‘SNL’s MacGruber Saves Us From Same Tired Takes on Epstein Files

Will Forte’s MacGruber is back once again, and he has only 45 seconds to save Chloe Fineman and Glen Powell from certain death. No problem — with the help of a few everyday household items, he’ll defuse that cluster bomb in just a few … Wait, is that an unredacted copy of the Epstein files?

From the beginning, Saturday Night Live always had to compete with The Tonight Show for jokes about topical subjects. But the show is really behind the eight ball these days. How could SNL joke about this week’s deluge of Epstein emails when they were already beaten to the punch by Fallon, Colbert, Meyers, The Daily Show, 100,000 podcasts and every wannabe comedian on social media?

SNL took the expected swings, goofing on a Trump press conference in its cold open and throwing haymakers on Weekend Update. But those jokes are on-the-nose laughs about Trump’s latest nightmare. Bringing in MacGruber to wrangle with the ramifications of the emails was a masterstroke. 

The three-part bit set up the usual MacGruber dilemma: there’s a plasma bomb ticking away, and it will take a pencil sharpener and a patch of tin foil to prevent a devastating explosion. Then Powell’s Colton reveals a secret — he’s got a copy of the Epstein emails, free of those pesky blackmarks that name the names of the rich and powerful. 

Unfortunately for MacGruber, he’s also on the list.

(Don’t worry, MacGruber is no sex criminal. He merely worked on the ground crew servicing Epstein’s plane. He did nothing wrong, other than selling low-grade cocaine, diluted with playground sand, to a lot of very important people .)

The explosive finales that end every MacGruber sketch are here, but there’s sly satire at work behind the failed heroics. The Epstein files are a distraction, keeping MacGruber from saving the day. But is the sketch poking fun at Democrats for turning attention from their failed government shutdown? Or is it a shot at Trump, who’s used any number of dopey diversions, from windmills to the sugar in Coca Cola to attacking late-night comedy hosts, to keep America from asking about those pesky files?

The sketches also spoofed the famous people on the list, willing to go to any length to prevent their secrets from being exposed. If a few people need to go kablooey to maintain the status quo, well, that’s just the price of doing business.

SNL knows a little MacGruber goes a long way, and it smartly sticks to its formula of landing stinging punchlines, then blowing up the joint before the bit goes on too long. The satirical element added extra dynamite to the blasts — like they say about MacGruber in his catchy theme song,  it was “freaking genius.”