The iconic “What is Love?” Haddaway song fueled countless 90s dance parties. But on Saturday Night Live (SNL), the phrase took on a whole new meaning in a hilarious skit featuring Aidy Bryant. This skit, centered around a wine-themed birthday party gone awry, resonated with audiences for its relatable portrayal of “mom wine culture” and the often-passive-aggressive nature of friendship. Let’s uncork the comedic brilliance of this memorable SNL moment.
Wine Signs and Passive-Aggressive Friends: The Setup
The skit unfolds at a birthday party for Aidy Bryant’s character. Her well-meaning but clueless friends shower her with gifts, each more revealing than the last. The presents? A collection of increasingly concerning wooden signs with wine-related slogans. Initially, the signs seem harmlessly cheesy, like “Dinner Choices: 1. Take It 2. Leave It.” However, the messages quickly escalate into uncomfortable territory, touching on themes of excessive drinking and self-destructive behavior. Signs like “Wine gets better with age, I get better with wine” and “Can you drunk how tell I am?” draw nervous laughter, but the humor turns darker with slogans like “I like you better when I’m effed up” and “Hey Barkeep, I wanna die tonight.”
Aidy Bryant’s Breaking Point and the Underlying Message
The mounting pile of wine-centric gifts pushes Bryant’s character to her breaking point. She confronts her friends, questioning their intentions: “Are you guys trying to tell me something? We all drink during lockdown. We’re all just moms having fun, aren’t we?” This outburst highlights the skit’s underlying commentary on societal expectations and the judgment surrounding women and alcohol consumption. While the friends insist the gifts are just jokes, a final sign reading “I put wine bottles in other people’s recycling bins so the garbage men won’t know how much I go through in a week” exposes the raw truth behind the laughter.
Finding the Humor in the Pain: SNL’s Relatable Commentary
The skit’s brilliance lies in its ability to find humor in uncomfortable truths. The exaggerated signs and Bryant’s increasingly frantic reactions amplify the underlying anxieties many women face regarding societal pressures and self-perception. The skit cleverly satirizes the “mom wine culture” phenomenon, acknowledging the fine line between lighthearted enjoyment and potentially problematic behavior. While the skit ultimately ends on a seemingly positive note with a sentimental sign, the final reveal of yet another wine joke underscores the cyclical nature of these anxieties. The SNL skit doesn’t offer solutions, but it does provide a cathartic release through laughter, allowing viewers to recognize themselves and their own experiences in the exaggerated scenario.
