30 Rock: Khonani

30 Rock: Khonani
NBC
April 22, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
C+

IMDB has this listed as the same date as the previous episode, but it's simply not as good.  Jack promises to decide between Nancy and Avery but instead sidetracks himself into resolving a conflict between two janitors: the title character and Subhas (Subhas Ramsaywack).  Meanwhile, Liz throws an engagement party for Cerie out of vengeance against their co-workers, and Tracy puts his dog's shock collar on himself in order to become a more doting husband.  It would take much sharper writing to make these plot threads more than passable, and this is the 600th C+ I've given on this blog.

30 Rock: Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter

30 Rock: Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter
NBC
April 22, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B

Fey & Cannon wrote this episode, which is better than most that season.  Jack's triangle would get old before season's end, but here him being unable to decide between Avery and a newly divorced Nancy is funny and believable.  Meanwhile, Toofer quits because he doesn't want his job through tokenism (despite his nickname, which is lampshaded when he returns), and Liz attends singles events with Jenna and sometimes Nancy.

Steve Hely, who wrote "Black Light Attack!" earlier in the season, here plays Jerem.  Will Ferrell makes his first of three appearances as Shane Hunter, the star of the controversial and nonexistent NBC series Bitch Hunter.

30 Rock: Floyd

30 Rock: Floyd
NBC
March 25, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

As you can guess from the title, this episode marks the return of Liz's "best boyfriend," in a script written by Paula Pell, who played Pete's wife Paula.  Liz hopes they'll get back together, but he's getting married to a woman named Kaitlin (Kristin McGee, who'd previously played an Exercise Lady).  Meanwhile, Jenna, Tracy, and eventually Pete have erotic dreams about Kenneth, and Jack and Danny get involved in a prank battle against Frank, Toofer, and Lutz.

Lester Holt and Meredith Vierira return as themselves.

30 Rock: Winter Madness

30 Rock: Winter Madness
NBC
January 21, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is Vali Chandrasekaran's first of six 30 Rock scripts, and Tom Ceraulo's second of five.  It has the TGS cast and crew going to Boston, when Liz and Pete had hoped for Miami, simply so that Jack will have an excuse to see Nancy, who's ambivalent about both selling her house and getting a divorce.  I enjoyed the thread of Tracy learning about Boston history more than I expected.  (And, yes, that's Kevin Meaney as John Hancock.)

Sue Galloway is Sue and Cheyenne Jackson is Danny.

30 Rock: Black Light Attack!

30 Rock: Black Light Attack!
NBC
January 14, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B

I guess this episode aired the same night as the previous one, but it's much funnier.  In a sort of replay of a first season episode with Floyd, Jack wants to hang out with Danny (Cheyenne Jackson), especially when he finds out that Danny is casually dating Liz.  Meanwhile, Tracy is looking for a female perspective, since he's hoping to have a daughter, so he adds Sue to his entourage.  (Sue Galloway has as many lines in one scene as she's had total in previous episodes.)  And Jenna has to face that she's now being cast as middle-aged mothers rather than college students.  Note that Jack breaks up Liz and Danny by confessing he's in love with Liz, but it's clear to the audience and Liz that he doesn't mean it.

Joseph D'Onofrio is a Crew Guy for the last time.  Jonathan Cohn is again a Cute Guy, while Andrew Goldfarb is again a Page.  Russ Spiegel makes his first of four appearances as a TGS Band Member.  Hockey Fan James Coker would later be a Gen-Y D-Bag.  (Or is that a proper name?)  The screenwriter Steve Hely would play Jerem later in the year.

30 Rock: Secret Santa

30 Rock: Secret Santa
NBC
December 10, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Fey wrote this episode which introduces the marvelous Julianne Moore as Jack's old high school crush Nancy Donovan.  Baldwin and Moore have great chemistry together, and Moore is a hoot here with her Boston accent and down-to-earth attitude, so I'm very glad they brought her back.  (I'm less glad with what happened to her character, but that's down the road, and we're only one-third into this season.)  The other threads, with Liz trying to find the right gift for Jack, Pete trying to use the surprisingly great singer Danny (Cheyenne Jackson) for revenge against Jenna, and Tracy making the writers feel guilty for lying to Kenneth, don't work nearly as well, but this episode is definitely a step up from the previous ones.

Chris Fischer would again play a Policeman.  Subhas Ramsaywack returns as Subhas.  This is the last time that Teddy Coluca would be the Stage Manager.  It's also the 1100th B- I've given, as well as the show that closes out the Oughts.

30 Rock: Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001

30 Rock: Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001
NBC
December 3, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
C

Devon Banks calls Jack and makes him insecure enough to make Liz insecure about her new talk show.  And meanwhile Tracy decides to go for EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony).  This Kay Cannon story would've been a C- if not for Frank becoming Liz in her absence.

Ali Reza's last 30 Rock appearance is as Yakov.  John Anderson makes his first of five appearances as Liz's fantasy husband Astronaut Mike Dexter.  Sherri Shepherd returns as Angie.  Sue Galloway plays Sue.  And Kristian Alfonso, here in her most famous role of Days of Our Lives' Hope Brady, had had a series-changing role on Who's the Boss?, playing Tony's girlfriend Frankie, who makes Angela realize her love for Tony.  And I'm unable to tag Whoopi Goldberg this time.

30 Rock: Sun Tea

30 Rock: Sun Tea
NBC
November 19, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
C

This episode, the first of seven written by Dylan Morgan and Josh Siegal, is best symbolized either by Al Gore returning and telling us why it's important to recycle jokes, or by the title, which is Frank's term for the urine he collects in jars.  Liz moves in with a cool gay cop, but only so she can drive him away and she can buy his apartment when the building goes condo, and she actually uses "sun tea" to achieve her goal.  Meanwhile both Jack and Tracy consider getting vasectomies but don't go through with it, mostly so the series can go on to make them have baby daughters that they'll neglect (Tracy's in particular).  I would've given a C- if not for the Cosby Show parody.

Marceline Hugot returns as Kathy Geiss, while Rip Torn's actual son Tony plays Bertram Geiss, presumably the father of Don Geiss's grandchildren.  Bobb'e J. Thompson returns as Tracy, Jr., and impacts the plot.  Exercise Woman Kristin McGee would next be seen as Kaitlin.  And Sue Galloway is Sue.

30 Rock: The Problem Solvers

30 Rock: The Problem Solvers
NBC
November 12, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Nothing quite works in this Ron-Weiner-written episode, which introduces Cheyenne Jackson as new TGS cast member Danny Baker.  (Real first name Jack, but Jack Donaghy immediately renames him.)  "Danny" is trying to get his bearings, but he gets dubious advice, including from the title team.  Tracy and Jenna also give Liz bad business advice that pits her against Jack, until the rom-com-ish resolution scene.  This isn't as painful as a Season Five episode, but it does show the beginnings of the decline, with characters Flanderized for the sake of jokes, rather than jokes revealing character.

Old Janitor Stewart Steinberg returns.  Josh Fadem would be back as Liz's new agent, Simon Barrons.

30 Rock: Audition Day

Goodbye, Josh.  Sorry
things didn't work out.

30 Rock: Audition Day
NBC
November 5, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B

Matt Hubbard wrote this story that has some trends that would be troublesome in the next two or three seasons but are still reasonably under control here, with enough wit and intelligence coming through.  Liz and Pete have finally selected a new cast member, but they have to stack the auditions for Jack, using "the Hornberger System."  Unfortunately, the audition is thrown wide open by Jack, who has a different perspective on life now that he's suffering from bedbugs.  Ironically, when Pete literally pulls in a guy off the street-- a robot mime-- that's who Jack likes best.  (The performer is played by a different actor than later, and as Liz observes, "I hope he can speak English.")  As for those trends, the already established Tracy and Jenna Act Like Vain Morons team is obvious here, where they feel threatened by the new cast person, especially since Jenna has baggage with Liz's choice, so they go out and try to find more talented people.  And Jack being humbled works OK here, but it would be an abused motif starting in Season Five.  Not to mention that Jack and Pete making fun of Liz's age feels odd when they're both older than her.

Crew Guy Joseph D'Onofrio previously had played Dave.  Old Janitor Stewart Steinberg would return five more times.  Angela Grovey is Kolandra here and would be Portia in 2011.  Brian Williams returns and is one of the people auditioning, as is Marceline Hugot as Kathy Geiss.

30 Rock: Stone Mountain

She'll outlive us all.

30 Rock: Stone Mountain
NBC
October 29, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B

John Riggi wrote this episode where Jack and Liz go to the location of the title, Kenneth's hometown.  (McBrayer plays two of the locals, one a mustached man, another a blonde woman.)  They're looking for someone for TGS, and Jack thinks a ventriloquist act is perfect.  Meanwhile, Frank, Toofer, and Lutz butter up Jenna so that she'll invite him to her gay friends' Halloween party, where all the hot girls will be.  And Tracy fears the Rule of Three of Celebrity Deaths will hit him next.  For a change, all three threads cross over in the end, when the obnoxious dummy (think Soap's Bob without a conscience and a filthier mouth) is beheaded by Jack, and so Tracy can relax and enjoy the Halloween party.

Blaine Horton repeats his role as Jenna's gay friend Sacha.  Frank Anello takes time out of his busy schedule to play a member of the Production Staff, and Sue Galloway is typecast as Sue.   Jimmy Fallon makes his first of four appearances on 30 Rock.  Then 87-year-old Betty White plays herself and in a nice sight gag is shown reading Milton Greene's Carter biography.

30 Rock: Into the Crevasse

30 Rock: Into the Crevasse
NBC
October 22, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Considering this has Jenna filming an Icelandic werewolf movie, Kenneth popping up in an American Bandstand episode from the early '60s, Tracy making Liz's life into a porno, and the return of Devon Banks, this isn't as funny as it could be.  Note that Liz's "Dealbreaker" book shares space in the bookstore window with Dr. Spaceman's "sex book for couples" and Milton Greene's Jimmy Carter biography.

Subhas Ramsaywack makes his debut as Subhas the janitor, while Seth Kirschner first appears as Shawn here.  John G. Pavelec, an Attorney here, previously played a Congressman.  Frank Anello is in a rut as a member of the Production Staff, while Sue Galloway continues in the role of Sue.

30 Rock: Season 4

30 Rock: Season 4
NBC
October 15, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Yes, Season 4 starts here, as well as in a restaurant called Season 4.  (And Alan Alda once made a movie called Four Seasons.)  Jack wants Liz to cast someone that middle America can relate to better than they can to Tracy and Jenna.  So Liz and Pete sneak around to comedy clubs and eventually try lying that they're having an affair (or "intercoursing each other" as Liz puts it), so of course Pete's wife, Paula (Paula Pell again), walks in at that moment.  Meanwhile, Kenneth leads a pages' strike when he finds out what a big bonus Jack got when the company is supposed to be cutting corners.

Writer Eric Gurian's second onscreen role is as 30 Rockefeller Plaza Stranger, while writer Matt  Hubbard's only one is as a Payroll Guy.  Andrew Goldfarb would return as a nameless Page.  Frank Anello is typecast as a member of the Production Staff, and Sue is again played by Sue Galloway.  Lonny Ross makes his penultimate appearance as Josh Girard, with the script by Fey lampshading the neglect of this character and having him quit.

30 Rock: The Natural Order

30 Rock: The Natural Order
NBC
April 30, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Liz scolds Tracy, so he brings in a gibbon as his stand-in, behaves professionally, and makes some muddled point about how Liz also wants special treatment because she doesn't like changing the water tank and going to strip clubs.  (Both of these done funnier on Ellen.)  Meanwhile, Jack deals with the 35th anniversary of his father's final abandonment, and finds out that the first abandonment coincided with Jack's conception! 

Dancer #1 Semar Ghebremichael would later be Dancer #2.  Frank Anello gives under-appreciated contributions as a member of the Production Staff.

30 Rock: The Ones

Sue in a Slanket

30 Rock: The Ones
NBC
April 23, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B

The Ones:

• Elisa is The One for Jack, so he goes with Liz to pick out an engagement ring;
• Jack es El Uno para Elisa, pero ella es La Viuda Negra;
• Angie is The One for Tracy, who confesses to Jack that he's never actually cheated on her, but he does worry that getting her face tattooed on his back will make him less popular with women;
• And a handsome EMT might be the one for Jenna, but is she willing to kill off Kenneth to get the guy back?

Frank Anello is keeping it real as a member of the Production Staff.  Brian Williams makes his first of eight appearances on 30 Rock, usually as himself.

30 Rock: Cutbacks

30 Rock: Cutbacks
NBC
April 9, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
C-

Matt Hubbard wrote this, the weakest 30 Rock episode so far.  Jack and Liz both have to deal with budget cutbacks, which is a promising storyline, but there are too many unfunny and implausible moments, particularly in the thread where Tracy and Jenna think Kenneth is a serial killer, so they accidentally kill his pet bird.

Shockingly, Frank Anello plays a member of the Production Staff.  Then 91-year-old Don Pardo is winkingly cast as Sid, the elderly announcer for TGS.  And Todd Buonopane returns as Jeffrey Weinerslav.

30 Rock: The Funcooker

30 Rock: The Funcooker
NBC
March 12, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B

This, the first of four 30 Rock scripts by Tom Ceraulo, here co-writing with Donald Glover, is uneven but sometimes very funny.  Liz gets stuck doing jury duty, when her Princess Leia scheme doesn't work as well as it did in Chicago.  So of course chaos breaks out with no one in charge.  (Pete is spending Spring Break with his kids.)  Jack could help run TGS, but instead he puts the staff to work coming up with names for his new mini-microwave, hence the title of this episode. Meanwhile Dr. Spaceman prescribes extreme uppers for Jenna, and Tracy's wealth allows him to circumvent the FCC.

Nancy O'Dell appears as herself for the second time.  Andrew Polk had previously played Executive #6 and here is Steven Spielberger [sic], director of the Janis-Joplin-ish biopic that Jenna is starring in and which has been referred to in a couple earlier episodes.  Not only does Sue (Sue Galloway) finally get her first line after two and a half years, but we find out that she's Franco-Dutch.  This is the first of six 30 Rock episodes directed by Ken Whittingham.

30 Rock: Goodbye, My Friend

30 Rock: Goodbye, My Friend
NBC
March 5, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
A-

This episode written by Ron Weiner is my favorite so far, perhaps ever.  You've got two very strong threads and one pretty good one, tied together in sometimes surprising ways.  Liz befriends a pregnant teen named Becca (very well played by 26-year-old Phoebe Strole), in hopes that she can adopt Becca's baby.  Meanwhile, Jack bonds with and then sort of plays father to Frank, encouraging him to go back to law school, until Jack meets Frank's fierce mother Sylvia (Patti LuPone in the first of three appearances).  And even the Jenna & Tracy plot has its moments of heart and belly laughs.  I like how Pete is again playing Liz's conscience, including telling her what it's like to be a very young parent.  And I love Jack's long line about the meaning of Harry and the Hendersons, which had me flailing with laughter even the third or fourth time through.  Another great moment is when Sylvia asks, "Do I have to paint you a picture?" and it turns out she already has, which works like a classic cartoon moment.  Just delightful from beginning to end.

Stefanie Grassley, who's Tracy's Fan, would later be a Grieving Mistress (not of Tracy's).  Frank Anello fulfills your expectations by playing part of the Production Staff.  This is the first of fifteen 30 Rock episodes directed by writer John Riggi.

30 Rock: Larry King

30 Rock: Larry King
NBC
February 26, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B

This Matt-Hubbard-written episode takes awhile to get going, but it's worth it to see how the threads cross over and pay off.  Tracy goes on the title character's talk show and for some reason is treated as an expert on economics (OK, he is wealthy, but that seems to mostly be dumb luck), and then he induces a worldwide financial panic, and he gives clues to where he's hidden money at 30 Rock, so Pete calls up for more specifics, is identified as "Peter Frampton, Guitar Icon," and still can't figure the puzzle out, but Kenneth, who's helping Liz retrieve her phone from a blackmailing cabbie, figures out that he himself is the safe place.  And meanwhile Jack must choose between love with Elisa (at this point, Liz has had sex twice in '09, Jack not at all) and saving the world's economy, especially GE.

Brian Berrebbi plays Reynolds here and previously was Dave.  Bill Walters is "ND Background" and would later be "Soup Kitchen."  Brian Stack makes his last appearance as Howard Jorgensen.  Frank Anello's fans will be pleased to see him appear as a member of the Production Staff.  And Meredith Vieira makes her second cameo on the show.

30 Rock: Retreat to Move Forward

If Liz danced in every episode, I'd totally be OK with that.

30 Rock: Retreat to Move Forward
NBC
January 22, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B-

The three threads in this episode written by Tami Sagher:

• Jack begs Liz to accompany him to a Six Sigma retreat but ditches her, yet she's still willing to humiliate herself to cover up his humiliation because she's a good friend;
• Jenna and Frank hook up but he's more embarrassed by it than she is;
• And Kenneth tries to get Tracy to look after himself because of diabetes.

Not the most memorable or funniest episode of the season, but there are definitely some good moments.  

Buscemi, who had already done a guest shot on the show, is the director here, for the first of two times.  Brian Berrebbi, Dave here, would be Reynolds later in the year.  Sue Galloway isn't listed as IMDB but she definitely appears as Sue.  Frank Anello, I should note, is a member of the Production Staff.  And welcome to the Obama era, we won't be here long.