'30 Rock': A Very Special Christmas Special
Perhaps Liz Lemon is trying to make up for being some a mean and torturous teenager, because tonight on 30 Rock she tries doubly hard at being non-selfish. Except, she ends up being completely selfish and totally steals Santa's thunder. Grab the kids and some hot cocoa, 'cause this Christmas special is fun for the whole family.
These spoilers are reinforced with titanium.
Jack's on his way to Rio for his real Christmas vacay, but begrudgingly stops at his mom's place for the unappreciated present exchange. It goes surprisingly well. That is, until he accidentally backs over her with his car. Colleen takes full advantage and flies back to New York with Jack for family support. Actually, she just wanted to torture him.
Meanwhile, Liz tries to do the most good by getting everyone to participate in the Letters to Santa program. She kind of goes overboard at Target, getting everything her kids asked for and more. Including a presumed rapping Santa who apparently doesn't rap even though he's black. She's also a little bit bitter that her mom has decided to abandon her for a "Sexy at 70" retreat. I'd say that was gross, but I'll probably be there one day and would rather not burn any bridges. Liz, Tracy, and his posse head uptown for the dangerous mission of delivering toys to the needy. Prepare to get scrumped. Those two kids either looked old for their age, or Liz was just had by some scammers. Liz, wanting an inappropriate amount of revenge, heads to the post office to try and track down some census information. She should have just asked to speak to the manager. Works every time.
It seems Jack hasn't exactly been honest about the whole mother situation. The only reason he's putting up with Colleen's bell-ringing shenanigans is out of guilt. Jack apparently waited 8 whole minutes before calling 911. Tsk tsk. In an effort to both avoid his mother and not get caught in the lie, he's decided to put on a live Christmas special which everyone must be a part of due to contractual obligations. If Jack has to suffer, everyone has to suffer. It doesn't help matters that he keeps having flashbacks of his mom bringing strange older men home every Christmas Eve. He's now trying to avoid home by working everyone quadruple overtime, but is forced to face his mother when she wheels up and presents the evidence of his 8-minute pause in dialing for help. Whoops.
Kenneth enters the picture to encourage Liz to stop being such a scrooge. His heart is telling him that children got those toys. Yes, Liz says, after they were sold on eBay. Off to uptown they go again. This time, two little boys answer the door and Liz doesn't hesitate to tell them the good news: Santa didn't bring them those toys, she did! Thanks for ruining the magic, Buzzkill Lemon. The live Christmas Eve special managed to come together quite nicely, but Jack can't shake his bad holiday memories. He always thinks about his mom's screwing around with some creepy guy. As it turns out, that guy happened to be named FAO Schwartz and brought a room full of toys for the dirt-poor family every year. Perhaps his mom wasn't so bad after all. Or maybe she just liked hanging out with old German dudes around the holidays.
Best line of the night: "If you want a black person to hug you, then you should host The Price is Right"
Actually the best line of the night was this exchange:
Liz Lemon: "Hey Jack, do you know the Postmaster General?"
Jack Donaghy: "Yes, but we had a falling out over the Jerry Garcia stamp. If I wanted to lick a hippie I'd return Joan Baez' phone calls."
that was the best line ! LOL
did anyone catch the jfk line that was something like you told me jfk died because.... and then i couldn't understand the rest.
To Jill:
Jack was told by Colleen that JFK died because he talked in church.
I actually thought this was a pretty weak episode, despite the fun of Elaine Strich torturing Jack.
The funniest line for me was Liz at the post office. "Hi, Trene?" "Irene!"
Don't know why, but that had me giggling for ages. Tina Fey and the guest actress' delivery I guess.
I like the exchange when Liz said there's a child's drawing on a door and that's how you know a child lives there. To which Tracy responds, "Or Basquiat."
Yes, OMG!! I cracked up at the "Basquiat" line.
Yes, OMG! I cracked up at the "Basquiat" line.
Hilarious episode as usual! Did anyone else notice that Jack's full name (as used by his mother) is John Francis Donaghy? Like, say, John Francis Daley? Any connection?