30 Rock: I Do Do

30 Rock: I Do Do
NBC
May 20, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Fey-written episode, Liz leaves the first wedding (Floyd's) for the second (Cerie's) but has to stop by Wesley's former office to pick up his dress shoes.  There she immediately connects with Matt Damon as Carol.  (It's a family name he says, and we later find out he's another of Liz's punningly named boyfriends, since his last name is Burnett.)  Avery and Nancy meet in the bathroom at Cerie's wedding, so Nancy ends up being the one to tell Jack that Avery is pregnant.  Meanwhile, Jenna learns that Paul (Will Forte) is also torn between two loves: her and Cher (at least as females to impersonate).  And when Kenneth tries to avoid a promotion that would mean moving to California, Pete has to reluctantly fire him.  The final wedding is Grizz's, and Kenneth drunkenly confesses his love for everyone.

Kristin McGee understandably makes her last appearance as Kaitlin, Floyd's bride, while John Anderson completes his fourth-season purpose as Astronaut Mike Dexter in various forms.  Paula Pell appears as Paula, but oddly we don't see Sherri Shepherd as Angie.  (Maybe she was still doing bedrest because of the pregnancy.)  Craig Castaldo again plays Moonvest.  Russ Spiegel returns as a TGS Bandmember.  And Frank Anello of course plays a member of the Production Staff, and Sue Galloway is naturally Sue.  I'm omitting Powell and Friedlander from the overcrowded tags.

30 Rock in its fourth season ranges from C to  B, and 13 of those are B-s, so it's not surprising that it averages out to a B-.  This is a slip in quality, but not a severe one.  I just laughed less and was less invested in the characters.  On my first viewing, I actually felt like we were leaving the characters in a good place, and the gross, unfunny, and "wacky" fifth season took me by surprise.  But that's a topic for my next blog.  For now, I'll note that we are not quite done with 30 Rock 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: Future Husband

30 Rock: Future Husband
NBC
March 11, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Despite the gap of a month since the previous episode, this picks up not long after.  Jack is trying to figure out how to manage his relationship with Avery and where the lines between work and romance are, especially since she's a financial reporter and she's heard a rumor that Kabletown is buying NBC.  (A rumor that would prove true.)  Meanwhile, Liz has met her "Future Husband," in the form of an Englishman named Wesley, played by Michael Sheen.  In this and later episodes, they don't connect and yet they're drawn together.  Again, a B was tempting, but I didn't really care about the Tracy & Jenna thread about his attempts to get a Tony Award.

Maechi Aharanwa reprises her role as Keisha, while James Rebhorn would reprise his role as Dr. Kaplan.  Brian Williams is back as Brian Williams.  This time, "30 Rock Regulars" means only Maulik Pancholy as Jonathan.  This is the first of two 30 Rock scripts by Jon Haller, while it's Tracey Wigfield's second of nine.

30 Rock: Verna

30 Rock: Verna
NBC
February 4, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Ron Weiner wrote this episode where Jenna's mother, the title character (Jan Hooks in her first of two cameos), shows up and seems to want to make up for being a bad mom, but Jack doesn't trust her.  Hooks is quite good (even if she is only about eleven years older than Krakowski) and I wish the rest of the episode were at her level.  Frank moving in with Liz and the two of them having a bet about breaking bad habits (junk food for her, smoking for him) isn't that interesting, although the pay-off is pretty good.  Also, I don't like how people keep moving in with Liz without her really wanting them to.  I could see it with Pete in the first season, but not with Frank here, or with Tracy earlier this season.  Director Don Scardino plays a Maitre d'.

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: 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: 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: 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: Mamma Mia

30 Rock: Mamma Mia
NBC
May 7, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B

In this Ron-Weiner-written episode, Pete and Liz are suspicious of Tracy's supposed "love child" Donald (Michael Benjamin Washington in his first of two appearances), while Jack, at Liz's urging, finds out whose love child he is.  And meanwhile, Liz resents Jenna taking credit for the "dealbreaker" catchphrase, and the photo shoot shows that Jenna has learned from the Maxim debacle of the first season.  The title here is, as is made clear, a reference to the stageplay and film of that name, although in this case two of the three potential dads are immediately ruled out, leaving Jack to deal with the fact that his biological father is a liberal, secular humanist agnostic History professor from Vermont, perfectly cast with Alan Alda.

I'm omitting Friedlander and Powell from the overcrowded tags.  Frank Anello works hard at playing a member of the Production Staff.  And while Alda is of course going to walk away with the "Most Shows In My Collection" Award (if there was ever any doubt), the Longevity award will likely see Stuart Margolin pushing Ann B. Davis out of the way, since his role as Jack's potential-if-not-injured-in-the-war dad Fred comes a good 41 years after his first That Girl cameo.

30 Rock: Jackie Jormp-Jomp

30 Rock: Jackie Jormp-Jomp
NBC
April 16, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is the first of nine 30 Rock episodes Tracey Wigfield wrote, here working with Kay Cannon.  It's also the episode where we actually find out the name, and pronunciation of Jeffrey Weinerslav (Todd Buonopane).  Liz is on probation for "sexual harassment," having in the previous episode unsuccessfully tried to save her show's budget through quid pro quo second base.  At first, she misses the stress, until she meets neighbors who've raised leisure to an art form.  Meanwhile, Jenna is mistakenly reported as dead, which Jack hopes will create some buzz for her Janis Joplin biopic which has no rights to Janis's life.  And Tracy Al-Haigs it in the vacuum of Liz's absence, firing Kenneth's crush that Dot Com is dating.

Danielle Flora, who plays Daphne, would return as a nameless Dancer.  Frank Anello shatters stereotypes with his appearance as a member of the Production Staff.

30 Rock: St. Valentine's Day

30 Rock: St. Valentine's Day
NBC
February 12, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Fey & Burditt story, Jack and Elisa have religious differences; Tracy helps Kenneth woo a blind girl; and everything that could possibly go wrong on a first date, from Liz twice accidentally exposing herself to Drew's mother (actually grandmother) dying, goes wrong.  Isn't it romantic?  Note that the seemingly throwaway line about Dot Com being in love with Grizz's girlfriend would in fact have a pay-off down the line.

Jeff Richmond again plays Alfonso Disparioso.  Frank Anello incidentally is a member of the Production Staff.

30 Rock: Flu Shot

30 Rock: Flu Shot
NBC
January 15, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Jon Pollack wrote this story where Liz initially refuses a flu shot when she finds out that there are only five available and thus the crew won't be able to receive any.  However, when, as Cerie puts it in text, "UR VAC8SH1 IS BAGON," Liz sells out and gets a shot, even dancing for Dr. Spaceman.  Meanwhile, in the weakest thread, Tracy and Jenna want to do something nice for the crew but have absolutely no idea how.  And Jack, having learned from his experience with C.C., decides to make time for Elisa, even if it means they have to take a feeble old man along on their dates, with Michael Bublé providing the "Mr. Templeton" song as background music.

Scott Bryce, who was Steve Barton on Who's the Boss?, is Michael Templeton here and would later be a character named Dave.  The Dave in this episode is played by Joseph D'Onofrio, who would later be a nameless Crew Guy.  Intoxicated Star Michel E. Bell had recently played an Audience Member.  Jimmy Palumbo, playing Matt Dowd here, would later be Enzo.  Staff writer Jack Burditt makes an uncredited appearance as Man in Donut Shop and in 2013 would twice play the Colonel.  Seventy-five-year-old George Bartenieff didn't work on any of my other shows, but he was Nitro in the campy movie Hercules in New York almost forty years earlier.  This time "30 Rock regulars" really only covers Lutz and Cerie, as much of the supporting cast is absent.

30 Rock: Christmas Special

30 Rock: Christmas Special
NBC
December 11, 2008
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Even though this Fey & Cannon story includes Jack accidentally hitting his mother with a car, it's one of the funnier episodes of the series.  Out of guilt, Jack flies his injured mother from Florida to New York, where she ends up staying with him and ruining his Christmas, until Liz makes him see that his mother really does love him, in her crusty way.  Before this discovery, however, Jack throws together a last-minute Christmas special, just so he can avoid his mother.  Meanwhile, Liz's faith in Christmas is shaken by what seems to be a scam, but Kenneth turns out to be right that everything is OK.  And Jenna gets to sing.

Series composer Jeff Richmond again appears onscreen as musician Alfonso Disparioso.  Audience Member Michael E. Bell would be an Intoxicated Star the next year, while Nilaja Sun would not reprise her role as Irene till 2012.  Sue Galloway not only appears as Sue but shows off the bra that the other writers chipped in for.  (Still not a speaking role yet though.)  And Frank Anello of course is a member of the Production Staff, while Teddy Coluca is again the Stage Manager.

30 Rock: Believe in the Stars

30 Rock: Believe in the Stars
NBC
November 6, 2008
Sitcom
DVD
B-


Robert Carlock wrote this story where Liz thinks she meets Oprah while doped up on an airplane and then has "Oprah" (really a large 12-year-old girl) try to reconcile Jenna and Tracy, who are feuding again.  Meanwhile Jack tests Kenneth's ethics.  Todd Buonopane would return four more times as Jeffrey from HR, although I think it's only in a later episode that we find out that he has the unfortunate last name of Weinerslav.

30 Rock: Do-Over

30 Rock: Do-Over
NBC
October 30, 2008
Sitcom
DVD
B

Fey wrote this season-opener that sort of picks up where we left off.  Jack returns to GE but Banks makes him start in the mail room, although Kathy Geiss (Marceline Hugot) seemingly offers to give Jack his old job back in exchange for sex.  He has to fake a romance with Liz, making Kathy utter perhaps her only line, urging Jack and Liz to kiss.  (They don't.)  Meanwhile, Liz tries to impress a lady from an adoption agency, getting a do-over when Frank hits the lady with the golden nunchucks that Tracy bought for him, after Liz prodded Tracy to reward the people who helped work on the now very successful porn video game.

Frank Anello's fans will be pleased that he continues his role as part of the Production Staff.  Megan Mullally would actually reprise her role of Bev, the lady from the adoption agency, in the final season.

30 Rock: Cooter

30 Rock: Cooter
NBC
May 8, 2008
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Fey wrote this season finale, whose title comes from the character Cooter Burger (Matthew Broderick, in a role he'd reprise four years later), whom Jack meets during his brief stint during the "lame-eagle" Bush, Jr. administration.  Jack soon wants to be fired (since he's not allowed to resign), so he comes up with an elaborate scheme involving a "gay bomb" and his ex-girlfriend C.C. (Edie Falco in her last appearance on the show).  Meanwhile, Tracy, with voice-acting from Grizz and Jenna, completes his porn video game, which Frank spends three months playing non-stop, as we learn in the "how they spent their summer" tag for some of the characters.  Kenneth, with Jenna's help, gets to be a page at the Summer Olympics.  And Liz thinks she's pregnant after a one-night stand with her ex Dennis, but it's just the bull semen in her Mexican cheese curls.  Note that in a flashback we see a very hirsute Pete as being disappointed he can't do archery at the 1980 Olympics, which would have an echo in a later season.  This episode is very funny but occasionally poignant, a fine way to close out Season Two.

Marceline Hugot returns as Kathy Geiss and at one point reveals she has a Matchbox car in her mouth.  John G. Pavelec, a Congressman here, would later play an Attorney.  And Frank Anello concludes the season by playing a member of the Production Staff.

30 Rock in its Second Season ranges from one C+ to three B+s, averaging out to an impressive B.  The show is arguably at its peak here, with all the characters well defined and playing off each other.  The writing, direction, and music are all solid.  I recall Season Three as just as good, but we shall see....

30 Rock: Sandwich Day

30 Rock: Sandwich Day

NBC

May 1, 2008

Sitcom
DVD
B

The title of this Burditt & Carlock episode refers to the one day a year that the teamsters bring the staff wonderful sandwiches from a secret location.  Liz's writers eat her sandwich and she makes them get her another, which involves a drinking contest.  But Liz's more immediate problem is that Floyd is back in town and she's having trouble reading him.  Their reunion at the airport lampshades that rom-com trope.  And meanwhile, with Don Geiss still in a coma, his daughter Kathy (Marceline Hugot) is still the figurehead, and Jack has been banished to the weird and creepy (think David Lynch) 12th floor.  Note that Jack tries to revive Geiss by claiming that (the worst nightmare for both men) Hillary Clinton has become President.

Screener Johnnie Mae previously played a Nurse.  We haven't seen Brian Dennehy, here playing teamster Mickey J.,  in my TV collection since he was MP Ernie Connors on M*A*S*H.

30 Rock: Subway Hero

30 Rock: Subway Hero
NBC
April 17, 2008
Sitcom
DVD
B

This Burditt & Carlock story has three good threads:

• Jack recruits has-been Bucky Bright (Tim Conway doing self-parody, a decade after his appearance on Ellen) to be a celebrity Republican but decides that Tracy would be better, which Tracy agrees to after having a dream where Jack is Nixon and Toofer is Sammy Davis, Jr.;
• Meanwhile Kenneth gradually gets disillusioned with Bucky;
• And we see the return of Dennis Duffy (Dean Winters) and understand more about why he and Liz got together, from a flashback to their snarking at the Hours (which I heartily agree with) to a Liz & Jenna talk where (ironically as it would turn out a few episodes later) Dennis is compared to the off-brand Mexican Cheetos that Liz likes.

30 Rock: Ludachristmas

30 Rock: Ludachristmas
NBC
December 13, 2007
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In Tami Sagher's first of two 30 Rock stories, Liz's parents, Dick and Margaret Lemon (Buck Henry and Anita Gillette, and, yes, we haven't seen her in my TV collection since Match Game '73), and her brother Mitch (Andy Richter, who would not return) visit her for the holidays.  Jack finds himself charmed by their naivete, including Mitch being stuck in 1985, but his mother's cynicism causes the Lemons to turn against each other.  Meanwhile, Kenneth's Reverend Gary (John F. Mooney) tries to teach the TGS staff the true meaning of Christmas, which they of course misunderstand.

Frank Anello is a member of the Production Staff for the last time that year.  This time writer Kay Cannon appears as a Human Table.  I'm omitting Keith Powell and Judah Friedlander from the overcrowded tags.

30 Rock: Greenzo

30 Rock: Greenzo
NBC
November 8, 2007
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this first of two 30 Rock stories written by Jon Pollack, David Schwimmer plays the title character, an out of control actor whom Jack has hired to be a corporate-friendly and kid-friendly environmental superhero.  Meanwhile, Pete is having an "affair" with his wife Paula (played here and later by Paula Pell), whom he's been with since getting her pregnant on their first date in their sophomore year of college.  And Tracy's scheme to make Kenneth's party the event of the year of course backfires.

Meredith Vieira appears as herself for the first of five times, and Al Gore as himself for the first of two.