CULTURE

Saturday Night Live‘s Robert Mueller as the Bachelor Parody Is Cringey and Brilliant

We really had our hearts set on collusion.

by Elizabeth Logan

Saturday Night Live - Season 43
Photo by: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

In one of the cleverest sketches of the season so far, Saturday Night Live‘s cold open for its Sterling K. Brown–hosted episode parodied liberals’ slowly waning faith that special counsel Robert Mueller will get Trump impeached via, of all things, a Bachelor parody. On the finale of the most recent season of The Bachelor, bachelor Arie un-proposed to winner Becca and confessed that, actually, his heart was really set on Lauren. He then followed Becca around for a few minutes making her and the audience madly uncomfortable as everyone involved realized, wow, this is really not working out.

In the SNL version, an almost word-for-word replica of the Bachelor bit, Becca (Cecily Strong) is instead let down by Mueller (Kate McKinnon), who confesses that although he really thought he could make collusion work, it looks like obstruction of justice is where the investigation is headed. A heartbroken Becca, channeling the majority of Americans, despairs, “So that’s it? He’s just gonna be president?”

“So I have to wait two more years for him to be out of office?” asks Becca, to which Mueller replies, “Honestly, probably six,” and the rest of America responds, “Arghhhhh.”

There is, if not good news, a hint of a silver lining. As Mueller points out in the sketch, it’s not like we’d be much better off under President Pence, and Jared Kushner is on his way out of the administration, or as he puts it, “the Kush is cooked.” And Becca will be the next Bachelorette, which is great for Becca but not of much help to the rest of us, who are stuck with Trump like, well, a bad boyfriend who just won’t leave.

Cringe at the hysterical and far too real sketch here, and then take a cold shower. We gotta get realistic:

Related: Saturday Night Live and Sterling K. Brown Did Amazing Impressions of the Oscars Nominees

Chance the Rapper and Mickey Mouse Are the Best Celebrity Couple

Mickey Mouse and Chance The Rapper attend the launch of “Mickey the True Original” campaign in celebration of Mickey’s 90th anniversary with a fashion show featuring a Mickey-inspired collection by Opening Ceremony at Disneyland on March 7, 2018, in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Disney)

Neilson Barnard

Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen, and Jason Schwartzman attend the launch of “Mickey the True Original” campaign in celebration of Mickey’s 90th anniversary with a fashion show featuring a Mickey-inspired collection by Opening Ceremony at Disneyland on March 7, 2018, in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Disney)

Neilson Barnard

Lucky Blue Smith and Pyper America Smith attend the launch of “Mickey the True Original” campaign in celebration of Mickey’s 90th anniversary with a fashion show featuring a Mickey-inspired collection by Opening Ceremony at Disneyland on March 7, 2018, in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Disney)

Neilson Barnard

Diplo attends the launch of “Mickey the True Original” campaign in celebration of Mickey’s 90th anniversary with a fashion show featuring a Mickey-inspired collection by Opening Ceremony at Disneyland on March 7, 2018, in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Disney)

Neilson Barnard

Humberto Leon, Laverne Cox, and Carol Lim attend the launch of “Mickey the True Original” campaign in celebration of Mickey’s 90th anniversary with a fashion show featuring a Mickey-inspired collection by Opening Ceremony at Disneyland on March 7, 2018, in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Disney)

Frazer Harrison

Chloe Wise hosts a dinner for women in the arts at the New York Edition in celebration of Armory Week.

Cesar Soto

Paloma Elsesser, Tarana Burke, Mattie Larson, Amanda de Cadenet, and Sarah Sophie Flicker attend the Levis Girlgaze event at the Metrograph on March 8, 2018.

Rose Callahan Photography

Nicky Hilton and Stacey Bendet attend a festive, floral celebration for the debut of Cleo Wade’s Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life.

Yvonne Tnt/BFA.com

Molly Howard, Cleo Wade, Dianna Agron, Kate Greer, and Bettina Prentice attend a festive, floral celebration for the debut of Cleo Wade’s Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life.

Yvonne Tnt/BFA.com

Matthew Hitt attends Bremont’s exclusive preview of the 2018 watch collection at the Bremont Townhouse in New York City.

Angela Pham/BFA.com

Gwyneth Paltrow attends the goop x Cadillac Road to Table dinner in Napa Valley.

Jaime King and Jonathan Simkhai attend Jonathan Simkhai and Janet Mock celebrate International Women’s Day with The Standard.

Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com

Eiza Gonzalez, Issa Rae, Joan Smalls, and Tessa Thompson attend the Fourth Annual Veuve Clicquot Carnaval in Miami. Photo courtesy of Driely S.

Kate Bosworth, director Joseph Kahn and Kate Mara attend Grand Marnier’s new campaign launch on March 6, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Grand Marnier)

Slaven Vlasic
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