SNL Takes on Hurricane Sandy

One of the most interesting things about last night's Saturday Night Live was seeing how the show dealt with the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. Since the show is based out of New York City, the writers and performers saw the impacts of the storm firsthand...and could parody it accordingly.

The cold open, like so many cold opens, was a press conference scene and featured New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg (Fred Armisen) addressing the people of the city with the help of his trusty sign language interpreter (and instant internet meme). Although there is plenty of comedy to be mined from Bloomberg, there is a layer of affection on top of every joke and the scene plays as a tribute to the people and the government of New York just even as it makes fun of them. And yes, there is most certainly a "Bloomberg speaks Spanish" joke.

In addition to Bloomberg, the sketch also features an excellent parody of New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who is painted as a blustering combination of Tony Soprano and something out of 'Jersey Shore.' The skit's main political jabs come out here, where Christie talks about how great Obama is...even though he's still voting for Romney.