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A Halloween episode of Saturday Night Live gave newcomer Inde Navarrette a standout moment this week, thanks to a wildly inventive digital short that quickly became the talk of the night.
A Halloween Episode With a Surprise Hit
The October episode opened with a cold open featuring Tom Hanks reprising his David S. Pumpkins character, alongside a Donald Trump impression that included the admission he “might be gay,” and a cameo from Nicki Minaj as a MAGA supporter. Navarrette then delivered her opening monologue, which included a pointed jab at comedian Shane Gillis. However, it was a later sketch that truly stole the show.
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The digital short, titled “The Inventor,” gave Navarrette the kind of material that lets a performer shine. It combined deadpan comedy, absurdist storytelling, and a genuinely unexpected punchline.
The Sketch That Made the Night
The sketch begins at a funeral. Navarrette plays a widow delivering a eulogy for her late husband, describing him as an “eccentric” inventor who “spent his final days in his workshop building god knows what.” She adds dryly that he “loved his inventions” and merely “liked his wife.”
After the wake, she returns home to find her husband left her a gift in his workshop. It is a small, charming robot named PD 44, designed in the style of Wall-E. The two quickly become close companions, though she cannot figure out what PD’s actual purpose is.
Six Years Later — and a Shocking Twist
The story then jumps forward six years. Navarrette’s character is finally ready to date again. She matches with a man named Tom Oakland, played by Ben Marshall, on a dating app. Their evening goes well, and she brings him back to her apartment to meet PD.
That is when everything changes. PD suddenly transforms into a towering, menacing robot. It tears off Tom’s penis and launches it directly into the moon. “PD stands for Penis Destroyer?!” Navarrette’s character shouts in disbelief. The robot then fires a laser at Tom until he explodes, leaving her drenched in blood.
Rather than horror, her reaction is joy. “He did love me… My husband loved me after all!” she declares, beaming.
A Breakout Moment for Navarrette
The sketch worked largely because of Navarrette’s sharp comic timing and her total commitment to the material. She held the absurd premise together from start to finish. As a result, the piece stood out as one of the stronger SNL digital shorts in recent memory. For Navarrette, it marked a clear statement of arrival on one of television’s biggest comedy stages.
