Despite my love of Will Ferrell, I didn't see much SNL during this time period. After Norm MacDonald was fired I really soured on the show, and so I simply found better things to do with my time on Saturday nights. In retrospect, I missed out on some really fantastic years of SNL. Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights) was the head writer at this time, and his sense of humor really matches up with mine.
Cold Open: Clinton doesn't want to tell the truth. He's a dirty liar. 
Monologue: Writers Paula Pell and Tina Fey in the audience accuse John Goodman of hosting a repeat. He tries to prove that it's not.
Adult Literacy: Goodman's in a volunteer night class but insists on being the class clown, showing how ridiculous the concept is when you're not 8 years old. There's a rare sighting of a Darrell Hammond non-impression character in this one. I like the concept and Tim Meadows always makes for a good straight man in sketches like these.
Shaun Mondavi Vineyards: If and when there's a Best of Will Ferrell Volume 3, this HAS to go on it. I laughed for five straight minutes after his first reaction to drinking his own brand of wine. 
CNN Commercial: CNN keeps partnering with magazines. Short and sweet.
Wrap It Up: Chris Kattan is a really bad gift wrapper in a store owned by his over-protective father. 
Hello Dolly: A Home Shopping Network show about ridiculous dolls. Then the hosts start revealing disturbing personal information about themselves. Hmmm. 
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform "Swingin'": These guys just keep doing what they do best.
Weekend Update with Colin Quinn: Quinn can be funny at times. He was rarely funny doing Weekend Update. Tracy Morgan stumbles his way through a lame bit. Cheri Oteri is acceptable as her Collette Reardon / crazy drug lady, and saves the segment from getting the angry rating from me. 
Santa in the Spring: Santa's domestic quarrels with Mrs. Claus during the non-Christmas season. The crowd seems uncomfortable but I thought it was humorous. Very dark... a rarity for SNL.
Happy Smile Patrol: This also belongs on a Best Of compilation, but since it's a group effort it's hard to single someone out. It's a kids television show that's interrupted by breaking news that the stars of said show are doing all sorts of horrible, vile things. Then they cut back to the show. Then they break in again, etc. I know the concept seems silly but it's so absurd that it works.
VH1 visits Bun E. Carlos from Cheap Trick: He works in a bowling alley now. Quick and painless.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform "Room at the Top": Solid musical guests, as always.
The Whorehouse's New Computer: I really like the concept of this one. A cathouse gets a new computer system to accept credit cards and to bill according to which services you've just enjoyed. However the employees are still learning the software which makes for an uncomfortable wait for Goodman's character, who would really just like to leave. Cheri Oteri created her Nadeen character here, although that's not the point of the sketch.
After Norm left, Weekend Update became the weakest part of the show. However (at least in the case of this particular episode), everyone else stepped it up and produced some great sketches. This is a quality episode of SNL.
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