Gilly

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Gilly is a recurring sketch on the NBC television series Saturday Night Live. The titular character, Gilly, is portrayed by Kristen Wiig. Gilly is a highly mischievous schoolgirl known for being mysteriously disobedient, often performing elaborate and occasionally violent actions without anyone in the class noticing. [1] Gilly appeared in five regular Saturday Night Live episodes and a two-hour Christmas special between 2009 and 2012 before being retired by Wiig. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

[edit] Creation and Concept

Gilly’s creation sprang from Wiig and SNL writer Paula Pell attaching a personality to a pulled-back smile Wiig thought was goofy enough to merit a character. [5] Wiig and Pell were writing something else at the time, but gradually developed the idea over the proceeding weeks. [6] With time, the two conceived Gilly as a bad kid who said “sorry,” and Wiig explained that the idea developed organically from there. [7]

Gilly, ultimately presented as a fiendish Little Orphan Annie delighting in mischief, subsequently debuted in 2009 during Saturday Night Live, Season 34, Episode 13. [8]

[edit] Format

Typically, the sketch opens with an outside shot of Bridgewater Academy and cuts to an elementary school classroom. The sketch then follows a very structured set of events, beginning with an act of mischief. [9] Gilly’s uncertain teacher, Mr. Dillon, portrayed by Will Forte, then goes around the class accusing innocent children of being responsible for the transgression. [10] After three classmates assert their innocence, someone tattles on Gilly. When the teacher finally accuses Gilly of the act, Gilly smiles and says, “Sorry.” [11] This cycle repeats throughout the sketch as increasingly terrible transgressions occur.

Notably, throughout many of the sketches, Gilly’s vocabulary does not exceed 5 words. [12] Her most frequent responses are limited to the phrases "What?", "Uh-huh," and "Sorry." [13]

[edit] Recurring Characters

Apart from the titular character Gilly, there are 4 recurring characters in the sketch:

  • Liam, 4 appearances, portrayed by Bobby Moynihan, a classmate and a self-professed "good kid" [14]
  • Sam Jeffers, 4 appearances, portrayed by Kenan Thompson, a classmate with two broken arms [15]
  • Mr. Dillion, 3 appearances, portrayed by Will Forte, Gilly’s non-punitive teacher [16]
  • Paula, 2 appearances, portrayed by Abby Elliot, a classmate who regularly tattles on Gilly [17]

[edit] Theme song

Many of the sketches feature Gilly’s theme song, which appears after she is first caught in the act of trouble making. The song is followed with an extreme close-up of Gilly’s face, where she smiles and says, “Sorry.” Many of the sketches also end with the last line of the theme song played again, which is once more followed by Gilly smiling into the camera and saying “Sorry.”

The lyrics to Gilly’s theme song are: Her name is Gilly and she's at it again, Causing lots of ruckus like a popular kid, She's always making trouble, Her hair is like a bubble. Knock knock who's there its Gilly! [18]

[edit] Reception

The skit has mixed reviews. [19] While Gilly is a popular sketch, Premium Hollywood has declared Gilly as being "The Most Unfunny" recurring SNL character of all time. [20] In particular, Gilly has been criticised as being repetitive to the point of annoyance. [21]

In an interview with Movieline, Wiig agreed that Gilly can be a “polarizing” character, in which people either love her or hate her. [22] Notably, Wiig indicated that even her own mother did not initially have a positive reaction to the character. [23] Wiig herself is no longer willing to play Gilly, even at the request of SNL producer Lorne Michaels. [24][25]

[edit] Appearances

Date Season Host Description Link to Video
01/17/2009 34.13 Rosario Dawson First appearance. [26]
04/11/2009 34.20 Zac Efron Science Fair Finals. [27] Link
10/20/2009 35.3 Drew Barrymore Gilly meets a foreign exchange student Gigli Drew Barrymore. [28] Link
12/17/2009 35Herself Christmas Special. [29] Link
10/09/2010 36.3 Jane Lynch A sketch in which she joins the cast of the television series Glee. [30]
04/07/2012 37.18 Sofía Vergara Sex-ed class, with a flash-forward to Gilly's death alone in a hospital room.[31] Link

[edit] References

  1. Stein, J. (2011, May 2). Time Magazine. Kristen Wiig: The anti-comedian. Retrieved November 19, 2012
  2. The SNL Archives. Sketch: Gilly. Retrieved November 19, 2012
  3. Daily Republic (2009, December 8). Wiig to host 'SNL' Christmas special as Gilly. Retrieved November 19, 2012
  4. The Marquee Blog (2011, May 4). Kristen Wiig retires Gilly and Penelope. CNN Entertainment. Retrieved November 19, 2012
  5. Dominus, S. (2011, April 28). Can Kristen Wiig turn on the charm? The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  6. Daily Republic (2009, December 8). Wiig to host 'SNL' Christmas special as Gilly. Retrieved November 19, 2012
  7. Daily Republic (2009, December 8). Wiig to host 'SNL' Christmas special as Gilly. Retrieved November 19, 2012
  8. The SNL Archives. Sketch: Gilly. Retrieved November 19, 2012
  9. Daily Republic (2009, December 8). Wiig to host 'SNL' Christmas special as Gilly. Retrieved November 19, 2012
  10. The SNL Archives. Character: Mr. Dillon. Retrieved November 20, 2012
  11. Saturday Night Live Wiki. Gilly. Retrieved November 20, 2012
  12. CBS News (2009, December 8). Wiig to host 'SNL' Christmas special. Retrieved November 20, 2012
  13. Saturday Night Live Wiki. Gilly. Retrieved November 20, 2012
  14. The SNL Archives. Character: Liam. Retrieved November 20, 2012
  15. The SNL Archives. Character: Sam Jeffers. Retrieved November 20, 2012
  16. The SNL Archives. Character: Mr. Dillon. Retrieved November 20, 2012
  17. The SNL Archives. Character: Paula. Retrieved November 20, 2012
  18. Television Tunes. Saturday Night Live - Gilly theme song. Retrieved November 20, 2012
  19. CBS News (2009, December 8). Wiig to host 'SNL' Christmas special. Retrieved November 20, 2012
  20. Paulsen, J. (2009, April 13). Gilly, the unfunniest returning SNL character... ever. Premium Hollywood. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  21. Paulsen, J. (2009, April 13). Gilly, the unfunniest returning SNL character... ever. Premium Hollywood. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  22. Ryan, M. (2011, March 11). Kristen Wiig on Paul, her future at SNL and how her mom doesn't like Gilly. Movieline. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  23. Ryan, M. (2011, March 11). Kristen Wiig on Paul, her future at SNL and how her mom doesn't like Gilly. Movieline. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  24. The Marquee Blog (2011, May 4). Kristen Wiig retires Gilly and Penelope. CNN Entertainment. Retrieved November 19, 2012
  25. Stein, J. (2011, May 2). Time Magazine. Kristen Wiig: The anti-comedian. Retrieved November 19, 2012
  26. Saturday Night Live Transcripts. Season 34: Episode 13. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  27. Saturday Night Live Transcripts. Season 34: Episode 20. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  28. Saturday Night Live Transcripts. Season 35: Episode 3. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  29. Internet Movie Database. SNL presents: A very Gilly Christmas. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  30. Saturday Night Live Transcripts. Season 36: Episode 3. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  31. Saturday Night Live Transcripts. Season 37: Episode 18. Retrieved November 20, 2012.

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[edit] External links

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