What does it take to earn the vaunted “Superhost” status on Airbnb? And what steps would someone take in order to secure the highest possible rating from a guest in their home? That was the subject of a sketch on this week’s Saturday Night Live, which found Cecily Strong and Rami Malek playing a couple who are willing to go to virtually any length to impress the couple (Mikey Day and Melissa Villaseñor) that booked a stay at their cabin.
What does that translate to? Some very distinctive choices of artwork, for one thing. And some very over-the-top surveillance of social media, for another. Malek’s ability to play characters who are a little too intense was on display for much of the episode — and was particularly notable here. And Strong is also no stranger to playing very discomfiting intensity for maximum comic value, a talent also on display here.
The sketch has a few moments that don’t really land, including an early joke about woodworking that falls flat. But another joke — about the first name of Malek’s character — works far better by adding to the general unsettling vibe of the sketch. And for more scenes of Malek embracing a chaotic comic presence, his interaction with the Please Don’t Destroy guys has that in abundance.
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