30 Rock: Kidney Now!

30 Rock: Kidney Now!
NBC
May 14, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B

In this Burditt & Carlock episode, Jack holds a musical benefit to find a kidney for his father.  Meanwhile Kenneth encourages Tracy to accept an invitation to speak at Tracy's old high school.  And Liz gives out bad romantic advice to various women as part of her "Dealbreaker" persona.

I won't name all the singers in this episode (OK, it's cool to see Cyndi Lauper), but I will note Michael McDonald had also played himself on the Doobie Brothers episode of What's Happening!!  (an episode that a previous 30 Rock episode referred to).  Staff writer Kay Cannon's last onscreen appearance on the show is as the Young Woman whose boyfriend runs a tanning salon, while staff writer Donald Glover's third is as the Gay Kid.  (He was 25 at the time he was playing 18.)  Paula Pell and Sherri Shepherd return as Paula and Angie respectively.  Frank Anello captures the essence of the Production Staff, and Sue Galloway gets another line as Sue.

Near the end of the episode, Liz tells Jack, "It's been quite a year," and he replies that it's May.  Of course this episode wraps up the second year of 30 Rock, and of TGS.   The former, with the exception of one C-, ranges from B- to A-, averaging out to roughly the B-/B border, slightly on the B side.  The regular cast continues to work well, even if some Flanderization is setting in already.  The guest stars are good to great.  And the writing is still mostly solid.  I recall Season Four as a decline, if not to the point of Season Five of course.