As a viewer, you usually enter a new season of “Saturday Night Live” like a student coming back to school after summer vacation. You look at the cast members and wonder, who’ll be this year’s homecoming king and queen? And who are these new people, and should I bother to learn their names?

Sometimes “S.N.L.” itself returns like the kid who had a sudden growth spurt, brimming with energy and confidence. And sometimes it’s the blockhead at the back of the room who didn’t do the summer reading assignment and needs time before being ready to start doing homework again.

But at the outset of its 43rd season Saturday, in an episode hosted by Ryan Gosling, “Saturday Night Live” was something else: The dutiful student, almost gingerly approaching topical satire. The show touched on timely subjects (Puerto Rico’s devastation) and familiar impersonations (Alec Baldwin as President Trump), but only occasionally showed a willingness to throw a few gut-punches while it poked you in the ribs.

That is, until Michael Che and Jay-Z showed up.

Mr. Che, the “Weekend Update” co-anchor, delivered a pointed mini-monologue assailing President Trump as a “cheap cracker” over aid to Puerto Rico and defending the professional athletes who have knelt in protest during the national anthem. Up to that point, the biggest statement of the night had come from Jay-Z, the musical guest, when he performed his first number, “Bam” featuring Damian Marley, in a Colin Kaepernick jersey.