It’s a fun sketch, but it’s not the only time the episode called back to a show Aubrey Plaza starred in. Weekend Update featured Plaza returning to play April Ludgate from “Parks and Recreation,” giving half-hearted advice to the viewers about how to get involved in local government. Then Amy Poehler popped by, partly playing April’s boss Leslie Knope, partly playing the real-life Poehler who just wants to make Weekend Update jokes like she used to. (Amy Poehler also appeared in the monologue, technically playing herself but still acting like the concerned mother figure Knope was for April.)
If you’re someone who loves Plaza for her weird, vaguely threatening energy, this episode definitely didn’t disappoint. An early sketch features Plaza and Mikey Day playing a new couple at a neighbor’s game night, where their way-too-personal answers to the guessing game — not to mention, Plaza’s character’s growing horniness — makes everyone else deeply uncomfortable.
The episode also ends with a black-and-white noir sketch where Plaza plays a woman suspected of murdering five husbands in a row. It’s not directly related to any movie or show she’s been in, but man does it feel reminiscent of the roleplaying April used to do with Andy on “Parks and Rec.” SNL is always at its best when it effectively caters its writing to the sensibilities of the host, and that’s definitely the case here: this episode’s string of strange, off-beat sketches is exactly what we’d hope from an episode hosted by Aubrey Plaza.
“Saturday Night Live” airs Saturdays at 11:30pm ET on NBC, and is also available on Peacock.