Saturday Night Live: Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page hosts the season’s best episode

Saturday Night Live bounced back over the weekend after a lackluster stretch. Regé-Jean Page, the breakout star from the Netflix hit Bridgerton, showed off his comedy chops as he hosted the best episode of season 46 (so far).

For the most part, SNL has played it safe with their hosts this season. Almost all of them have been established stars: Adele is a pop sensation, Dave Chappelle is one of the greatest stand-up comics of all time, and Kristin Wiig is Saturday Night Live royalty. Dan Levy is perhaps the least “established” of this season’s hosts, but that isn’t saying much. Schitt’s Creek has been a low-key hit for years, and Dan’s father is sketch comedy legend Eugene Levy.

Regé-Jean Page was therefore in a unique position. For many people who watched the show on Saturday, Page was a brand new face. Fans of the hit series Bridgerton know and love him as the Duke of Hastings. Some others might remember him from his role in Roots (2016). To most people though, he’s just that handsome guy from those Netflix ads. By hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend, he had the chance to endear himself to a whole new crop of fans.

However, it was never going to be an easy task. Page was also a unique choice for host this season because he’s never really done comedy before – Adele is the only other host this season without significant comedy experience. Regé-Jean Page is no pop mega-star, so he really had something to prove: could he be funny?

The answer to that question was a resounding yes.

From the moment he took the stage for his monologue, Page never felt like a newcomer or a novice. I can’t remember the last time I heard a host receive such an incredible round of applause. The audience was thrilled to see him, the cast was thrilled to perform with him, the writers seemed thrilled to write for him, and Page himself was thrilled to be there. That’s the recipe for a great show.

He was never the central “funny character” in any of his sketches, but he was a strong supporting player and a great “straight man” throughout the night. He fit right in with the rest of the male cast in the “Driver’s License” sketch, and he served as a perfect foil to Mikey Day and Pete Davidson in the “Bridgerton” sketch.

Here are the best sketches from the show.

Saturday Night Live with Regé-Jean Page highlights: Driver’s License

This sketch was just so much fun. The premise isn’t anything special: a group of tough guys in a bar gets really into a pop song written by a teenage girl. It worked, however, because of the incredible specificity with which they discussed the song and the tabloid headlines that have surrounded the song. It was also great because the cast fully committed to the bit. Everyone was singing their heart out, and it was amazing.

Saturday Night Live with Regé-Jean Page highlights: Loco ft. Bad Bunny

This was just a good song. The lyrics were great, the beat was a total bop, and Ego Nwodim, Pete Davidson, and Bad Bunny did a great job performing it. I was thoroughly impressed.

Saturday Night Live with Regé-Jean Page highlights: Mr. Chicken Legs Pageant

This one was all over the place, but I loved it. The premise was absurd. Cecily Strong was hilarious. Mikey Day was so uncomfortable, yet perfect. Aidy Bryant was like the cherry on top at the end. Saturday Night Live wouldn’t work if all the sketches were this bizarre and disorganized, but “Mr. Chicken Legs Pageant” was wonderful.

Oh, and if you know what Mikey Day used to cover up his leg hair, please tell me. I’m so curious.

Saturday Night Live with Regé-Jean Page highlights: Bridgerton Intimacy Coordinator

There was always going to be a Bridgerton sketch, and I’m glad this was the way they did it. This behind-the-scenes parody was just as good as any sketch they could have done with the whole cast dressed up in regency attire.

Sex scenes on TV are, admittedly, a pretty easy thing to joke about. Nevertheless, Mikey Day and Pete Davidson won me over with their great performances, and the writers thought up some incredible jokes. Green-screen nipple pasties? That’s a million-dollar idea right there.

I also need to give props to Chloe Fineman for her impression of Phoebe Dynevor. Of all the fake accents on the show, hers was definitely the most believable.

Other thoughts on Saturday Night Live

• There were genuinely too many good sketches to do them all justice in this one article. All of these would have made my list of highlights if it wasn’t already such a jam-packed episode:
  • “Actor’s Spotlight”
  • “The Job Interview”
  • “Let’s Say Grace”
  • “The Grocery Rap”
• There was singing or dancing in almost every sketch tonight, which was terrific. I’m guessing maybe Regé-Jean Page told the writers that he liked to sing…
• Aidy Bryant’s Ted Cruz impression is so good because she isn’t even trying to actually do an impression. It reminds me of some of Amy Poehler’s celebrity impressions on SNL when she would just put on a silly costume and act ridiculous.
• The pacing of “Actor’s Spotlight” was a little slow, but Kenan Thompson playing a wannabe-British Ice Cube was an incredible character idea.
• You know it’s a good show when a sketch like “The Job Interview” isn’t one of the best of the night. It was Regé-Jean Page’s best acting performance on the show, and Beck Bennett was terrific as always. The sketch would have been good even without Bowen Yang’s character, but Yang still managed to steal the show in this one.
• Am I the only one who saw Beck’s dancing in “Let’s Say Grace”?? That man can move!
• I love seeing Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney take Andrew Dismukes under their wing. It’s cute.

What did you think of Saturday Night Live with Regé-Jean Page? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.