – but still can’t escape the seen-this-somewhere feel, especially if you were a regular watcher of Mad TV.

And finally, the oh man, what was that? entry. Look, for every left-field success like David Pumpkins, there’s a failed Gilly, and last night Beck Bennett’s Elegant Chocolate Man hitched his food wagon to the latter camp. Attempting to make amends with coworkers he’d threatened earlier, Steve the ex-employee brings chocolates, suspenders and an annoying accent to the office. Watch for yourself at the top of this page to look for the laughs.