It’s always a delight when beloved former “SNL” cast members make unannounced returns to the show, and this week’s episode saw alumni Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch steal the whole show in the obligatory “SNL” Super Bowl sketch.
The sketch, which was set in 1775, saw residents of Boston and Philadelphia argue over which city was better at fighting the British during the American Revolution. The fighters from New England had a decided advantage, they thought, because of their great Captain Thomas Brady, who led a fierce comeback at Bunker Hill thanks to his great cannon.
This was, of course, a joke about fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots talking trash ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday, with Captain Thomas Brady being Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. You can watch the sketch in full above.
The rowdy party from New England was led by Dratch and this week’s host Natalie Portman, who were drinking from beer mugs as they celebrated. But looks can be deceiving — “Ah naw, kid, this is coffee from Dunkin,” Dratch said.
Later, Fey led in the group from Philadelphia, which also included “SNL” cast members Mikey Day and Kenan Thompson — with Thompson claiming to be from “West Philadelphia, born and raised.” Fey didn’t think New England deserved all the glory for the Americans’ victories in the war.
“We crossed many waters up the Schuylkill River to give all yous a message. Philly is mad strong. From the little babies to all our mom moms and pop pops, we’s ready to fight!” Fey said in an exaggerated Philly accent. “So grease up them poles, ’cause Philly’s gonna win and then one of these guys is gonna punch a police horse.”
Two separate Eagles fans punched police horses in separate incidents a week apart during the team’s playoff run in January.
Dratch and Fey were representing their hometown teams in the sketch, with Dratch hailing from Lexington, Massachusetts, and Fey being from just outside Philadelphia.
Earlier in the evening, Alec Baldwin popped up in the cold open as Donald Trump in his first “SNL” appearance of the new year.