For the first season that I can remember, NBC has been kind enough to give us back 30 Rock during premiere week. It seems like the last few years, the show has delayed its premiere until mid to late October. Not this year, my friends, not this year!
Season five of 30 Rock picked up right where the fourth season left off. Jack and Avery (who is carrying his child) are still together, and Liz and Carol are still exploring their relationship. 30 Rock has a bad habit of hosting too many guest stars, and I felt like they picked the wrong one for the first outing of this year. I would have much rather have seen Elizabeth Banks than Matt Damon in this episode, but alas, it was Damon we got.
I’m not sold on this Liz/Carol relationship. I’m curious to see where it goes, and I can’t imagine that Matt Damon has a ton of time to give to 30 Rock. I’m guessing that he has two more episodes, max. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, Liz will be back to her loser in love status, chasing away men by the barrel full. After all, isn’t that the Liz Lemon that we have come to love after five years? I’d really love to see some more of Michael Sheen as Wesley. He and Liz together last season were hysterical.
Honestly, the story line that I enjoyed most in this episode was Jenna surprising everyone by being an amazingly effective producer. Unfortunately her promotion was short lived as she discovered that she just wasn’t needed to run the show. Watching her fire the sweet old lady in wardrobe was a high point of the episode.
All in all, though, this episode did not blow me away, and I’m hoping that the writers are just easing back into the groove of the show. In any case, it’s nice to have 30 Rock back, even if it wasn’t at its best.
My favorite quotes from the episode:
“No, Tom Jones, no!” – Liz, waking up from a dream
“A middle-aged woman saying ‘dude stuff.’ Is that on my sadness scavenger hunt? Why, yes it is.” – Jack
“No, it okay, don’t be cry” – Liz, to a crying Carol
“Don’t you miss rubbing my foot back into the shape of a foot?” – Tracy to Kenneth
“I’m not really necessary. Hmm… The last time I said that I was in a threeway with two of the backstreet boys.” – Jenna
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Sep 23, 2010 @ 21:40 EST5EDT
A show going through the motions. I did like all the free publicity they gave to CBS and “Late Show with David Letterman”. Nice way to tell NBC how much they hate the whole Leno/Conan thing (I know–they did it last season with that horrible janitor storyline).
If it makes you feel any better, I hear they are planning to bring Michael Sheen back. Damon – who knows. It was in the press when he started last season that since he and his family lived in New York that he was looking for more local work so he would be closer to home. He may be around longer than you’d like!
I do enjoy that they get away with trashing NBC, and Kenneth working at CBS was pretty funny. I wonder if any of that will change once Comcast…I mean KableTown takes over.
“And this morning, I made love to my wife – and she was still asleep so I didn’t have to be gentle” – Pete
(cut away to ‘s wife rocking up and down)
“That’s one of the most upsetting things I have ever imagined” – Liz
“Are you sure? Think about it again!” – Pete
(another cut away, more violent rocking)
“Yes!!!” – Liz
My head nearly exploded watching this. I’m really ashamed but that was the most funny thing of the whole week. Awesome.
Oh and John Hamm is set to return also this season so I don’t think that the Carol storyline is going to dominate or even better, things are going to be as screwed up as ever. I still can’t get the Jamaican nurses out of my head ^^;
“As great as I am at this, I’m not really necessary. Hmm… the last time I said that I was in a threeway with two of the Backstreet Boys” – Jenna
I just don’t get the appeal of this show. The jokes are SO forced. Tina Fey is fine, but I really don’t get the constant deification of her by Entertainment Weekly.