It's no secret that "Saturday Night Live" has been on a certain decline over the past few years, and season 49 this year felt like it was slowing down too. Both ratings and relevance didn't really leave a mark, and there was a decline in return characters, gags and bits.

Not to say the show is running on fumes, they did catch trends, but there were more ups and downs than usual. Also, where was Please Don't Destroy this year? They really dropped the ball in the few instances where they showed up.

Season 49 was 20 episodes long and aired between October 14, 2023, to May 18, 2024. These were its standouts.

'I'm Just Pete' feat. Pete Davidson (EP01)

Season 49 hit the ground running by bringing back Pete Davidson to capitalize on past summer's biggest hit, and meme generator, "Barbie." This was a great and elaborate parody song that's both catchy and a sign of the times. I mean, they got Ken to host later in the season...

'Subway Platform' feat. Bad Bunny (EP02)

The Waffle House sketch set a precedent: serious scenes with some gnarly mise en scène. This is the kind of high and low-brow comedy that everyone loves to see.

'Airplane' feat. Nate Bargatze (EP03)

Every doctor, engineer and mother I've sent this video to all find it to be funny, which I regard as a good barometer. Because, those are the rankings of most important jobs: mother, doctor, engineer.

'Troye Sivan Sleep Demon' feat. Timothee Chalamet (EP04)

Bowen Yang is why this sketch exists, and why it's so funny. Troye Sivan wasn't the most well-known quantities among "SNL" regulars, but now is. Also, Nathan Lane is regular famous, not just gay famous.

'Beep Beep' feat. Adam Driver (EP07)

Adam Driver as a baby is a worthy choice, but his slow descent into the suburban man's boiling rage is what makes him such a gifted actor. The fake mustache, the catchphrase, it's all just solid work between two comedians with minimal material. So simple, and greatly humorous.

'Bowen's Straight' feat. Sydney Sweeney (EP13)

Sorry to everyone who bookmarked the Hooters scene, the best use of Sydney Sweeney being super hot is when she's in a subversive pre-taped video showing that Bowen is actually straight. A fantastic idea well executed, making fun of yourself is always a power move.

'Bank Robbery' feat. Josh Brolin (EP14)

Josh Brolin hosted a great episode, but Heidi Gardner's insane performance of a woman who is convinced bank robbers are going to take advantage of her was clearly the standout. Pure perfection, Heidi is magical in this.

Weekend Update feat. Ramy Youssef (EP15)

One of the few "Weekend Update" segments that truly stood out: Sarah Sherman dressing up as an owl to find out that her dead husband had STDs. Whenever Sarah shows up next to Colin Jost, you know fireworks are going off.

'Jumanji' feat. Kristen Wiig (EP16)

I really loved "Secretaries" and how bananas it was. However, no amount of Jon Hamm cameos or "Mad Men" references can top Kristen Wiig being sucked into a Jumanji board, being worried about being sucked into a Jumanji board, and then finding out the board game they got sucked into was "Ticket to Ride."

'Penne Alla Vodka' feat. Dua Lipa (EP18)

Dua Lipa might not be the funniest person in the world, and that's okay, but she was the perfect face to add into this fake PSA about the virtues of helping yourself to a big tray of penne alla vodka. They nailed it, that's exactly how a giant tray of penne is used, and it's delicious every time! Brilliant observations, no notes.

Teacher PSA feat. Maya Rudolph (EP19)

Considering last season's best episode, I'm clearly fascinated by an older generation of comedians being perplexed and confounded by the way kids talk. The behaviors of Gen A are ripe for comedy, and Ego's sassy teacher screaming "tsiddahn!" is one for the ages. What delivery; it sells this entire sketch.

'NYPD Press Conference' feat. Jake Gyllenhaal (EP20)

Jake really tried to be overly silly and ridiculous all episode, and the one time he played the straight man, it worked to his advantage. Character actors deserve to be protected at all costs.

Best of the Season: 'Beavis and Butt-Head' feat. Ryan Gosling (EP17)

This was by far the obvious winner, one of the most-watched episodes of the season; Ryan Gosling crushed his SNL return. Beavis and Butt-Head showed up to the red carpet premiere of "The Fall Guy," and were all over social media. The rest is history. Heidi breaking live led to a very memorable moment that might go down as one of the few times laughing on-air really worked for an SNL sketch.

[Image: Saturday Night Live/YouTube]