WATCH: ‘SNL’s’ Hillary Clinton a candidate for recalibrating

SHARE WATCH: ‘SNL’s’ Hillary Clinton a candidate for recalibrating

Of all the things Hillary Clinton has to worry about as she begins her presidential run just hours from now, savaging from “Saturday Night Live” doesn’t seem to be one of them. Because judging from this weekend’s show, we’re in for some portrayals too farfetched to make anyone think twice about the real thing.

Kate McKinnon rendition’s of the ex-Secretary of State tipped past parody into grotesque caricature, this Clinton snarling her lust for power through clenched teeth. “Fellow citizens!” the wild-eyed pol barked in Take 1 of her announcement video. “You WILL elect me!”

The last time McKinnon put on the Hillary wig, her manic drive was leavened by her mock uncertainly about whether she’d run. This time, the respites came from “SNL” announcer Darrell Hammond, reprising the Bill Clinton business he’s done for almost 20 years. There were some good gags (Hillary removed a boxy suit jacket only to reveal the same jacket underneath), and Hammond’s pop-ins helped illustrate just how long we’ve been watching this couple, but if McKinnon plans to keep up this broad characterization, we’re in for a long 19 months until Election Day.

Really, aggressive acting was rampant as “Empire” scenery-chewer Taraji P. Henson hosted for the first time. This was a host who didn’t hold back and at times went too far, as when she pointlessly oversold the QVC host she was supposed to play as a straight man. But more often her shtick stuck, notably her dead-on Wanda Sykes impression on “Hollywood Game Night” (again a showcase for Beck Bennett’s eerie take on Nick Offerman).

Inevitably Henson gave us a taste of Cookie, in a funny place: the actual set of “Sesame Street.” There she called out Snuffulupagus and snatched a confection from the Cookie Monster and devoured it in his trademark crumb-flying style. (The highlight here was the little Muppet chicken in the corner of the screen who kept fleeing Cookie in terror.)Other thoughts:

• The night had some dumb sketches — about a Liza Minnelli-like star hawking ponchos and a spaceship pilot defying her captain — but one in particular also had a serious creepy factor. Pete Davidson played a teen testifying in the abuse trial of the teacher (Cecily Strong) who seduced him. Any suggestion that such a thing could be damaging was swept aside by icky and obvious jokes that the affair thrilled the kid, impressed his classmates and even awed the judge (Kenan Thompson).

• And if that wasn’t enough inappropriate lust, we also got another visit by Janelle (Sasheer Zamata), the adolescent whose Youtube dance lessons draw pervy viewers in prison.

• Adding some star power Saturday were Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, in a trailer for a black “Game of Thrones” set in South Centrous, and Billy Crystal, as the wisecracking dad of Bar Mitzvah boy Jacob (Vanessa Bayer). Unfortunately, Crystal’s portrayal was too different from Bayer’s to be a tribute and too similar to be a funny contrast. And how hard would it have been to get a salt-and-pepper Jewfro wig matching Crystal’s beard?

• One of the season’s funnier phony commercials reasoned that if toddlers like Elmo and Dora and such on their diapers, why shouldn’t the elderly get their own adorned with famous faces of yore (Clark Gable, Mickey Mantle) or of TV syndication (Tony Shalhoub, various “Law & Order” ADA’s)? The result: Depend s Legends, for when Oops I Crapped My Pants doesn’t cut it.• The “Hollywood Game Night” sketch brought a milestone of special Chicago interest: the first “SNL” impression of South Sider and recent Oscar winner Common. Jay Pharaoh’s version of the rapper was a self-righteous prig prone to busting out a few sanctimonious rhymes from “Glory” unprompted. (Cut to Chris Pine shedding another tear.)• The James Franco episode from December repeats next Saturday as the show goes on break. New episodes resume May 2 with Scarlett Johansson, the second Avenger to host this year.

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