close menu

SNL’s WILLY WONKA Spoof Goes to a Really Awkward Place

When you’re young, you might not question the logic of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; kids, after all, want to believe in magic. As you get a little bit older, however, certain questions will present themselves, like: could the Oompa-Loompas leave if they wanted to? Does lickable wallpaper attract flies? What the heck is up with that boat tunnel? And, perhaps lastly, how exactly do Charlie’s four grandparents manage that single-bed sleeping arrangement in a one-room shack?

Saturday Night Live embraced its inner fourteen year-old this week to explore that issue a bit more in depth. Yes, the grandparents would probably have marital relations in that bed, and no, nobody else in the house gets to escape seeing and hearing it no matter how loudly you sing “Cheer up Charlie,” especially not the other two grandparents. It’s probably not where you figured a Willy Wonka sex joke would go, but they went there. And for once, Kate McKinnon was the one who had trouble keeping a straight face.

And to think, Roald Dahl said the Gene Wilder movie took too many liberties with his book. It’s unlikely he took the time to think much about the marriages of grandpa Joe and grandma Josephine, or grandpa George and grandma Georgina, or he might have gotten into how weird it is that they gravitated to partners with basically the same name.

Now, if host Claire Foy ever wants to play Charlie in a stage musical, we think she’s ready. Especially after that.

Image: NBC

The Top 5 DC Animated TV Series Christmas Episodes

The Top 5 DC Animated TV Series Christmas Episodes

article
SXSW Review: Mavis! Is The Perfect Tribute To Soul Legend Mavis Staples

SXSW Review: Mavis! Is The Perfect Tribute To Soul Legend Mavis Staples

article
Bizarre States

Bizarre States : Sex and Nightmares

podcast