Justin Timberlake's much-anticipated appearance as host of the next-to-last Saturday Night Live of the season did not disappoint, as he and the rest of the cast combined to put together what was easily the best SNL top-to-bottom since the fall, if not all season. And he did it without even serving as the official musical guest, although he assisted Ciara on one song and most of his sketches found him singing at some point. While the individual skits leaned heavily on characters introduced in previous appearances by JT, their relative lack of repetition meant that the 90 minutes still seemed fresh. The five can't-miss Timberlake moments of the evening:

5. Barry Gibb Talk Show: Nothing too unexpected here, as Jimmy Fallon returned to portray the Bee Gees frontman as the hotheaded host of his own political talk show. But even though the sketches are a formula, it's fun hearing Mr. Disco morph into a tough guy: "I got a degree from the streets of Melbourne, Australia! So help me God, I have a buckknife in my shoe -- I will split you open like a softshell crab and wear your carcass like a raincoat!" And Fallon succeeded in getting Timberlake, playing mild-mannered Gibb brother Robin, to briefly slip out of character.

4. Monologue: The premise of Timberlake's funky musical intro is that as a three-time host of SNL, he's now an old pro, familiar with not only how to hit his marks, but with the anniversary of Jason Sudeikis's parents and how to order Bill Hader's Chinese food. The number concluded with a salute to all of the season's previous hosts. Along the way, one male audience member gets closer to the evening's action than he had counted on.

3. Ellis Island: A group of immigrants, among them one Cornelius Timberlake, anticipate what life will be like for themselves and their descendants in America. Cornelius foresees a time when his great-great-grandson will become a millionaire due to his work with "a band of boys" and his subsequent effort to "bring sexy back." The biggest laugh comes from a questionably tasteful Britney Spears joke, but Timberlake makes a gay joke at his own expense to even things out. An appearance by another SNL ancestor caps the sketch.

2. Plasticville: It's the return of Timberlake's singing sidewalk pitchman, this time wearing a breast implant costume on behalf of Plasticville. Will Forte plays Timberlake's rival, attempting to argue on behalf of a nearby fitness center. Timberlake's energy always makes these skits work, and the parody lyrics ("My life would suck without you" becomes "I'll lipo suck it out of you") aren't too bad either. The Lady GaGa medley is the highlight.

1. Motherlover: The characters from the immortal "D--- in a Box" (Timberlake, Andy Samberg) returned for a sequel, set five months after their apparent jailing on indecent exposure charges. The men lament that they forgot a Mother's Day gift, realize that their respective moms are both lonely, and reach the only logical solution to their predicaments. While the earlier song parodies the early '90s boy band sound, "Motherlover" is more contemporary and the apparent inspiration was the ridiculous R. Kelly/Usher song "Same Girl." The literal MILFs here are played by Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson, both of whom look like they're having the most fun of their careers (watch especially for Clarkson posed seductively against a trash receptacle). And like the best SNL Digital Shorts, while there's obvious shock value, the song is plenty catchy in its own right.

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