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: Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land

30 Rock: Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land
NBC
May 13, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Matt Hubbard wrote this episode which is an unofficial first half of a two-parter.  (Well, it does end "To be continued.")  We see the beginning of the day that Liz has to be part of three wedding parties, starting with Floyd's wedding in a Catholic Church.  Jack and Nancy finally slept together the previous night, so he decides to tell her, during Liz's speech, about Avery.  Meanwhile, Dot Com and Kenneth convince Tracy to do a movie that may get him the Oscar in his EGOT goal.

Kristin McGee returns as Kaitlin and Seth Kirschner is back as Shawn.  John Anderson again plays Astronaut Mike Dexter.  Tuxedo Gala Guest Ali Khan would later be an Airline Passenger.  Frank Anello is consistent as a member of the Production Staff.  I'm omitting Judah Friedlander and Jane Krakowski from the very overcrowded tags.

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: Anna Howard Shaw Day

30 Rock: Anna Howard Shaw Day
NBC
February 11, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Matt-Hubbard-written episode introduces another love interest for Jack: Elizabeth Banks as Avery Jessup, who's a good match for Jack in the sense that they're both conservative and tough but sophisticated.  Meanwhile, Liz hopes to avoid Valentine's Day by going to the dentist, but she ends up hallucinating three of her exes.  I might've gone with a B, but I wasn't crazy about the thread about Jenna's stalker.  Note that we actually meet one of Pete's kids, Evelyn, his only daughter.

Stewart Steinberg is again the Old Janitor.  Maechi Aharanwa would be Keisha the nurse in the following episode as well.  I'm omitting Friedlander and Powell from the overcrowded tags.

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: Hiatus

30 Rock: Hiatus
NBC
April 26, 2007
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Although this story written by Tina Fey introduces Elaine Stritch as Jack's outspoken mother Colleen and has some nice platonic chemistry between Fey and Baldwin, the Tracy held hostage by Kenneth's even more redneck cousin plot doesn't really work.  Emily Mortimer makes her last appearance as Phoebe, since it's clear Jack doesn't love her.  And Liz and Floyd accidentally break up over Skype.

Justin Smith returns as a Black Crusader and Lester Holt again appears as himself.  Matt Dickinson this time is nameless as Jack's Assistant, although he was Matt previously.  Frank Anello wraps up the season as a member of the onscreen Production Staff.  And in her last role on the show for awhile, Rachel Dratch is Dr. Beauvoir.  Most of the writers are absent again.

As the title implies, both TGS and 30 Rock went on hiatus.  This 21-episode season ranges from C to B+, with just over half of the episodes earning a B-, so it's not surprising that it averages out to a B-.  The show takes awhile to find itself, and I'm sorry but the Tracy character just doesn't appeal to me most of the time.  Still, there's some good stuff here, and I recall the second season as being sharper and funnier.

30 Rock: Cleveland

30 Rock: Cleveland
NBC
April 19, 2007
Sitcom
DVD
B+

This Burditt & Carlock episode works very well.  Floyd is tired of New York and wants to take a job offer in the title city.  Liz is tempted to go with him but they've only been dating a month and she thinks of herself as a New Yorker.  However, Jack and Phoebe (Emily Mortimer again) have been dating an even shorter time and Jack proposes to her.  Meanwhile, Tracy goes on the run when he finds out that the Black Crusaders are after him for all his stereotypical roles.  The best thing here is the musical tribute to Cleveland, very early to mid '60s sounding.

Jennifer Bassey was Beverly Fiske on Who's the Boss? and is the Old Vibrant Lady here.  Gambling Fisherman Kevin Cannon would return as Hobo Flint, while Raymond McAnally [who's his agent???] is a Cleveland Dude but would later be a character named Tony.  Frank Anello is, wait for it, a member of the Production Staff.  Eric Dysart would be Alan Garkel again four years later.  Justin Smith would be a nameless Black Crusader on the next episode, too, while Lester Holt plays himself here, in the following episode, and in three more episodes in future seasons.  Pete and most of the writers are gone again but Jenna is back.

And this is the only episode directed by Paul Feig, who was Pete on Roseanne and Peterson on Ellen, along with a lot of other acting roles, but he's probably best known now as a movie director-- Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters, etc.

30 Rock: Corporate Crush

30 Rock: Corporate Crush
NBC
April 12, 2007
Sitcom
NBC
B

In this episode, Jack bonds with Floyd, to the point that he's monopolizing Floyd's attention, until Jack gets together with posh Brit Phoebe (no last name, played by Emily Mortimer here and in the next two episodes).  Meanwhile, Tracy tries to sell Don Geiss (Rip Torn again) on his Thomas Jefferson movie idea.

Frank Anello is unsurprisingly part of the Production Staff.  Both Jenna, Pete, and most of the writers are absent.

30 Rock: Fireworks

30 Rock: Fireworks
NBC
April 5, 2007
Sitcom
DVD
B+

This episode introduces Will Arnett as one of my favorite recurring characters, Devon Banks.  But that's not the only reason why this is the first great episode of 30 Rock.  

• Arnett is awesome though, from his double-entendrous exchanges with his rival Jack to his flirtation with Kenneth, he is fun to watch;
• Banks come up with the 15-second sitcom, and we get to see an entire webisode;
• Jack believes that television shouldn't be smaller but should embrace the spectacle, so he offers live fireworks, not a good idea in midtown Manhattan only five and a half years after 9/11;
• For once the Tracy plot is good, with Tray finding out (from Dr. Spaceman, but no one questions this) that he's descended from Thomas Jefferson, who's played by Baldwin in Tracy's dream;
• Pete is staying at Liz's while his wife is mad at him, which leads to such funny moments as him dressing like Liz one morning;
• Liz pursues Floyd into an AA meeting and claims to be an alcoholic, but she does confess when she doesn't have to;
• And Tootsie jokes!

Frank Anello and Sue Galloway return as respectively a member of the Production Staff and Sue.  Matt Dickinson, who's Matt here, would return as Jack's Assistant (possibly the same character).  Dave Finkel, who plays the Husband in the Makin' It Happen episode, had previously played the 2nd AD and wrote two episodes, including this one (with Brett Baer), while Kay Cannon, who plays the Wife, would have two more roles and wrote the "Black Tie" episode and would do eleven more.  Al Roker would return as himself, but Maury Povich would not.  And Jenna is absent.

30 Rock: The Fighting Irish

30 Rock: The Fighting Irish
NBC
March 8, 2007
Sitcom
DVD
B

You know there's questionable behavior in this story by Jack Burditt story when Pete lectures Liz for firing Flower Guy's girlfriend and he doesn't really have the moral high ground considering he lied to his wife about a vasectomy.  Still, this is a funny, clever episode.  The title refers to Jack's family, who drink, argue, connive, hug, and, yes, punch each other, and Liz.

Frank Anello is, that's right, a member of the onscreen Production Staff.  Henry Boyle, Henry here, was previously Billy Huckster.  John F. Mooney makes his first of three appearances as Kenneth's spiritual leader, Reverend Gary.  I'm guessing that Aerobics Instructor Kristen Sudeikis is Jason's wife.  Molly Shannon of course has a lot of credits, but for our purposes she was a nameless woman on Ellen in '94 and is Jack's sister Katherine Catherine.

30 Rock: The Source Awards

30 Rock: The Source Awards
NBC
March 1, 2007
Sitcom
DVD
C

This episode, written by Robert Carlock and a writer who didn't do any other of my shows, is the least funny so far, despite the presence of Wayne Brady as Steven Black, a man who refuses to believe that it's incompatibility rather than race that makes Liz not like him.  A lot of the jokes just don't land for me, although Jack's winery being bad had potential.

Elijah Isaiah Cook is Young Tracy for the first of two times that year.  French Dude Guy Bayo would later be Guy (or perhaps a Guy).  Ghostface Killah again appears as himself.  A member of the onscreen Production Staff is of course played by Frank Anello.  We get a quick glimpse of Floyd, whom Liz still refers to as "Flower Guy."  Pete and most of the writers are absent.

30 Rock: Up All Night

Suzanne Somers look

30 Rock: Up All Night
NBC
February 8, 2007
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Jack and Bianca (Rossellini again) finally sign their divorce papers, after being separated since the late '80s, but he has trouble letting her go.  (Emotionally.  Rossellini wouldn't be back.)  The episode is also notable for (re)introducing Tracy's wife Angie (played from here on out by Sherri Shepherd) and a new romantic prospect for Liz, a man named Floyd (played by Jason Sudeikis).  However, Floyd meets Liz because he sent flowers to his girlfriend for Valentine's Day and they were delivered to the similarly named Liz Lemon by mistake.  Meanwhile, another future "couple" is being set-up, with Frank and Jenna having it out about his dislike of her, leading to them laughing together and sort of becoming friends.  And I guess you can say that Kenneth/Cerie starts here, although I don't think we're meant to take that at all seriously, especially since she makes up with her fiance.  Note the irony of Jack wanting to buzz Trump Tower with a helicopter, just to annoy "Donald."

Rachel Hamilton makes her first of two appearances as Rachel, while Rachel Dratch's role is Vlem the Polish (?) prostitute.  Joy Behar appears as herself, talking about losing her virginity at the '68 Democratic Convention.  This is one of the episodes that IMDB has Sue Galloway as uncredited for, although I've seen her before.  She plays Sue, one of the female writers, whom we'll eventually find out is European (Dutch and something I think).  So far she hasn't had any lines, although the brunette female writer has a couple here.  Fey wrote this episode and it's the first of eleven directed by Michael Engler.