Jimmy Fallon and Nicole Kidman try to reignite the awkward magic of their missed connection

Nicole Kidman went on The Tonight Show Thursday night for the first time since an incredibly awkward interview with Jimmy Fallon in January 2015, and they addressed that head-on. "I so didn't want to come back," Kidman said. While the first interview was apparently a spontaneous train wreck, it's less clear where the artifice and genuine awkwardness began and ended on Thursday's show. The repeated use of Gary White's "Dream Weaver" — a reference to Wayne's World — was clearly set up beforehand, but is the buffet story real? By the end, Fallon had clearly lost control of the interview once again, making for compelling if slightly less charmingly cringe-inducing television. It's hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice, but they gave it a helluva try.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.