“S. N. L.,” where Senator Al Franken became famous as a comedy writer and performer, used its “Weekend Update” segment to criticize him over recent allegations of sexual misconduct.
It’s a question that has hovered over nearly every new episode of “Saturday Night Live” this season: How will this sketch show, which sits at the intersection of pop culture and politics, handle the latest accusation of sexual misconduct by a prominent, powerful man?
In past installments, depending on the man in question, “S. N. L.” has addressed the topic belatedly (with Harvey Weinstein), profusely (Roy S. Moore) or fleetingly (Louis C. K.).
But this weekend, the question became especially delicate: How would “Saturday Night Live” take aim at Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota, who on Thursday apologized for groping and forcibly kissing Leeann Tweeden, a radio newscaster, during a U. S. O. tour in 2006? Would the show acknowledge this at all? As if anyone needed reminding, Mr. Franken is one of the most successful alumni of “S. N. L.”: a founding member of the show’s writing staff, a frequent performer in its earliest years and a featured cast member and contributor throughout the 1980s and ’90s.
While this weekend’s episode, which was hosted by Chance the Rapper and featured a musical performance by Eminem, took its time in getting to the subject, the show did eventually make clear where it stood.
Leading off the “Weekend Update” segment, the co-anchor Colin Jost said, “Thursday is Thanksgiving, and there’s so much to be thankful for this year, unless you’re a human woman.” Here the screen showed a picture of Mr. Franken, Bill Cosby, Mr. Moore, Louis C. K., President Trump and Mr. Weinstein.
The screen then displayed the photograph of Mr. Franken with his hands extended over Ms. Tweeden’s breasts while she slept. Mr. Jost continued:
The co-anchor Michael Che picked up the topic in his first run of jokes. Mr. Che said, “Without even looking, you can bet that President Trump called out Al Franken and not Roy Moore, who’s accused of way worse, by the way.”
Mr. Che continued:
Playing off the recent news that Donald Trump Jr. had exchanged several private online messages with WikiLeaks during the 2016 presidential campaign, “S. N. L.” opened with a sketch that imagined Mr. Trump (played by the cast member Mikey Day) meeting the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Kate McKinnon) in a shadowy parking garage underneath the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. Though Ms. McKinnon attempts to pass hacked emails to Mr. Day, their exchange is thrown into chaos by the unexpected intrusion of Eric Trump (Alex Moffat). “Eric’s wife had to work so I have him for the day,” Mr. Day sheepishly explains.
When Mr. Moffat observes that Ms. McKinnon “looks like Draco Malfoy,” Mr. Day corrects him: “That was rude,” he says. “What did we say about making fun of people’s appearances, bud?”
A chastened Mr. Moffat answers, “That’s Dad’s thing?” Eventually they persuade Ms. McKinnon to share her ill-gotten intelligence, which they keep safe in a Minions backpack that, Mr. Day says, “never leaves Eric’s side.”
As a soul trio in the style of Boyz II Men, Chance the Rapper and the cast members Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd performed a slow jam that started off in traditional romantic fashion:
This time of year, I get thankful, baby, thankful for you/But now you’re gone, and I don’t know what to do /You were so intelligent, you were so strong, I waited my whole life for you, so damn long/And now I see you moving on, and I’m begging from my heart/And every night, I turn the TV on and cry/I say why, I feel like we’re all gonna die
The camera turned to show that Mr. Redd was poring over a picture of former President Barack Obama as the group continued to sing:
So come back Barack/Even though it’s not allowed
In a spoken-word aside, Mr. Thompson asked:
Pete Davidson gave a stellar riff on Staten Island that will probably get him thrown out of that borough for good. But we’ll give the edge this week to a return appearance by Ms. McKinnon as Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who, when he testified before the House Judiciary Committee this past week, was uneven in his recall of the Trump campaign’s past contacts with Russia.
Ms. McKinnon began by leading the “S. N. L.” studio audience in a call-and-response chant: “When I say, ‘I do not,’ you say, ‘recall,’” she instructed.
When Mr. Jost asked her if she really did not remember discussing Russia with the campaign aide George Papadopoulos, Ms. McKinnon answered, “Well, you know, Colin, I’ve had some memory problems stemming from a childhood trauma.” Asked what it was, she said, “The passing of the Civil Rights Act.”
Mr. Jost said he had some additional questions for Ms. McKinnon and inquired if she would answer them truthfully.
She replied: “Yeb.”
“Did you just say yeb?” he asked.
“Nobe,” came the answer.
“Did you meet with any Trump surrogates about Russia?”
Ms. McKinnon answered shakily, “I do not recall.” Then, speaking directly to the camera in a more conspiratorial tone, she added, “You know I recall.”
“Did you remember Mr. Papadopoulos mentioning the Russian government?”
She replied, “I do not remember him talking about Russia.” Then, again to the camera, “I remember everything .”
Ms. McKinnon wrapped up the segment by saying, “And in collusion, Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!”
And a happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
