Sandler’s return after 23 years exceeded most expectations, a reminder that when his heart is in it, he’s a great performer

A returning Saturday Night Live initially opens with live C-Span coverage of Capitol Hill, but since the attorney general, William Barr, disobeyed congressional Democrats and refused to give testimony last week, we cut to Celebrity Family Feud: Avengers v Game of Thrones edition.

The Marvel team comprises “Scientologist” Thor (Alex Moffat), “swole Grimace” Thanos (Beck Bennett), Okoye (or as host Steve Harvey calls her, “Okee-Dokee”), and Groot (Leslie Jones, wearing a simple tree trunk hat and a brown long-sleeve shirt), while the Thrones faction includes an awkward Brienne of Tarth (Kate McKinnon), a high-strung Tormund Giantsbane (Mikey Day), new Maybelline cover girl Melisandre (Cecily Strong), “weird brother” Bran (Kyle Mooney), and a horny Arya Stark (Melissa Villaseñor).

It’s little more than a rundown of basic reference with no real point, which means it’s in keeping with most of this season’s other cold opens, despite the switch from politics to pop culture. That said, props to the prop department – the costuming was on point, especially Bennet’s ridiculous, but impressive, Thanos getup.

Adam Sandler makes his return to SNL 23 years after he left the show, hosting for the very first time. He reminisces about his days as a fresh-faced twentysomething just starting out with his soon-to-be famous friends (getting in a killer joke at Norm MacDonald’s expense), before recounting his surprise sacking via song. He’s joined briefly by his buddy and alumnus Chris Rock, who was similarly fired, as well as Pete Davidson, who everyone agrees is likely to be fired soon enough. The monologue signals what will be a music-heavy episode.

CNN Breaking News kicks off with live coverage of widespread fighting in Tripoli. Brian, the network’s foreign correspondent on the ground, is only able to connect with the studio via Snapchat. His harrowing account turns instantly ridiculous as the app renders him through a series of ridiculous filters, including a talking meerkat and hot dog. Simple and effective.

Clothes (Holes) is a gauzily lit music video by a theatrical rock duo called Von Bonjour (Beckett and Mooney and featuring Sandler as a Slash-like guitarist), a catchy tune all about how clothes are just holes that “we get inside to cover the holes of our bodies”.

In Sandler Family Reunion, the host discovers his various relations are a little put out with him for basing his most famous characters – Billy Madison, Little Nicky, the guy from Big Daddy – on them. It’s an easy excuse for the cast (including musical guest Shawn Mendes, as well as guest stars Kristen Wiig and Jimmy Fallon) to do their best Sandler impressions. Like the similar Carrey Family Reunion sketch from five years ago, it’s certainly memorable and meme-worthy … but also a bit grating.

Next is a commercial for Rectix – a large suppository for erectile disfunction that’s really just a butt-plug. Sandler’s turn as a milquetoast senior casually describing how it works to his disgusted son is a welcome change of pace, character-wise, and this short, gross, hilarious parody is an early candidate for sketch of the night.

Mendes takes to the stage and performs his new single, If I Can’t Have You.

Weekend Update opens with coverage of AG Barr’s refusal to comply with Congress, “because”, as Jost puts it, “apparently our country doesn’t have rules any more”. He and Michael Che harp on Democrats’ dumb stunt responses and dismiss their empty threats to hold Barr in contempt, since the list of people they’ve held responsible so far is limited to “Scott Pruitt (sort of) … Roseanne Barr … That’s it!”

Senator Elizabeth Warren (McKinnon) shows up to discuss her campaign’s “crackpot idea” of “talking about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it” and to run down the “clown car” that is her fellow primary candidates – Beto “O’Dork”, Mayor Pete “But-Judge-a-Judy-Jutes”, and Joe “Amtrak Masseuse” Joe Biden.

Those hoping Sandler would reprise his popular Opera Man character for Weekend Update get their wish. He sings about the week’s headlines, including Game of Thrones, the Kentucky Derby, and the suspiciously Sandler-esque romcom Long Shot. Eventually, he gets around to politics, mocking Biden and Trump’s combined history of indiscretions (“Gropa gropa, sniffa sniffa / Young or olda, make no diffa /Joe for this you, won’t go far-o /To win White House you need to bang porn star-o!”). Sandler hasn’t lost a step when it comes to this character. He receives a big – and much-deserved – ovation at the song’s end.

Next up is a new entry in the recurring Last Call series. McKinnon’s promiscuous walking health hazard Sheila Sovage hits it off an equally sleazy couple, played by a combover-sporting Sandler and a bronze-burnt Kristen Wiig. Within a couple of minutes all three of them are making out while scarfing down garbage spaghetti (their version of Lady and the Tramp), as Thompson’s long-suffering barkeep contemplates suicide, before eventually calling in a drone strike.

Mendes returns and performs In My Blood.

Sandler closes out the night with his musical Chris Farley Tribute (from his 2018 Netflix special 100% Fresh), while photos and clips of the much-missed comic icon scroll by on a screen next to him. You’d be hard-pressed to find as moving a segment – let alone conclusion – in SNL’s history, and it’s by far the best moment of the last several seasons.

Sandler’s return met and even exceeded most expectations, with the episode serving as a reminder that when his heart is in it, the man is a great performer.