30 Rock

One of my friends recently commented how casually satirical 30 Rock can be, not in a "Aren't we Important Artists who should be festooned with awards for our Bravery in Addressing Important Issues" Aaron Sorkin kind of way, but in more of a slyly subversive, off-handed fashion. Just look at this episode. What was it ultimately about? It dealt with terrorism, racial profiling, and racism in Liz Lemon story, the cultural divide and inter-party canoodling in Jack Donaghy's plot, and class and money in Kenneth The Page's C-story.



In tonight's episode, Jack Donaghy hooks up with a mystery woman played by special guest Edie Falco at a Republican bash and is horrified and a little turned on to learn that she's a Democratic Congresswoman who was shot in the face by a dog and given a new, more attractive face through reconstructive surgery. "I thought you made love like an ugly girl!" Donaghy broods in one of the episode's many quotable lines. Good old Elizabeth Lemon, meanwhile, similarly finds herself tempted by the seductive allure of law and order when she begins to suspect that a shadowy neighbor played by all-purpose ethnic Fred Armisen may be a terrorist.



In Kenneth The Page's obligatory C-story, everybody's favorite dumb bumpkin with great skin and soft hands agrees to serve as the sadistic comedy writer's prank monkey in order to raise enough money to pay for Donaghy's $2500 pants.



I've complained before about characters in 30 Rock breaking the fourth wall and talking to the camera to spoof product placement, but I must admit I was a little won over by that bit this evening. Product placement has become so ubiquitous that we barely even notice it anymore. It's attached itself parasitically to our popular culture and is corrupting it from the inside. It's so insidious, ugly, and poisonous that maybe a show like 30 Rock has to scream just to make itself heard above the deafening din of commercial over-saturation. Incidentally this paragraph's knee-jerk anti-advertising sentiments are brought to you by Orange Krush. Orange Krush: Catch The Wave of Refreshment All Summer Long.



This episode addressed all kind of important issues without ever sacrificing the funny. 30 Rock is a slave to the funny, but it still managed to make penetrating satirical points about the commercialization of culture, about fear and racism, about white liberal guilt, and our fractured political climate without ever feeling preachy or didactic. 30 Rock is firing on all cylinders these days.

One of those few occasions i actually prefer Liz's storyline to Jack's.



I dont blame Alec Baldwin. He's an amazing actor who can mesh into any role given to him. It's just that the script was beyond awful. In fact, saying it was awful is probably the understatement of the year.



Edie Falco. I have come to love her, after her pre-eminent portrayal in The Sopranos. But it seems like she has sacrificed all my credibility in her, by accepting this role. I expected more snarky comments, more tough-love, more spark from her! The kind you see from witnessing Lorelai Gilmore.



But instead...this plot line was just cheesy. A ludicrous love story. Love stories can take 2 turns. They can be classy, elegant and unique which make them classics. Or they can be downright in-your-face cliche, which makes you laugh at how it parodies love, which also makes it a classic. But NO WAY can a love story be in the middle. In the middle is just a vast space where the plot deteriorates by the second.



So no, Jack and C.C.'s storyline was very bad.



Liz FINALLY had a substantial storyline, where she thinks her middle-eastern neighbour is a terrorist. The twist the plot takes is special, and parodies how the U.S. reacts to terrorists. And this has restored my faith in the character of Liz Lemon.

30Rock,

Somebody to Love,

Ok in this episode Jack falls for a women he doesnt really know about. He firswt meets her at a party, the he wants to look great at. After finding out Jack is from NBC and she is a d congresswomen the decided to keep things hidding so nothing bad will happen to hurt there stance. I felt this part was akward and went know to me this could just end up like the bone birded lady...Other...Liz is creeped out by her neighbor. And goes out of hand thinking he is a terriost. After seeing maps and crap around his walls. After calling the cops on him she recives a video tape from him. On the video is him and another guy trying out for the amazing race. Explaining why the maps were every were. I thought Liz fell out of her character even with the pankakes,

I don't watch many episodes of this show. But I really should make a point of doing it. Because I really enjoy it when I do. Edie Falco was superb guest starring in this episode. Her character was so cheesy, she fit right in.



I loved the whole "terrorist" neighbor bit. Fred Armisen is always hilarious. But as the untrusting and evasive neighbor he made me nearly pee my pants. Though it was predictable that they would not be terrorists, even though The Amazing Race had not occurred to me - it was still hilarious just the same. I'm not crazy about Kenny, and Tracy annoys me most of the time. But both of them are so funny. Anything Tina Fey does is gold, and I wish this show was a little more mainstream than what it is. Though, then it wouldn't quite be the dark horse that it has built up a reputation to be, now would it?