Thursday night’s alright for satire
Thursday night satire is back! Oh, alright, it was back four weeks ago when Mark Humphries did that RAT sketch, but now Sammy J’s back so SATIRE BOOM!
Not that Sammy J’s sketch looked promising, what with Scott Morrison and Hawaii seeming to be the premise. As tone-deaf and awful as Scott Morrison’s 2019 Hawaiian getaway was, gags about it are starting to seem hack in 2022. As bad as ones about Engadine McDonalds. Seriously, Scott Morrison’s done nothing else in the past couple of years for you to make gags about. Are you sure?
Anyway, Sammy J’s 2022 debut turned out to have a bit more bite than your average ScoMo/Hawaii gag. In the sketch, we meet Scott and Jenny Morrison’s forgotten son, ScoMoMo, who has been tracked down by an interviewer…
INTERVIEWER: Well, as the son of Australia’s Prime Minister, the country needs to know whether you think your dad should be re-elected.
SCOMOMO: No, they don’t. Like, I’m just his son. Why should that matter? You know? Vote for my dad based on his policies. OK, don’t do that. Vote for my dad based on what he stands for. Yeah, OK, I don’t know what he stands for. Just… Can you ask me a question about his curry or something so we can get this over with?
INTERVIEWER: What’s his curry like?
SCOMOMO: It’s OK. Like, it’s tasty. But I wouldn’t use it to choose a government.
INTERVIEWER: You haven’t seen the 60 Minutes interview, have you, ScoMoMo?
SCOMOMO: Wasn’t invited, didn’t watch it.
INTERVIEWER: So, you don’t know what your mum was talking about when she says she felt sick to her stomach?
SCOMOMO: No. Was it about trans kids being discriminated against at school?
INTERVIEWER: No.
SCOMOMO: The Bilolea girls who grew up in detention?
INTERVIEWER: No.
SCOMOMO: Allegations of sexual assault in Dad’s workplace?
INTERVIEWER: No.
SCOMOMO: Aged care crisis?
INTERVIEWER: No.
SCOMOMO: Not that? Oh, is it Dad’s close friendly with Brian Houston? Uncle Brian.
INTERVIEWER: No.
SCOMOMO: Gee, what made Mum sick to her stomach? Was it one of Dad’s curries?
Like we said, there are plenty of things other than a Hawaiian holiday that you bag Scott Morrison for in 2022. And while you’re at it, a swipe at the tabloid media’s a good idea too.
But for those of you watching Mark Humphries on 7.30, there was less bite on offer. In his sketch, also referencing Scott Morrison’s recent 60 Minutes appearance, Humphries plays music producer Robert Woodstig*, coaching Morrison on his ukulele playing.
The sketch isn’t dreadful but it’s more fan fiction than satire, simply working famous footage of politicians singing pop songs badly into a mockumentary about music production. There’s no bite or commentary here, just some half-hearted gags. See also that RAT test sketch where Humphries, in search of a RAT, finds himself in an action movie trailer.
Isn’t the real problem with RAT tests that the government has massively screwed up ordering enough for everyone? So, why is this a tale of a hero battling the odds rather than a sketch sticking the boot into incompetent bureaucrats?
Hitting the target, or at least getting near it, should be a base level requirement for a satirical sketch, so it’s amazing how often Humphries fails to do it. At least in his sketch from two weeks ago, in which he gives Scott Morrison a performance review, we get some commentary on Scott Morrison’s failings.
With the number of failings Scott Morrison has, it really shouldn’t be so hard.
* One for the Boomers and music nerds.