I don't know how she does it, but Tina Fey has got herself a great little tv series here. For the umpteenth week in a row, 30 Rock has delivered in a big way, bringing the funny as the final show in NBC Thursday's "Comedy Night Done Right" (such a lame alternative to "must see tv Thursday"). Tonight's episode continued with the perfect formula that Fey and co. have mastered.
We had a great main plot with our heroine Liz Lemon getting a date with a quality guy who boosts her confidence to an all-time high, which is great...except that it turns out he's her third cousin. Sucks for Liz, but makes for some genuinely sweet moments and some standard Fey wit.
The two subplots, Tracy Jordan's plot and Jack Donaghy's, were each pretty funny, though far from the best we've seen. I wonder if this had anything to do with the fact that Tina Fey wrote this episode herself. In any event, Tracy's last minute attempt at dictating his autobiography to Twofer and Frank offers some of the usual insane/hysterical nuggets of comic genius we've come to expect each week.
And likewise, Baldwin, because his delivery is just so damn funny, can always be counted on for laughs and he doesn't disappoint this time around. However, with his story focusing on Kenneth, he didn't have very many opportunities to shine. In my opinion, Jack McBrayer's schtik that he does as Kenneth (and identically in his role as Lance in last summer's Talladega Nights) is extremely hit or miss, and more often than not, really misses the mark. Do people really find this guy funny? I'd love to hear from someone who thinks so.
The episode featured a great cameo from John McEnroe, King of the Thrown Racket and Odd Game Shows Like The Chair. It also does not feature Rachel Dratch in one of her "I'm so sorry the producers fired you after the pilot for being ugly and replaced you with Jane Krakowski, but at least I can write weird little parts for you each week because we're BFF" roles, which is a huge plus (love ya Dratch, but seriously, get a job). Similarly, it doesn't feature too much of Dratch's replacement, which again, is a big plus.
And, most importantly, this episode featured a cameo from my man Ali Farahnakian, my "Sketch Writing for Saturday Night Live" teacher from this past summer in New York. He plays the tv executive who offers Kenneth a deal for his Gold Case show. I e-mailed him right after to let him know of the sighting. A fine cameo by a fine man! Very exciting!
Overall, for being a solid episode, though not one of the very best, I give this episode an A-
Favorite scene: When Tracy performs a number from his hit 1998 Christmas album. Instant Christmas classic.
Favorite line: "It tells time with those little pie pieces. Each piece is six minutes, so right now it's six times four...five thirty? That can't be right." - The Hair, about his Japanese Pie watch
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Good points about a good show. I've seen the show several times and I really agree about Kenneth. He isn't a funny character and more than just not being funny he is annoying. I love Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, and Alec Baldwin, however. Fey has herself a good show going here after SNL, which kind of reminds me a lot of what Larry David did with Curb Your Enthusiasm after Seinfeld. My favorite moment on the show: in the Conan episode they remember what happened last time Tracy was the guest... "I am a stabbing robot. I will stab you." Hilarious.
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