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'SNL' Recap: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are the Dopest Duo

The new Tina Fey/Amy Poehler joint, Sisters, isn’t an official Saturday Night Live movie like Wayne’s World (yay!) or A Night at the Roxbury (ugh!), but it may as well be. Besides beloved SNL alums Poehler and Fey — who, like the title says, play screwed-up siblings in a very funny riff on the 1990 Kid ‘n Play classic, House Party — the film features several past and present Not Ready for Primetime Players in supporting roles, among them Chris Parnell, Maya Rudolph, Kate McKinnon and Bobby Moynihan. So it’s no surprise that the duo continued their reunion party by hosting the last SNL of 2015, a landmark year in the show’s history that included a primetime 40th anniversary special, not just one, but two Chris Hemsworth hosting gigs and Donald Trump’s ratings-setting appearance.

On the other hand, it was surprising that Tina and Amy didn’t make their presence felt in the Republican Debate-themed cold open. Instead, Fey’s iconic Sarah Palin and Poehler’s equally great Hillary Clinton ceded the stage to the cast members playing the current crop of nominees, plus bonus guest, Darrell Hammond, reprising his Donald Trump impression and mercilessly teasing Beck Bennett’s Jeb Bush…or, as he re-christens him, “Jeb-orah.” (Meanwhile, new Trump, Taran Killam, moved a few podiums over to assume the thankless task of playing Ted Cruz, the candidate “most voters wanted to throw a beer at.” ) Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait too long for those fan favorite impressions. In the night’s first sketch, Poehler’s 2008 Hillary visited Kate McKinnon’s 2015 Hillary and they were in the midst of chortling about Clinton’s clear path to victory next year, when Fey’s Palin crashed the party to hilarious effect.

That sketch also proved something that was apparent throughout the night (and in Sisters as well, by the way): there’s no better comedy team around right now than Fey & Poehler. So in tune with each other that they can and do finish each other’s sentences regularly — watch the monologue for proof — they powered through even the weakest material like pros. Their reward? Getting to sing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” alongside Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band and surprise guest Paul McCartney. Hard to think of a better holiday present than that.

Best Sketch: “Meet Your Second Wife”

Leave it to Tina & Amy to take the “trophy wife” phenomenon to its darkly hilarious conclusion, as a trio of male game show contestants meet their progressively younger second wives.

Best Sketch (Runner-Up): “Dope Squad”

Fey and Poehler get real with Aidy Bryant’s overeager Internet journalist, revealing what it takes to manage their hectic lives via a tribute to Taylor Swift’s star-studded “Bad Blood” trailer. Due respect to Cindy Crawford and Ellen Pompeo, but Gayle King and Amy Schumer are much cooler cameos.

Worst Sketch: “Sarah’s Desire”

Two actresses in a ‘40s-era lesbian movie are encouraged to give performances that are more like the ‘70s-era sitcom, The Jeffersons. It’s not a total disaster—thanks largely to Fey and Poehler’s note-perfect reaction shots—but it clearly needed another pass in the writers’ room.

Best Use of Tina & Amy: “Weekend Update”


Along with their Palin and Clinton impressions, Tina & Amy’s hosting gig wouldn’t have been complete with a return to the Weekend Update desk. And once again, our collective wish was granted. The current team of Jost & Che stepped aside so that their predecessor could deliver the last two “Update” jokes of 2015. Too bad they weren’t delivering every “Update” joke.

Episode MVP: Kenan Thompson
For having the guts to revive his Bill Cosby impression and speak pointedly to his ex-boss’s now-notorious off-stage activities. Guess we can now officially rule out another Fat Albert movie from ever happening.Oh, and special shout out to Maya Rudolph, who was on hand to revive “Bronx Beat” with Poehler and Fey. Can they host as a trio next time?

Saturday Night Live airs weekly at 11:35 p.m. on NBC.