Saturday Night Live leaned into its action-movie theme this week as Glen Powell’s hosting debut set the stage for Will Forte’s surprise return as MacGruber.
In a new trio of MacGruber shorts, the character is once again tasked with defusing a ticking time bomb with only seconds to spare. As always, that shouldn’t be a problem—so long as he stays focused. Cue the distraction: in this case, MacGruber’s appearance in the Epstein files. Through the first two installments, he tries to destroy the documents, only to learn there are multiple copies.
In the third, he tries a different tack.
“We’re welded in again and we only have 30 seconds,” MacGruber is told as the finale opens. He replies, “Guys, before I defuse this bomb, there’s something you need to know.” His teammates jump in immediately: “You’re on the Epstein list.”
“All over it,” he admits, “like every third page I’m not on.”
From there, MacGruber launches into his defense—insisting he “knew nothing” despite working ground crew on the infamous flights and selling “low-grade cocaine and crystal” to “very important people,” noting that the only ones afraid of the list “are the people who have done something wrong.”
When asked whether he’d testify about what he saw, MacGruber initially says, “I’ll do anything to get the truth out there.” But he stops when told powerful figures might try to silence him with “money” and “pardons.”
“Wait, back up a little bit,” he says. “Money and pardons you’re saying?”
Seconds later, the bomb explodes.
Tonight’s episode marked the 11th set of MacGruber shorts to air on SNL since 2007. Beyond 8H, the character has spawned a 2010 feature film, a 2021 Peacock series, and a Pepsi Super Bowl commercial. MacGruber last appeared on SNL in 2022, when Forte returned as host.
Watch tonight’s complete trio of shorts at the top of this post.
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