Aidy Bryant breaking character made a run-of-the-mill SNL sketch great

The Washington Post

As one fan pointed out, the wardrobe-change mistake that made Bryant crack up turned a forgettable sketch into the season premiere's most memorable. "It’s common knowledge among SNL fans that sketches can get pretty zany following 'Weekend Update,'" says Bethonie Butler. "'Inside the Beltway' was sandwiched between a sketch about a locker room pep talk interrupted by the ditsy girlfriend of a high school football coach and a Downton Abbey spoof. For that reason, it’s common to see some comedians break character in the latter half of the show. For others — ahem, Pete Davidson — breaking character is shtick in and of itself. Bryant also laughed copiously, alongside Kate McKinnon, during the night’s final sketch — a wacky sketch about a sister-owned and poorly operated apple orchard. But it was rare to see her break character so uncontrollably in what would have otherwise been a run-of-the-mill SNL skit. And somehow, the off-the-rails moment felt at home in a sketch about a cycle of insanity within the nation’s politics."