Ep 18. Kit Harington / Sara Bareilles

Season 44 of Saturday Night Live premiered on September 29, 2018. The show has been an iconic staple in American culture since it first premiered in 1975. Known for its hilarious sketches, witty writing, and talented cast, SNL has entertained audiences for decades. Season 44 continued this tradition with its 18th episode, featuring the talented Kit Harington as host and Sara Bareilles as the musical guest.

Kit Harington is best known for his role as Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, but he showed off his comedic chops in this episode of SNL. The show kicked off with a cold open, as usual, featuring a skit about a Democratic town hall meeting. This skit was notable for its many celebrity cameos, including Woody Harrelson, Larry David, and Fred Armisen. It was a hilarious take on the current political climate, as the candidates vied for attention and tried to outdo each other with their progressive policies. It was a great start to the show and set the tone for the rest of the night.

Kit Harington's monologue was up next, and it was a fun take on his Game of Thrones character. He joked about how he was used to playing a brooding hero who knew nothing, but that he was excited to try his hand at comedy. The monologue also included a surprise appearance by Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones. Fans of the show were thrilled to see the two stars reunited on stage.

The sketches in this episode were top-notch, as always. One of the highlights was a skit called "New HBO Shows," which spoofed the network's reputation for pushing boundaries with edgy content. The skit featured fake shows like "Charlize Theron's Afghan Women's Choir," "Divorce Horse," and "The Sopranos Babies." It was a clever take on the current trend of streaming services producing more and more original content.

Another hilarious moment came during the "Judge Court" skit, which featured Kenan Thompson as a judge who was trying to pronounce the names of the people in his court. He struggled with names like "Jaqen H'ghar" from Game of Thrones and "Beyoncé" from real life. Kit Harington played a defendant who had an equally difficult name, which led to a lot of confusion and laughter.

Sara Bareilles was the musical guest for the night, and she did not disappoint. She performed two songs, "Fire" and "Saint Honesty," both of which showcased her incredible talent as a musician and singer. Her performances were a great break from the comedy and provided a nice balance to the show.

The "Weekend Update" segment was, as always, a highlight of the show. Colin Jost and Michael Che delivered their usual sharp and witty commentary on the week's news, covering topics like the Mueller report and the controversy over Joe Biden's treatment of women. They also had a few special guests drop in, including Kate McKinnon as Elizabeth Warren and Pete Davidson as a teenage activist who wanted to sue the government for not doing enough to combat climate change.

Overall, the 18th episode of SNL season 44 was a great night of comedy and entertainment. Kit Harington proved that he was more than just a dramatic actor and showed that he had a real talent for comedy. Sara Bareilles provided a beautiful musical interlude, and the sketches were clever, funny, and relevant. It was a great episode of a show that has been entertaining audiences for over four decades.