Breakup Theater, Cranked Up to 11

With time, a breakup can become an edifying event in one’s life. The immediate aftermath of a split tends to be less clear, a hazy maelstrom that can involve medicinal tubs of ice cream, insomnia by way of intrusive thoughts, and an aversion to wearing anything other than sweats. But a fresh breakup can also be a warped lens through which everyday occurrences can be newly interpreted: It’s capable of transforming, say, an innocuous song playing over the speakers at CVS into a private soundtrack that speaks directly to one’s loss. It can cause rote interactions to feel like personal taunts, or lead one to read deeply into something that isn’t quite true.The peculiarities of these heartbreak goggles fueled a zany Saturday Night Live sketch, a standout from last night’s solid episode that saw Olivia Rodrigo doing double duty as host and musical guest. In “My Ex,” Rodrigo played a woman named Brianna who tried to make her ex jealous at a party by appearing to flirt with someone else; he did the same, leading her to double down, and vice versa. The ever increasing absurdity turned a familiar mind game between exes into a shrewd illustration of heartbreak’s capacity to create wild distortions of reality.The sketch opened with people gathered at an intimate restaurant to celebrate their friend’s birthday. Brianna, spotting her former boyfriend, Duncan (Ben Marshall), attempted to brush off the awkward encounter. But she inadvertently made it plain that the three-week-old wound had not yet healed, admitting that she’d been thinking constantly about him and weeping nightly. She then turned to the stranger sitting to her left (Tommy Brennan) and asked if he’d pretend to be her date to make Duncan jealous. Seeing them nuzzling together, Duncan then asked the woman next to him, Beverly (Ashley Padilla), to act as though they’d arrived together that night.Their behavior was relatable, reminiscent of the subtle one-upmanship that can so easily govern unwieldy, ego-driven social e