In one of the most galactic-size understatements in recent memory, President Joe Biden — played for the first time ever by Mikey Day — kicked off SNL’s Halloween episode by noting: “The world is a pretty scary place right now.”
He went on to obliquely reference the Lewiston mass shooting and the Israel-Hamas war, two stories that dominated the week’s headlines but are so monstrously dark they can only be glimpsed through the umbrella categories of “shootings” and “wars.” Future viewers of the episode might have no idea exactly which Pretty Scary week it aired during, given that the words “Israel,” “Palestine” and “Lewiston” are not mentioned once throughout.
It’s probably for the best. While some cognitive dissonance may be required to watch a topical…
