Ep 2. Miley Cyrus

Saturday Night Live season 39 episode 2 featured pop star Miley Cyrus as both the host and musical guest. The comedic sketches throughout the episode ranged from political satire to silly celebrity impressions.

The episode kicked off with a cold open featuring Jay Pharoah as President Barack Obama addressing the government shutdown. The sketch poked fun at both Democrats and Republicans and their inability to reach a compromise, with Obama resorting to extreme measures like marrying John Boehner and Harry Reid to end the shutdown.

Next up was Miley Cyrus' monologue, which included a musical number featuring the singer poking fun at her own controversial VMA performance and explaining that she was "just being Miley." The monologue also included a surprise appearance by her father, Billy Ray Cyrus.

One of the standout sketches of the night was a parody of the government's troubled healthcare website, with Kate McKinnon playing a jittery HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Cyrus appearing as Michele Bachmann. The sketch made light of the website's glitches and errors, with Bachmann suggesting that the Affordable Care Act was like a "big red button" that the government was forcing people to push.

Another memorable sketch featured Cyrus playing a sexually aggressive Michele Bachmann in a parody of the popular show "The Bachelorette." In the sketch, Bachmann is the bachelorette looking for love while contestants like Taran Killam's Ted Cruz and Bobby Moynihan's Chris Christie vie for her affections.

Other sketches included a parody of a Canadian game show called "Celebrity Family Feud" where Kenan Thompson played Steve Harvey and Cyrus appeared as Justin Bieber, and a sketch where Cyrus played a sorority girl who becomes possessed by the ghost of an old woman during a seance.

Musical performances throughout the episode included Cyrus performing her hits "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" as well as a surprise performance of "Don't Dream It's Over" with her father Billy Ray Cyrus.

Overall, the Miley Cyrus-hosted episode of Saturday Night Live season 39 was a strong showing for the sketch comedy series, with Cyrus proving to be a capable host and game for poking fun at herself. The political satire throughout the episode was particularly sharp and witty, making for an entertaining and unforgettable episode of SNL.