30 Rock

ThIs episode was all about family. Jack Donaghy once again coped poorly with the sentient black cloud that is his angry battle-ax of a mother, played with biblical fury by the great old Broadway trooper Elaine Stritch. Tracy Jordan meanwhile was forced to reexamine his attraction to his wife's sister after his court-ordered sobriety hipped him to some inconvenient truths: football is boring, he can't play guitar and his sister-in-law isn't anywhere near as cute as he thought she was.



But the episode was dominated by Liz's family, an obliviously chipper and supportive brood that radiates love and encouragement for everyone they meet. This of course confuses and disturbs Jack, who doesn't understand why anyone would be nice unless they were playing the angles or working a long, long grift. "What did your parents mean when they said you were a beautiful genius? Were they taunting you?" Donaghy inquires testily.



Leading a parade of big-name guest stars, or at least bigish guest stars for comedy geeks like myself, Andy Richter played Liz Lemon's brother, a 40-year-old man stuck forever in 1985 due to a head injury, a joke that proved a lot funnier here than it did in Kickin' It Old School but still felt a little thin, though Richter pretty much made it work through giddy, guileless enthusiasm alone.



One or more of the reviewers pointed out that 30 Rock seems to relish making its show within a show look as lame and hacky as possible, which may be a subliminal dig at Saturday Night Live or Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip or just a refreshing acknowledgment that cranking out a television show every week isn't exactly brain surgery. In this episode, for example, Liz's adoring parents gazed in awe at a Girly Show set that made a fantastical leap from Liz's fertile imagination into the cozy confines of 30 Rock. The skit in question? A game show called Who Farted?. One of 30 Rock's most overlooked virtues is that it never takes itself particularly seriously, unlike a certain rotting television corpse I sadistically like to kick around every once in a while just for kicks.



Tonight's episode marked a battle of good versus evil in miniature as a jealous Jack Donaghy and his black-hearted mother did their best to destroy Liz and her family's repugnant optimism and affection for each other by undermining her confidence and rooting around for fault lines in the family's happy façade. Meanwhile Kenneth The Page bullies and terrorizes the debauched Girly Show crew into learning the true meaning of Christmas in the most joyless manner imaginable.



It was a 30 Rock kind of Christmas fable, one where innocence and virtue are soundly defeated by the forces of hatred and contempt and bad behavior is rewarded. Leave it to 30 Rock to flirt with delivering feel-good Yuletide jollies–aw, Liz family is so cute! They're really proud of her!–only to instead sneakily substitute the pitch-black humor and bone-deep cynicism–oh wait, they're miserable, squabbling bastards just like everyone else!–that makes the show such a consistent delight. The sunny Lemons of the world may have their fun but it's the cold, calculating Donaghys that always end up on top. Merry Christmas, everyone and to all a good night. Lemon out.

Tina Fay is beautiful, she should be involved in other TV dramas. She is not creative, she is not funny, and the most important thing is that she is killing one of my favorite idol Mr. Baldwin. He is gaining weight, he lost his killer's look. I do not know why NBC keeps airing this show, indulging Tina Fay to spoil others' success. 30 Rock is only good for the first half of Season 1, it did not end well, why start Season 2??? All TV networks are killing great shows and keeping the bad ones, what exactly is happening??????????? I am telling you, you can stop watching 30 rock starting from this episode, seriously. It is not funny and the story is going no where. The worst part is that Tina Fay and Mr. Baldwin has no chemistry. They had it once but lost it now. It is time to say goodbye.

One of my favourite episodes of the series and a good example of why I watch "30 Rock", mostly because of its witty humour. Not only does Jack's mother appear (Elaine Stritch is wonderful on this) but the Lemon's. Two opposite families that in the end react in the same way, arguing. I love the scene when they are having dinner and there's a ray of love between Jack and her hated mum and a big argument between the Lemon's who say to each others all the things they have kept from themselves.



Why I also like of this series and that happens in this episode is that there's a critic to the society, this time related to Christmas time.

Ok so you could tell this episode was rushed. Tina and company were trying to get this one off so they could start the next one. (210 by the way much better and much more time and effort put into it.)



The Ludachistmas parts, while all the jokes were there, was rushed. It didn't have the same flow as the rest of 30 Rock. Don't get me wrong, it was hilarious. And I loved the ankle bracelet stuff (And Lohans and Michelle Rodriguez and Chewbaca on the ankle bracelet monitoring map was awesome.) Kenneth's lines seemed rushed a little.



On the other hand, Liz' family and Jack's mom were exactally what 30 Rock is about. Colleen is the best character on television. And Jack's responses and dealings with her is equally awesome. I mean when he held the food under the strippers coughs. or "She should have been there!" Liz family was spot on too. I love how she regressed when they came. Family does that. And I still think Tony Hale should have been Mitch, but I was really happy with Andy Richter. "Do you like Wham? Because I'm kind of the George Michael of my school." Overall, this episode was awesome!

30rock,

not a named episode????

In this episodeJack's mothers comes up for the holiday.Just to anger Jack who wanted his mother to be stucked in a hurricane hitting Florida. Which is were his mother lives. When Liz's parents and brother come to visit Liz, Jack gets weirded out because he had never seen parents so happy unlike his mother. Liz's brother was in a ski accident and thinks he is till back in 198? something or other i think 86. One Jack's mother goes to the restroom, Jack sneeks off with Liz's family. But to a suprise Jack's mother finds them. Jack's mother says thaqt she can make Liz's family angery which she does by the end of the episode...other...Every year the cast throws a party called LudaChristmas which incluideds drinking. Yet Tracy is allowed to drink. So Liz tells Kenneth and Tracy's too friends to make sure he doesnt. Only to find out the Kenneth turned the party into a sort of therapy setion. Which ends in disaster with them trying to knock down the Rockefeller Tree. Not my favorite storyline because it felt like it had already been down.

ok so this episode was a series classic.. i loooove alec baldwin as jack.. he is the best and casting andy rickters as liz's brother stuck in 19885 because of a skiing accident was excellent becuz hes a lucky bastard who thinks regan is president as jack put it.. jack loves the family and even asks liz if she is down for the disney cruise.. they wear matching sweaters which killlllllllllled me.. and of course jacks mom brings about the familys true colors and by the end they are ripping each other apart which mad it even funnier.. def what u expect from 30 rock.. one of the best comedies on tv the deserve the golden globe this year for sure and so does alec baldwin just for this performance alone..

So much goin on the one liners killed me, too many to list this show has so many hilarious moments and they are so clever that u have to stay sharp for it. first the lemons come to celebrate and jack thinks they are not nice but manipulating like his mom, but then he wants to be a Lemon. Tracy is ordered to stop drinking and he can't think about nothin but drinkin since it's ludacrismas party and there is alcohol overflowing everywhere, until kenneth and a reverend show how the less fortunate celebrate it. apparently by playing with pieces of wood they prayed to get. eventually liz's family turns agaisnt each other at the hands of the evil mother, Jack's mom.