Dakota Johnson and the Ladies of SNL Say What They Want to Say
Modern SNL has one of the strongest female line-ups in the show’s history, so it’s always a pleasure when the writers give this group of extremely funny ladies a chance to shine together. This sketch is a weird one because it feels like such an odd and specific concept that must have been a real pain in the butt to pitch in the writer’s room, but the execution is simply sublime: a group of women start being brutally honest with the people in their lives and immediately celebrate to the impossibly catchy sounds of Sara Bareilles’ “Brave.”
Although guest host Dakota Johnson, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Aidy Bryant and Leslie Jones (hey, that’s two new Ghostbusters!) get the spotlight in the scene, Vanessa Bayer and Sasheer Zamata also get time to shine, giving every woman in the cast a juicy and funny thing to do. The whole thing is really a rapidly cut series of vignettes that quickly escalate from strange to stranger, with each woman finding herself in a socially awkward situation and finally finding the nerve to speak out. Once they do, they immediately celebrate to music, complete with facial expressions so joyous that you can’t help but laugh. McKinnon dancing in a bathroom stall may be one of the highlights of the entire season.
In an episode filled with sketches that never knew when to end, this video (with its surprisingly sharp cinematography and hilarious editing) was an oasis. There are times when we just want these women to get their own video sketch show and leave the boys behind. Okay, fine. They can take Taran Killam as the token guy.