30 Rock hit it out of the park this week and, shockingly, one of the best episodes in the last year or two was not focused on Liz and Jack. Instead, this episode excelled because of the relationship between Tracy and Liz. It wasn’t only that, however. For the first time in a while, I felt like all the plot lines in this episode really worked well. There were Liz and Tracy’s antics, along with the pre-taped celebrity benefit for an as-yet-to-be-determined natural disaster (complete with a Robert Deniro cameo), and the writers all vying for the affection of Lutz.
Kona already pointed out the brilliance of the Billy Joel fight that Tracy and Liz had during their argument over Tracy’s work habits. He “outcrazied” Liz by fighting in the tune of “Uptown Girl” so that Angie’s reality show crew couldn’t catch him being a diva on film. It was hilarious. Not far behind was the end of the episode, when Tracy and Liz both watched the reality program, with a make up scene between the two of them with poorly cast stand ins. Even with the terrible production value, they were both moved.
We were also treated to some great B plotlines this week. I’ve always had a soft spot of Lutz. Like Jerry on Parks and Recreation, it’s great to have a character that is nothing but a sad sack punching bag for the rest of the characters. It was fun seeing him turn things around for a little while. It was not fun seeing him in a thong.
My favorite quotes of the night:
“Every crazy A lister owns an island: Nicholas Cage, Celine Dion, Charles Widmore” – Tracy (Bonus points for the Lost shout out)
“I’m as happy as a clam that wants to kill some woman.” – Tracy, trying to be nice for the reality show cameras
“Someone get a PA to feed me baby food, or I will drop a D in the green room! Yeah, last week you thought I was crying wolf, didn’t ya?” – Jenna
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Jan 28, 2011 @ 19:00 EST5EDT
