If you thought Bilbo Baggins simply returned to the Shire after the events of The Hobbit, you’d be dead wrong. Turns out that after the Battle of the Five Armies, he nobly turned down his share of Smaug’s treasure and instead took up a job at a paper company, along with his fellow adventurers… and Gandalf, who continues to run everyone’s lives and just be the worst.
Saturday Night Live has hit upon the perfect mashup, utilizing guest host Martin Freeman as two of his best-known characters. But as funny as it was to see Freeman in full Hobbit getup doing an Office-style confessional and making his Tim grimaces at the camera, the rest of the SNL cast stole the sketch.
Taran Killam in particular makes a hilarious Gollum/Sméagol/Gareth Keenan (Dwight Schrute in the U.S. Office) blend. Kate McKinnon spends equal time channeling Tauriel and Dawn Tinsley and makes us believe she and Bilbo are bonafide office spouses. And Bobby Moynihan’s Gandalf is way too believable as a David Brent-style boss: Of course the wizard who manipulated Bilbo into going on the quest in the first place would be sharing orc dick jokes and dancing awkwardly during office parties.
