In their latest digital short, the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy from Saturday Night Live increases the tension with a sketch featuring John Higgins and Martin Herlihy as two anxious skydivers. The duo’s nerves are heightened by a series of unsettling comments from their instructors, portrayed by Ben Marshall and host Michael Keaton.
The sketch begins with Marshall confessing to Higgins and Herlihy that he’s feeling "weird" about the jump, which is far from the motivating speech one would hope to receive before skydiving. Herlihy attempts to comfort Marshall by suggesting that the feeling of unease might be normal, but Marshall’s straightforward reply only amplifies their anxiety: “No, I’m usually never nervous. Just woke up feeling off today. Like, luck is just not on my side.”
The situation rapidly deteriorates when Keaton, playing the other instructor, mentions after a phone call with his lawyer that he has just lost custody of his children. Additionally, he informs them that the pilot assigned to their flight is experiencing his first day on the job.
For Higgins and Herlihy, it is clearly an inopportune day to go skydiving.
