Prison isn’t so bad if you snitch or at least that’s what happened when one prisoner sang in the chain gang with his fellow inmates.Benedict CumberbatchhostedSaturday Night Livefor the second time and with it came a hilarious twist on the idea of a chain gang. To help pass the time while they’re working outside, a group of prisoners that include Cumberbatch,Kenan Thompson, James Austin Johnson,andChris Reddall are singing about their problems in prison and how they got there.
Thompson, Johnson, and Redd all had horrible experiences that landed them in prison but once Cumberbatch got there, he had some fun times. Mainly because he’d willingly give up secrets and let the warden know what’s going on so that he gets special treatment while there. So prison isn’t “so bad” for him because he’s gifted things to make it easier.
The big continues pretty much that way throughout the entire sketch. Cumberbatch talks about the things he does, and then it’s revealed what “gift” he’s gotten in response. It starts simple enough with a fun drink to make it feel better outside and just continues to escalate from there.
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The greatest part, obviously, is when the warden’s (Alex Moffat) wife (Heidi Gardner) comes to visit her husband and see Cumberbatch with a piece of cherry pie on his face. And as one to “not waste” cherry pie, we’re already a little suspect of their relationship. That is until he just admits to everyone there that he’s sleeping with the warden’s wife and that the warden knows about it. But, as Moffat says, he can’t please his wife, so he might as well make her happy as much as he can and if Cumberbatch’s character can finish the job, then why not?
Unfortunately, this sketch is catchy. So you might have “sleepin with the warden’s wife” in your head long after it has ended and want to wear a fun little denim shirt and jean combo. It’s funny, weird, and shows Cumberbatch’s comedic timing in a way thatSaturday Night Livereally highlighted this time around.
We know that Cumberbatch is funny, and we’ve even seen him shine as a host before, but this episode just really felt like everyone understood what makes him great and used that to their advantage. Especially in sketches like “Chain Gang” that let him have just a weird bit of fun.
