Tom Hanks – ‘Saturday Night Live’ repeat airs tonight; here’s why David S. Pumpkins still works
Dear David S. Pumpkins, we have no questions. Only praise.
Tonight on NBC following the NFL football game coming up, you’re going to get a chance to see a repeat of one of the greatest “Saturday Night Live” episodes of the past year with Tom Hanks as host and Lady Gaga as the musical guest. While there are a couple of near-misses in here (surprisingly, the “Sully” parody never really turns into anything funny), you’ve also got a lot of funny, including one of the greatest characters in recent memory. We’ve already mentioned his name. Now, let’s analyze his greatness.
The outfit – You have to think that one of the real reasons that this works is because you’ve got Hanks in a ridiculous outfit with jack-o-lanterns all over it, and the Frankenstein wig only adds to the effect. He looks ridiculous, and he’s so easily recognizable that it adds to the fun of it.
The skeletons – Mikey Day and Bobby Moynihan make this so great with their dance moves, their uncomfortable mones, and the few times in which they speak. They offer no real explanations as to why they are aboard this creepy elevator ride with Pumpkins, other than that they are “part of it.”
The reactions – Beck Bennett and Kate McKinnon are perfect as the normal people trying to figure out precisely why this is meant to be scary. Here’s the twist: It’s really hard, or almost impossible, for them to figure that out. Yet, they keep trying, and they allow it to overwhelm their remaining time on the road.
Leslie Jones – It’s a brief appearance, but it’s awesome.
Basically, this is one of the few “SNL” sketches with almost unlimited replay value. It’s completely timeless, it’s humor appeals to everyone, and it’s got an A-list star in Hanks leading the way. We have to think if every episode of this show had a David S. Pumpkins appearance, we’d be in a much better place with the show as a whole.
Next week, “SNL” will be back, and with Felicity Jones as the next host. For some more news regarding the show as a whole, be sure to head over to the link here! (Photo: NBC.)