Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin finally joined Saturday Night Live in the flesh and left the show almost unscathed – the laughs were mostly on her behalf but they were the kindlier type.

Saturday’s edition of humorous TV show SNL featured one very special guest: Republican runner-up and past-month parody-favorite Sarah Palin.

The show opened with former head writer and cast member and current frequent guest Tina Fey doing her now infamous Sarah Palin impersonation. This time around, she mocked the Alaska Governor’s first press conference, explaining to both the “liberal elite media” and the “liberal regular media” the difference between John McCain and Barack Obama’s ways of showing anger – the former grits his teeth and “he’s always goin’, like, grrrrr,” while the latter is more confusing because “his words are smooth when he’s talkin’, it’s like an angel whisperin’ in your ear.”

The real Sarah Palin was then shown standing in a hallway with show producer Lorne Michaels, watching Fey on a monitor. Two other special guests appeared briefly: Mark Wahlberg, who had threatened to hurt SNL cast member Andy Samberg after watching an impersonation of himself, and Alec Baldwin, who co-stars with Fey on “30 Rock.”

The actor approached Michaels and Palin and, ostensibly not recognizing the politician, pleaded with Michaels to not let “our Tina” go out there with that “horrible woman.”

Told that he was standing next to Palin, an unruffled Baldwin complimented the Alaska governor: “Forgive me, but I feel I must say this: You are way hotter in person.”

Palin’s reply: she had always preferred Stephen among the Baldwin brothers.

The actor then escorted Palin through the studio arriving where Fey was still mocking the governor in the pretense press conference. The comedienne exited the stage as Palin spoke the trademark welcome words “Live from New York…”

Quite a tame night considering the suave ruthlessness Fey has employed in her depiction of Palin the previous three times she impersonated her.