Wow. I know I said Saturday Night Live brought out the big guns with last week's Justin Timberlake-hosted show, but that was nothing compared to what the show had in store for its 34th season finale, hosted by Will Ferrell. It may not have been joke-for-joke the funniest show of the season, but I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy it more than any other episode this year.

In addition to Ferrell -- a former cast member-turned powerhouse host -- the show featured appearances by Tom Hanks, Maya Rudolph, Norm MacDonald and a few other surprise guests.

Amy Poehler came back to do "Weekend Update" for the finale; while I wasn't the biggest fan of Poehler in that role when it was her regular gig, I have to admit that after weeks of Seth Meyers go it alone, I was happy to see her back in the chair. I miss her way more than I thought I would. Go figure.

It was a totally entertaining show, and left you with the feeling that the whole season was this much fun.

Side note: did anyone else get the feeling this was Darrell Hammond's last show?

Sketch Highlights

• "Cheney Cold Open" - I like Will Ferrell's George W. Bush impression more than anyone else's -- it is, for me, the definitive portrayal -- but I can't say as I was too excited to see it this week. Maybe it's because Ferrell's one-man Broadway show (now Tony-nominated) "You're Welcome, America" was already more G.W. than I care to see anymore. I liked seeing the host appear in the cold open (which rarely happens anymore), but I'm ready to move on and forget the last eight years. That way, I'll be doomed to repeat them. (Watch the "Cheney Cold Open" video)

• "Will Ferrell Monologue" - All season I've complained that the monologues have been too similar, usually relying on the host either taking questions from audience plants or doing a song. Well, I certainly can't complain about Ferrell's monologue, an odd piece of performance art from a fake play he had written. I laughed way more at the idea of the whole thing than at the execution, but I like how out-there Ferrell is willing to go sometimes. When he wants to be, he can be a real risk taker; it was nice to see SNL taking some risks with him. (Watch "Will Ferrell Monologue" video)
• "Lawrence Welk" - I had some complaints about this sketch when the show did it earlier this season with host Anne Hathaway, but most of my nitpicking was about SNL squandering its new found relevance. Now that we're further away from the election, I can enjoy the sketch more -- even though it is essentially another one-joke bit featuring a wacky Kristin Wiig character. Still, I like that it features all four female cast members (probably because I've got heavy-duty crushes on two of them; no points awarded for guessing who) and laughed out loud when Wiig sang "Can I touch?" Plus, having Will Ferrell play the straight man? That's taking a risk. (Watch "Lawrence Welk video)
• "Jeopardy!" - Even though I should be taking Saturday Night Live to task for rolling out too many "best-of" type sketches for Ferrell (much like I did when Tracy Morgan hosted earlier this season), I'll admit that I'm a sucker for these "Jeopardy!" sketches. I like the celebrity impressions, and the evil Sean Connery stuff is usually good for a couple laughs. While I was disappointed to see Kristin Wiig doing her Kathy Lee Gifford again (we've seen that one too many times this season), I love the fact that Tom Hanks and Norm MacDonald both came back to appear in the sketch. Hanks is still my favorite host of all time (Mr. Short-Term Memory!) and Norm MacDonald's Burt Reynolds rules. It's a testament to how well-loved Ferrell is that MacDonald -- who was treated poorly by the show and hung out to dry years ago -- was willing to return. (Watch "Jeopardy!" video)
• "Update: Harry Caray" - Here's where Ferrell's "best of" characters finally hit the wall for me. His Harry Caray has always been funny, but this one offered nothing new. Not bad, but not as good as the rest of the show. (Watch "Update: Harry Caray" video)
• "Funeral" - This sketch was awfully similar to one the show did earlier this season with host Hugh Laurie, only now instead of a wedding reception it was a funeral. Despite the presence of returning cast member Maya Rudolph (who I miss even more than Amy Poehler, but who was saddled with an unfunny song about Sasquatch), this was a pretty uneven sketch. Bobby Moynihan wins the MVP award for this one; his single line was the funniest moment of the whole thing. (Watch "Funeral" video)
• "Goodnight, Saigon" - The final sketch of the night wasn't the funniest, but it was hands-down my favorite and a perfect way to close out the 34th season of Saturday Night Live. I'm already a sucker for Billy Joel's Vietnam epic from The Nylon Curtain; on top of that, the sketch just continued to build and add new faces until I was just about ready to cry. I don't know what's wrong with me. It made me happy to see the entire 34th season cast (even a rare, non-"Update" appearance by Seth Meyers). Then past cast members like Poehler and Rudolph and Norm MacDonald show up, conjuring up fond memories of seasons past. Green Day joins in to show us what good sports they are. Tom Hanks joins in because he's the greatest person alive, and he was joined by some of this season's best guest hosts: Anne Hathaway and Paul Rudd (Rudd is already unassailably cool, but Hathway shot up a couple more points for me). I finally almost lost in when I saw comedian Artie Lange, who was there for no reason other than because he's friends with Norm MacDonald. Still, to see his excited smile and to think that this was his first time onstage at Saturday Night Live filled me with joy. The sketch transformed into a celebration of this season, of the show's history and even the dreams of those who never made it on. That's pretty weighty stuff for the 11:55 slot, no? As much as I'd like to include a link to the video, NBC hasn't made one available. I will never understand that.

Thanks for joining me this season. There was a lot to like on SNL this year, which should give us all hope for the future.

Read all SNL Season 34 Recaps

• Original Air Date: 5/15/09
• Host: Will Ferrell
• Musical Guest: Green Day