In the cold open for the latest “SNL,” the long-running NBC show basically channeled how we’re all feeling in its depiction of “the first warm day of the year” as an event that basically brought out every lunatic in New York.
In the clip, Bowen Yang and Heidi Gardener played reporters talking to people out in the park and treating the whole thing like an awards show red carpet. And if we’re being honest, yes, that’s how it feels IRL.
Or as Gardener’s character set the scene, “It’s mid-April here in New York City, and the temperature hit 90 degrees this week, a full two months ahead of schedule. And while that may be terrifying on a climate level, the warm weather can only mean one thing: all the crazies and weirdos are headed to the Central Park and we’re expecting to see some iconic park people today.”
Yang’s reporter added, “The mood here is electric. The smell of halal food and horse manures in the air, as I see. Yes. I think it’s him an absolute icon of the park. It’s an older man doing an aggressive power.”
The older man, played by Mikey Day, explained by saying: “I’m wearing the tightest spandex shirt of all time. Uh, little shorts and a weird heart rate monitor strapped to my arm. Iconic.”
Next up, Gardner’s reporter was “starstruck right now as I am joined by not one but two perverts who came to the park to pleasure themselves.”
The pervs then proceeded to explain their new techniques, which involved a fake arm. (Gross.)
This was followed by a woman learning to rollerblade, because, as she put it, “What better place than on a crowded pathway filled with thousands of people?”
After that, it was two “park employees who do not care about their job.” Of course the sketch breezed through more of this, and it was all pretty delightful. For instance, “a grown man with a drone who’s alone and you won’t be filming girls,” and some legitimately insane people.
We particularly enjoyed the “wealthy woman and child,” who explained, “I’m taking Riley here to the playground where I’ll step into an immediate panic if I lose sight of him for even one second.”
All in all, it was a nice break from the usual politically charged cold open gags and a nice way to kick off the start of warm weather. Watch the sketch below.