Benedict Cumberbatch took to Saturday Night Live with musical guest Arcade Fire and with it brought plenty of jokes about Mother's Day as well as quite a few shout-outs to movies and shows he's done in the past. But one sketch that really rose up the ranks as among the best of the night was "The Understudy". Focusing on star Chloe Fineman as the full-time understudy for all of Saturday Night Live, it shows why she's great at what she does and also had some surprises still!
Fineman is one of the show's best impressionists, which she shows throughout the sketch with her impressions of her costars. One impression that she does with ease is Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness co-star Elizabeth Olsen. The star, who recently in interviews promoting the film talked about shows she loved to watch, including Saturday Night Live. Olsen appears just as Fineman is dressed like her Marvel character Wanda Maximoff and acting as her understudy — without Olsen's knowledge.
It clearly also gets even better when the whole bit is that Cumberbatch thinks that Fineman is Olsen and even asks her why she's in costume but doesn't really question it past that point. Seeing Olsen on the show though was a fun moment for fans because she clearly loves the sketch comedy show. Even if she didn't end up hosting the whole show, it was still a nice to see her there!
Moments like this are what make Saturday Night Live so special. Olsen has been documented talking about how she loves watching this every week, she's shared that love for the show, so getting to see her on the show was both exciting for someone like me, who loves Olsen, and for those who know how much she loves the show as a whole.
The sketch came towards the end of the night and was just a quick nod to how talented Fineman is. The sketch really was just that much better knowing Olsen's own connection to Saturday Night Live. If this ends up being a fun recurring bit for Fineman, that would be incredible, but even as just a one off, this is a great one to bring in Olsen for. I just hope that it means that she'll be back in the future to host her own episode of the show!
Check out the sketch here: