'30 Rock': An upside-down wow
I'm liking how 30 Rock is mixing up its character interactions some this season. Thursday's episode paired Kenneth and Jenna, while Liz had to face the formidable gatekeeper that is Tracy's wife.
But please, 30 Rock writers, get Jack back into the office and into Liz's life.
(Factory-notched spoilers on their way.)
Alec Baldwin can make just about anything work -- including making us believe that Jack Donaghy has a pathological fondness for cookie jars ("We never had cookie jars, because our mother never made us cookies, because we weren't good enough. ... So no, this has nothing to do with my childhood"). But -- and I know I brought this up last week -- the show was often at its best last year when Jack had has hands in all of Liz's business. The brief scenes they've shared over the first few episodes this season just aren't enough.
That said, Jack's sessions with Steve Buscemi, P.I., were pretty funny, with Jack ticking off the litany of family craziness and personal indiscretions -- my favorite, on his arrest record: "The 1976 Democratic National Convention. But it's OK -- I was there beating up hippies." -- like it was nothing, and SB, P.I., blase about everything except the cookie jars (loved the photo of Giuliani and his wooden dolls too).
The rest of the episode was solid too, but again, things seemed a little disjointed. And is it me, or has there been almost no discussion of actually putting on a TV show this season?
Some of the highlights:
- Liz, on what kind of animal Jack would be: "An eagle, with the head of a bear?" Jack: "Your respect means the world to me."
- Jenna's weight-loss angst -- as in, she's losing weight when being heavy has made her a star. The opposite-of-expected approach is a fairly old comedy trick, but something about the way Jane Krakowski goes after it so completely makes it work better than it usually does here. Her distress over possibly losing the "secret ritual" she and Jack now share (Liz: "A high-five?" Jenna, sobbing: "It was our special thing!") and having to go back to the already punched holes on her belt all played well.
- Plus, I loved the Enorme ad.
- Ditto Kenneth's motivational tactics, courtesy of Liz (wow, can she be mean), to get Jenna to eat, and his subsequent realization that Jenna deals with her self-esteem issues through sex, not food: "Turns out she's the wrong kind of crazy. And now, I guess we have to get married."
- Liz and Tracy's initial improv of the sick-cobra story, which broke apart when he started talking about his thumb up his butt or whatever it was. It also led to one of Tracy Morgan's better scenes on the show, as he broke up Liz and Angie's fight: "I'm the immature one, and you're making me act like an adult."
- Have you been picking up on the Smithers-like love Jack's assistant has for him? At the top of the show he stomped off in a huff after Liz interrupted his moment with Jack on the balcony.
- Kenneth's repeated references to "my mom's friend Ron." I don't ever, ever want to know what made Kenneth what he is.
- Jack: "If you're ever at the [cookie-jar] convention in Sarasota ... tell them Vic Nightingale says hello."
What did you think if this week's 30 Rock? Does Jack, and everyone else, need to concentrate on the show a little more?
It's also nice to know that Jack is related to Tim Donaghy, the NBA ref who "fixed games". I about fell off the couch!
I love this show, but I totally agree - get Jack back in Liz's life! They are absolutely hilarious together. And I also really miss the writers' room aspect of the show. We haven't really seen any of those characters yet this season. But, it's still hilarious and always has me laughing out loud.. "You guys START with that?!"
My favorite moment of the night (I think I may have spit out my dinner) was this quote (terribly paraphrased from memory. . .sorry):
Jack-"I'm glad to see you are finally thinking like a businessman."
Liz-"Businesswoman."
Jack-"I don't think that is a word."
Did you LOVE how -- when he was disclosing potential skeletons and transgressions for the P.I. -- Jack also slipped in a note that his cousin fixes NBA games? That's referencing the REAL disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy , who shares the same last name?! Excellent sitcom pop culture self-awareness!
Augh, I must have missed the Tim Donaghy mention on the show! But this was probably the most well-put together episode of the show's run outside of the finale of last season. (It was the one where Kenneth falls down the stairs for Joran, IIRC)
Loved Rick's highlights of the show. Accurate and funny to the hilt. I do wonder when the TGS show will be back, but I actually was highly entertained by everybody this episode. I actually don't mind that Jack isn't exclusively messing around with Liz Lemon's life and has his hand in everyone's cookie jar.
...Son of a *****!
I loved this part:
Liz: Sure, can you walk and talk?
Kenneth: Well, usually, but now you've got me thinking about it... (he begins to walk very self-consciously, swinging his arms and hips, then he snaps out of it and back into regular walking) There it is.
Very self-aware and silly, I loved it. Also, the parts mentioning Victor Nightingale were amazing.
Line of the year was "My cousin Tim fixes NBA games."
One thing I'm missing is the interactions between Liz and the writers and (especially) Liz and Pete (Scott Adsit). Adsit is so underrated with comedy, and I heard a rumor they were going to give more things for him to do, but so far nothing. Bring those elements back (as well as the obvious Liz and Jack), and this show will easily shift back into the Best Comedy on TV
J.P., I agree that the Liz/Kenneth Sorkin style walk-and-talk was a highlight for me. The not-so-subtle jab at the other failed NBC sketch show series. You know, that other one that nobody wants to talk about anymore.