Wearing a bright pink shirt, a long jacket, a bag slung over her shoulder, and a hand in her pocket; this is definitely one mysterious figure. We don’t know much about her other than the fact that she mostly keeps to herself and is apparently psychic, but Evelyn of the “Wedding Objections” Saturday Night Live sketch certainly leaves an impression. Suddenly appearing in the middle of a sketch revolving around the union of a black WNBA athlete and a very British Martin Freeman, Evelyn offers her own objections to what is occurring. The humour of the sketch comes from the fact that virtually all of the bride and groom’s friends and family have major objections to the marriage taking place that come from a place of reason rather than racial tensions, but Evelyn is different. We don’t know why she’s there at all and we never find out what her exact problem with the couple. Everything we do know can be surmised in her opening line. I don’t know these people. I was just walking by and I caught a very brief glimpse of these two through the window. Now, I am a mild-mannered person; I don’t speak in groups, I don’t get involved, but when I saw these two… every hair on my body stood up and said “Evelyn, get in there and shut it down.” Why did this stranger feel the need to crash this wedding? Was it due to race? Her age and the fact that she only caught a “brief glimpse” before deciding to shut it down suggests that this is the case, but her eccentric look and the fact that she later claims to be psychic clouds her motivations further. Is she simply off her meds? Is her claim as a psychic a wry way for expressing how obviously terrible the marriage will be? Or perhaps this sketch takes place in an alternate reality where such a thing is possible and Evelyn is a vigilante hero that acts out of the best interest of others (her peculiar outfit certainly suggests something along those lines). We may never know, but I will say that Kate McKinnon sells this strange, strange role in all of its glory. Her eyes darting around, the gravity she puts into her opening speech, and the clothing and dialogue cues that suggests there’s more to Evelyn than one would assume all sell this… whatever it is. In all my days to come, I will find my thoughts drifting to the mystery of Evelyn from that one Saturday Night Live sketch, wondering what her deal was exactly. Anyone who thinks I’m just looking too deeply into what was in all likelihood a random old lady they decided to throw into a sketch needs to look deep into Kate McKinnon’s eyes and try to think that way again. The deep burning shame felt will be matched only by the depths of Evelyn’s soul that was gazed upon through her eyes. The sketch in question (unavailable to non-Americans through conventional means):

Quote of the Day:

Cecilia Giminez (Kate McKinnon): I know, I know… I was surprised as you! It was such a rabid eye, Seth! I said, ‘Jesus, why you look like a shark?’ – Saturday Night Live