30 Rock: The Break-Up

30 Rock: The Break-Up
NBC
December 14, 2006
Sitcom
DVD
B

This story by Dave Finkel and Brett Baer, who'd team up for one more, is the first one where I feel like everything clicks.  The title situation has Liz breaking up with Dennis and then him manipulating her to get back together, until she sees him on To Catch a Predator.  Meanwhile, Toofer (whose real name is revealed here to be James) and Tracy clash over stereotypes, and Jack is offscreen dating Condoleezza Rice.  Along with the interesting storylines, this not only ups the use of cutaways-- Black Frasier is a mini-classic-- but it was probably the first time on my initial viewing that I had to pause to read something onscreen, in this case Liz's very funny list of pros and cons about Dennis.  (The running joke about his mother in the cons is worth it alone.)  At the series' peak, this would be a winning formula, although I don't know if they'd yet realized that.

Frank Anello continues to be an onscreen member of the Production Staff.  Henry Boyle, who's Billy Huckster here, would play Henry the next year, while Joe Forbrich, who's Kevin, would be Crew Guy #1 in the last season.  This time Rachel Dratch plays Pamela Smew, the sensitivity trainer.  And many of the regulars, even Pete and Kenneth, are absent.  Scott Ellis wouldn't direct another episode until '09.