Winona Ryder / Moby

Well here we are, the last show of the season. It sure has flown by! We all know by now that this will not only be the last show of the year, but Will's last show as well. The show really won't be the same without him.

I had some pretty high expectations for this show, as I have had for season finales in the past. I really hoped and thought that this episode would be one of the best of the year. Let's see...

[ COLD OPENING ] C-SPAN Jimmy Carter & Castro

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure this was Darrell's first time portraying Jimmy Carter. Just like all his others, this was a perfect impression...exaggerated and hilarious. Not bad for an opening I suppose, but I saw the LFNY from miles away...

RATING : 7.5/10

[ MONOLOGUE ] Winona Ryder

I think this was definitely the best monologue of the year. Flat out hilarious! I love it whenever they show clips from "backstage" and such. Horatio as a woman was...err...disgusting as well as hilarious. Will was the best though. Great monologue!!!

RATING : 9.5/10

[ SKETCH ] Celebrity Jeopardy

Awesome. Probably one of, if not the best recurring sketch in recent years. Jimmy as Dave Matthews was great...loved the singing responses! The Bjork impression was good I guess, I don't know her that well but I'm assuming she's whacked. And of course, Sean Connery to top things off. Too bad they couldn't have brought Norm in to do his Burt Reynolds though! Sean's comments during the whole thing were good as always, but the cameo by Trebek himself at the end really made this sketch. Perfect ten.

RATING : 10/10 

[ SKETCH ] Gay Wedding Singers

Will and Chris as the singers were funny enough to begin with, but Kattan's disgusted looks throughout the song were priceless. Seth chugging his class of champagne was classic too. This was a pretty cool idea for a sketch and I really enjoyed it.

RATING : 5.5/10

[ SKETCH ] The Bearologist

This is another perfect example of classic SNL comedy. Very warped and unexpected. I laughed hysterically when the bear shot Ana. "Bad bear! You were supposed to maul her!!" A very clever sketch idea. Excellent!!

RATING : 9/10

[ COMMERCIAL ] Botox

This was great! I loved how they talked about how strong and crazy this stuff was. "I want to have a paralyzed face, but I'm too young to have a stroke!" Well written. I think this was definitely one of the better commercials of the season.

RATING : 8.5/10

[ SKETCH ] Girl Next Door : The Search For A Playboy Centerfold

You know, I really didn't think (or hope) that Amy's one-legged character would become recurring, but I've been surprised in the past. Overall, this was a pretty humorous sketch. I loved Will as Hef, especially his "...I like everything BUT her face" comment. Not too bad, but not really great either.

RATING : 5/10

[ WEEKEND UPDATE ] With Jimmy Fallon & Tina Fey

Joke wise, this Update was well below par. There weren't that many, and even the "funny" ones they did have weren't that great. The one exception, of course, was the OJ Simpson joke. That asshole in the audience who fake laughed and screamed "Go Home" (assuming it's the same person?) when Will came out as Neil Diamond should be shot. The Weekend Update All-Stars at the end really saved this Update from bitter destruction, as well as the cameo from the real Neil Diamond. Way to end it on a strong note I suppose! I look forward to next year.

RATING : 8/10

[ MUSIC ] Moby

Well I suppose this guy's pretty musically inclined, but it's not the type of stuff I'd listen to. I think he's made a bit of a transition because the last time I heard stuff from him it was very "electronic-like". Not a bad performance.

[ SKETCH ] The Luvahs

In retrospect, I think this was the best Luvahs sketch ever. Jimmy getting fed up was pretty funny, like when he corrected Will's pronunciation of hot tub and asked, "Okay who's touching my cul-de-sac?" A lot of comedy crammed into one sketch! I think this was a perfect way to end this recurring sketch on a high note.

RATING : 9/10

[ SKETCH ] Mango

Believe it or not, they found a way to make Mango funny. I haven't laughed at one of these sketches in a long time, but tonight was the exception. The three-way misunderstandings were pretty funny and a clever addition to the sketch. Even though this was funny for a Mango sketch, it really wasn't as funny as the earlier sketches tonight.

RATING : 5/10

[ MUSIC ] Moby

This is his song that's usually a duet with Gwen Stefani. She wasn't there though. Too bad. He got cut off at the end but it was for good cause.

[ SKETCH ] Will Ferrell Tribute

This was so many things at once. Enjoyable, depressing, and funny all at the same time. The segment with Tracy at the end was pretty good, but when Will admitted that he was a racist...THAT was comedy at it's finest. It was completely unexpected and had me rolling until the Goodbyes. A perfect tribute to my all time favorite cast member. We'll miss you Will.

RATING : 10/10

   [ OVERALL RATING ] 79 / 100

   [ BEST SKETCH ] Celebrity Jeopardy ( 10 )

   [ BEST QUOTE ] "You know what, I did steal your walkman...and I do hate black people." - Will Ferrell

   [ POINTS OF INTEREST ] Will was in every sketch tonight except the Botox commercial. The Bearologist sketch was originally written for the Gwyneth Paltrow episode but wasn't used until tonight. Cameos tonight included Alex Trebek and Neil Diamond.

This turned out to be the highest rated show of the season. Wow. It really is a shame that Will's leaving, but he had to leave sometime. Since the season is now over, I present to you my...

Best/Worst List of Season 27

   Best Episode - Winona Ryder/Moby
    Worst Episode - Ian McKellen/Kylie Minogue
    Best Host - Jon Stewart
    Worst Host - Derek Jeter
    Best Musical Guest - Creed
    Worst Musical Guest - Bubba Sparxxx
    Best Newcomer - Seth Meyers
   

Those are, of course, my opinion only. I really think all the hosts this year did a good job and were well suited to the role as SNL host, but I had to pick someone.

Anyway, that's all she wrote. Have a great summer everybody. GO LEAFS!