Nov 17, 2025
3 min read
A picture is recorded to make the time spent and the time it will take to dismantle the grandmother.
SNL has its darkest moments
A memorable sketch, Patty's frustration with what happens when AI is adopted.
Last Saturday night's Night Live addressed the growing frustration with technology that is finding its way into seemingly every American industry, even washing machines.One of the first sketches of the night featured Ashley Padilla as an elderly woman whose grandchildren visit her in a retirement facility.To his surprise, his grandson (Marcelo Hernandez) downloads a program that an ancient artificial intelligence used to animate photography, and uploads precious childhood photos.(It's a real service, and that was already the basis of the black mirror section.)
Padilla was at first very happy to see her father (played by the evening's host Glen Powell, who threw himself into every sketch) waving with a smile and looking young again.But it wasn't long before things went sour, as the next photo animation found Padilla's mother (Veronika Slowikowska) smoking a hot dog-like cigarette while Powell tried to grill the family dog, Sadie (who, by the way, had no head).
When the mother shows shock, her granddaughter (Sarah Sherman) explains: "It's possible:" It's more than before in the film, and the AI is silent. Things explained from it are best friend (Mikey Day) taking off his pants, revealing Dan, reviving Dan, Ken-Beach, a great character photo.The mother doesn't want to see what happens in the next photo, but insists her grandson wants to get his money.Naked bomb.
The scenes were interesting and weird. But the sketch isn't over the top, and it captures something basic about the growing cultural resentment surrounding artificial intelligence. A typical family tries to use artificial intelligence as they please, only to wreak havoc, and piss off Grandma in the process.tried.) Instead, the sketch highlights that the technology that's so popular doesn't work all that well, leaving viewers to wonder what all the fuss is about.
The subtle, matter-of-fact approach was quite different from the partial treatment of the Epstein files.Jokes about the new revelations and the GOP's desperate moves to downplay the issue or change the subject were brought up in the Cold Open, during "Weekly Update," and even in three separate skits featuring the return of MacGruber Will Forte's character.Some jokes landed, but by the end of the evening the topic was completely exhausted.Jokes to death sometimes overdone, the AI sketch showed how less can be more.
