S.N.L. struggled all night to find the right fit for hunky, energetic host Jason Momoa. The Aquaman and Game of Thrones star did best in pre-recorded sketches but floundered somewhat in live sketches even though the most he was often asked to do was punch through walls and show off his best dance moves. The most baffling moment came during the night’s expected Game of Thrones sketch where Momoa somehow managed to deliver a subpar impression of his own Season 1 character Khal Drogo.
The premise of the sketch—a Drogo-hosted chat show with deceased characters—opened the door for a parade of off-the-mark Thrones impressions whether it was Heidi Gardner as Brienne of Tarth, Beck Bennett as Hodor, Kate McKinnon as Joffrey, or Pete Davidson as the High Sparrow. By the time Aidy Bryant came out as the mispronounced (and misspelled) Lady Olenna Tyrell to catfight with McKinnon’s Joffrey, one would be forgiven for wondering if the people who wrote this sketch had ever watched the HBO series at all. (O.K., to be fair, whoever came up with the “Little Beard Twisties” aside definitely watched the show.)
This isn’t the first time S.N.L. has tackled Game of Thrones. (Being the most popular show in the world leaves you wide open to some gentle and not-so-gentle mockery.) The highlight of past S.N.L.’s Thrones coverage is a 2016 sketch which saw Bobby Moynihan donning a ridiculous mo-cap suit to play a dragon:
There’s also a lot to love in this 2016 Brie Larson sketch which pokes fun at how long the show took to bring Jon Snow back from the dead.
Series lead Nikolaj Coster-Waldau gave some star power to this deeply nerdy and hilarious 2013 Zach Galifianakis sketch which may have benefited from input from then-head writer and Game of Thrones super-fan Seth Meyers.
Sadly, the first, brilliant Thrones spoof starring Moynihan as George R.R. Martin and Andy Samberg as a juvenile consultant on the show is very hard to find these days.
But just as this week’s Jason Momoa sketch was about to wrap up without once hitting the target exactly, S.N.L. finally delivered with a coda featuring a fictional Kyle Mooney-hosted aftershow. Momoa’s Drogo violently crashed Mooney’s bit while crying out “no more aftershows!” Our sentiments exactly.
