Tracy Morgan's long-awaited return to Saturday Night Live did not disappoint. Morgan, who is not a person who lets anything get him down, even poked fun at the injuries he sustained after his life-threatening accident in 2014 during his opening monologue. He noted that people weren’t sure if he would have 100% mental capacity. “I never did,” Tracy quipped, alluding to the lovable doofuses he has portrayed on SNL and 30 Rock (and who would make appearances throughout the night).
With so many hilarious moments, it was hard to narrow it down, but here are the three skits you absolutely must see from Morgan's SNL return.
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1. The Opening Monologue
During Morgan’s opening monologue, he recounts an alleged episode of 30 Rock from 2012 in which his character has a near-death experience. It cuts to the office of Jack Donaghy, with Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey, Jane Krakowski, and Jack McBrayer as their respective 30 Rock characters. As they all lament over the an incident with a fish that lands Morgan's character in the hospital, the sketch reveals true sentiment for their friend without getting sappy. Of note: the SMASH promo flyout featuring Kate McKinnon as a blond bombshell during one of the more emotional moments.
2. The Return Of Brian Fellows
This sketch brought back everyone’s favorite naive, safari-loving animal enthusiast (a character Morgan premiered way back in 1999!). Morgan has a way of making you want to be friends with his characters, even if they are loud, offensive, and not that smart. Tracy delivers his lines with such a forceful dumbness that you can’t help but love whatever tangent his brain goes on.
3. The Standoff
Morgan is at his best when he is playing willfully ignorant and stubborn characters who are ultimately harmless. This sketch features Taran Killam as a guy in a bar confronting Morgan for being rude to his girlfriend. They get into a verbal showdown until Morgan takes up Killam's offer to dance in the most literal possible way. It showcases Morgan's talent for taking characters to an illogical extreme for a laugh.
Bonus Non-Morgan Sketch: Democratic Political Debate Opening
Morgan didn’t appear in the opening sketch, but multiple familiar faces did, making it a must-watch. Parodying this week's Democratic debate, Larry David was the highlight as Bernie Sanders (It was so good that Sanders himself said, "He does it better than I do."). The resemblance was striking, as David hilariously embodied Sanders while adding his own schtick to the mix. Alec Baldwin stepped in to play Jim Webb while Kate McKinnon turned in a hilarious rendition of Hillary Clinton. This cameo-packed debate is not to be missed!