00:00Let's go over to the Game of Thrones side. I gotta be honest, I didn't see the last
00:04episode. I mean, I watched it, but I couldn't see it. You know it's dark when you
00:09can't even see the white people." Instead of its usually politically driven cold
00:13opens, SNL's latest installment decided to take on pop culture this time. The NBC
00:18show's first sketch presented a parody of Family Feud that pitted two of the
00:21biggest franchises existing in pop culture against each other, Game of Thrones
00:26against the Avengers. Each SNL cast member donned costumes resembling some of the
00:30popular characters from the HBO show and Marvel film. Kenan Thompson, who played
00:34Steve Harvey, asked a series of hilarious questions based on the franchises, but the
00:38characters basically spent a majority of the time making quips about their respective
00:42show and film. Kate McKinnon, who played Brienne of Tarth, offered this answer when
00:46asked what would be on her bucket list.
00:48Well, I don't need a lot. I'm kind of a low-maintenance girl. Armor, you know, short hair, but
00:54sword to my head, I don't know, Jaime Lannister, one night, three hands, no rules.
00:59And Leslie Jones just had one thing to say as her famous Avengers character.
01:03Bitch, I'm Groot.
01:06Melissa Villas and Yor showed up halfway through the cold open to save the feud as
01:10Night King slayer Arya Stark, and Thompson's Harvey had some thoughts on what her bucket list item would be.
01:15I saw what you did in that episode. Show me. Get in that booty!
01:20All right. Number one on you. All right.
01:24Hilariously referencing the character's first on-screen sex scene in the HBO show.
01:28Meanwhile, it was a big night for SNL on a whole as former cast member Adam Sandler
01:31returned to the show after 24 years to host for the very first time.
01:35I love seeing old friends and making lots of new friends with the writers and the cast here,
01:40and it's just great to be around their youthful energy.
01:42I was 23 years old when I started here.
01:46Despite feeling humble to return, the comedian was quick to poke fun at his departure
01:50by breaking into a song addressing the real reason he left.
01:53I was fired.
01:55I was fired.
01:57I was fired.
01:59So sad to tell.
02:01Well, I never saw it coming.
02:04I got fired from SNL.
02:07In the song, he also made fun of some of the parody songs that defined the early parts of his
02:11career,
02:12including Canteen Boy.
02:13And the monologue even saw a cameo from Chris Rock.
02:16When Sandler asked a fellow former cast member why he left the show, he sang.
02:20Well, Adam,
02:24I got fired.
02:26Pete Davidson even joined him for the musical monologue,
02:29with Sandler warning him that he, too, will be the next to be fired.
02:32Be patient, because it's coming soon. I love you.
02:36The comedian also referenced the funny voices that he frequently did on the show during his tenure,
02:40including a callback to his Hanukkah song.
02:43Where could I do my silly voices now?
02:46I never felt so alone.
02:51The host appeared in numerous sketches and brought laughs throughout the night,
02:54playing a lieutenant in a CNN program where the correspondent, played by Mikey Day,
02:58keeps accidentally using Snapchat filters during his on-the-ground dispatch.
03:02And the host of an Italian tourism company,
03:05and a musical short with Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett singing about how clothes are just holes.
03:09The host also reprised his opera man character on the Weekend Update segment,
03:13riffing on various topics such as Kentucky Derby, Trump,
03:16and also saying about Joe Biden's recent misconduct scandal.
03:19Other past cast members like Jimmy Fallon and Kristen Wiig also made cameos in the episode,
03:24including a sketch that featured Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Sandler making out Lady and the Tramp style.
03:29Elsewhere, the episode also frequently made references to the growing pool of presidential candidates.
03:34McKinnon showed up as Senator Elizabeth Warren during Weekend Update,
03:37discussing the importance of college debt forgiveness.
03:40Look, when I went to college in Oklahoma, it was affordable. It cost $2.50 a semester.
03:47But Sandler did end the episode on a heartfelt note, with a musical performance as he sang about his friend
03:52and fellow castmate Chris Farley.
03:54The song provided a tribute to Farley's past characters and sketches,
03:57with Sandler going down memory lane of his time spent with Farley.
04:08To watch more sketches and clips from the latest episode of SNL, head over to THR.com.
04:12For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
