Natasha Lyonne

The Russian Doll star supplied comic heft and real poignancy in an episode of goodbyes that will have some verklempt.

Lyonne was great here as someone outside the New York metro (as she was in “Final Encounter”), and the show should’ve given her a chance to stretch more in place of the Nine to Five parody. (But are they ever?) Some have suggested (the very talented) correspondent Sarah Sherman might be a good fit, but I think she works best for the show as an intermittent agent of chaos. She got a little choked up on at the end, and it was poignant when she said “Thanks for letting me stay awhile.” McKinnon’s been a key part of the show for a decade and won two Best Supporting acting Emmys for it (the only cast member to do so). This pitch to the artistic/eccentric elder was precisely observed and landed a number of LOLs. Choice lines: “You never stopped smoking pot—so why should your hair?” and “I look how incense smells.” The sketch was also somewhat of a goodbye showcase for Mooney (nice catch there), who brought SNL an adult-pigtailed misfit energy that was unique and real. Jost and Che are the longest-running anchor team in SNL history, but several uninspired weeks this season (including tonight’s) indicate it may be time for a change. The repeat “Weekend Update” segment “Trend Forecasters” only ranks among the show’s best in a reminder of the reliability and dimension Aidy Bryant brought to the show. Here, he commemorates himself as “white … and became hugely successful despite never showing up to work,” and a symbol for SNL hopefuls as proof “literally anyone can be on that show.” His goodbye leveled some good burns at Fox News and Colin Jost, and was partly a valentine to executive producer Lorne Michaels, who Davidson considers a father figure (and will be producing his upcoming sitcom Bupkis). As the host of “50s Baseball Broadcast” who’s been prescribed meth to quash a cold, Lyonne worked overtime to sell this one—her physicality, energy and delivery made Mikey Day (master of the disbelieving reaction) seem almost snoozy. It’s a good comic setup and structure, always circling back to Rachel Finnster (Lyonne), a never-ending source of trouble, up to and including homicide. The show has mined this dark millennial Borscht Belt territory successfully before (see “Maid of Honor”), and this was equally amusing. Lyonne zinged her current starring role on Netflix’s Russian Doll (“Two things you definitely want to be associated with right now—Russia and Netflix”) and SNL itself (“I love … people who’ve done the same thing since the ‘70s). Bonus points for Armisen (with whom she starred in a sex tape “no one wanted to buy”) and Rudolph showing up to do their impressions of her distinctive voice. It not only ran through her extensive résumé (from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse to the cult favorite But I’m A Cheerleader) but went to revelatory places about her life.

Natasha Lyonne hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time and was joined by a familiar face: Her ex, former cast member Fred Armisen.

"I had been [in Los Angeles] living with Fred and during COVID. I honestly think we broke up because I wanted a swimming pool," she told the outlet. "The people here are my real-life chosen family," she said. "I've been coming here since I was a teenager.

There was plenty of fanfare before the show even started. A number of long-time cast members, including Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, and Pete ...

Lyonne also joked about how it’s not the best time to be promoting a Netflix show called Russian Doll, and looks back at her first big starring role as Opal in Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. Despite this desire to fit in, she also had a desire to rebel, a quality that is not only welcomed now, but encouraged and evident in her work. The New York native told Marc Maron on an episode of his podcast that growing up, she was always trying to fit in and had a “hyper critical” and “hyper-analytical” mind that made her self-conscious. She started the production company Animal Pictures with Maya Rudolph and produced everything from the documentary Sirens which made it to Sundance, to Hulu’s rom-com Crush, and Rian Johnson’s upcoming television series Poker Face, the latter of which Lyonne will also star. In this 1950s baseball broadcast, legendary announcer Diz Newsom (Lyonne) gets a bit out of hand when he shows up to announce the Yankees game completely high on his new cold medicine. The return of Ms. Rafferty (McKinnon), the woman with no filter whose alien abduction experiences are always far more disturbing and baffling than the other abductees was met with rapturous applause. Lyonne and Cecily Strong’s characters had beautiful, almost moving experiences from their time on the spaceship, whereas Ms. Rafferty managed to have another confusing and invasive one. But thanks to the help of close friends, including actress and Russian Doll co-star Chloë Sevigny and producing partner Maya Rudolph, she’s managed to not only come out alive but thrive. It is, however, a hilarious parody of ‘80s movies titled 9:15 to 5:10 that follows three bumbling women (Cecily Strong, Heidi Gardner, and Ego Nwodim) who kill their misogynistic boss and attempt to trick his male co-workers (Kyle Mooney and Fred Armisen) into thinking he’s still alive. Not only was this a more prominent part than she was used to, but it was her first time acting alongside big stars such as Julia Roberts, Alan Alda, and Goldie Hawn. That experience was followed by memorable roles in American Pie, Slums of Beverly Hills, and But I’m a Cheerleader, three films with their own cult following. A number of long-time cast members, including Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson announced that they would be leaving the show after this season. McKinnon had a sweet and teary send-off when she thanked the crowd in her “Final Encounter” Cold Open, Davidson slid over to Colin Jost at the Weekend Update desk to look back on his time at the show, and Aidy Bryant thanked everyone for a great 10 years while she forecasted trends with Bowen Yang. There were many emotions swirling about for Natasha Lyonne’s host debut, but as expected, she handled her hosting duties like a pro.