Breaking character can make or break a skit. In the case of Debbie downer, it definitely enhanced the sketch. There are other sketches with Debbie Downer where they do a slightly better job keeping it together. These are still funny and weird. This sketch was written to exploit Debbie's compulsion to spout off such negative facts and topics. Her theme song sets the sketch up as making fun of her as an archetype. The way she sticks out at any social gathering they place her in, whether a family trip, thanksgiving, or a proposal, and always has a “fun fact” to share killing the mood and throwing off everyone else present is what defines her character. The use of the cliched sad trombone helps signal the audience that her sadness is itself the joke. It’s even better knowing that everything she says is completely true. Watching the whole cast struggle so much is funny in a separate way. Rachel Dratch especially looks like she is in actual pain trying to hold things in. We laugh at their failure knowing full well that we would be know better.
One of my favorite parts of Debbie Downer skits is the mention of feline AIDs. We don’t get Debbie actually talking about it, only someone else complaining about her having mentioned it. Without fail she always responds “It’s the number one killer of domestic cats.” It has become as much a part of her neurosis as every other morbid thing she says. One expects to hear it, but they can never be quite sure when it’s coming, but when it comes out, you laugh at the familiarity. There’s almost a relief of tension. Recurring jokes across different episodes allow you to laugh at its specific usage, but also its general usage. In this case you laugh at Debbie exposing some poor girl at Disneyland to the world of feline AIDs, but just as much you laugh at Debbie’s preoccupation with feline AIDs.
The part that gets me every time, though, is the comment at the end. After the skit has wrapped up and you’ve heard the last joke, as you’re still holding your sides recovering, she gets you one last time. In this case it’s “they never did catch that anthrax guy.” It’s that final kick while you're down. It's such an unsettling thought, but with the context, having already spent six minutes laughing at her extreme pessimism, it becomes a hilarious cherry on top.
Of course, it's all in the precise facts she shares too--ordinary AIDS is not funny, but Feline AIDS can be. I wonder if there is a certain type of skit that is funnier when they break character. It also seems like seeing her in pain, seeing her really struggle to keep it together, is crucial too.
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