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Brad Pitt on SNL

My husband and I loved Brad Pitt as Anthony Fauci this weekend.

The joke is that Fauci must repress his rage and encourage us to "keep an open mind" while he himself struggles with exasperation.

Donald Trump once suggested that a cure would pop up "relatively soon," and Dr. Fauci observes that "relatively" is a tricky adverb; if you tell your friend you'll arrive "relatively soon," then take a year and a half to show up, well, she might punch you in the face.

Trump asserted that "a miracle will happen" -- and, patiently, Dr. Fauci acknowledges that miracles are nice. "But they shouldn't be Plan A. Even Sully tried to land at an airport--first."

The thing that elevates the skit is Pitt's use of silence. (Here's why he is a star and an Oscar winner.) Confronted with a Trump clip in which it's suggested that "no one really knows what the virus is," Dr. Fauci briefly goes into a wordless tailspin; the suspense builds; Fauci tightens his throat and says, simply, "We know what the virus is."

Recalling Trump's thoughts on "injecting Lysol into your system," Fauci goes blank. He actually can say nothing at all, and the camera just stares at him, awkwardly, for several seconds.

Marc and I would have preferred a skit that didn't include the direct-address bromides at the end--sometimes, a message is more powerful when it isn't made explicit--but we had a good time. A nice break from the craziness right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW56CL0pk0g
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