'30 Rock': We're not in a recession!

Jokes about the Bush administration haven't been too funny lately, maybe because they seem so well-trodden, maybe because they seem so sad. 

While Tina Fey's last well-publicized dip into the pool of political humor was met with mixed reviews, she got back in the game on last night's "30 Rock" with a new take on the current office. Instead of painting it as a bloodthirsty autocracy, Fey chose to highlight the absurdity of it, with Matthew Broderick as Cooter Burger, a well-meaning but desperate drone forced to claim that a leaking ceiling isn't really leaking because "studies have been done."  When Jack (Alec Baldwin) decides to leave GE to work for the Department of Homeland Security, he is met with such silliness, as well as an office so bare-bones that people are forced to scratch out notes with tacks. As Cooter notes, what his country needs is "hope, change, experience and pens." 

The office is inefficient, delusional and pointless, but it's not sinister. The fresh perspective, the relatively light touch and the surrealistic details (such as a candle burning in the socket of a lamp) brought some laughs when there seems to be nothing to laugh about in Washington these days.  One can't help but sense that Cooter's desperation, that "the best friend I've ever had would leave me" (i.e. Jack, whom he had known for a few days) was the mentality of more than a few people in the White House. 

Sometimes the writers on "30 Rock" outdo themselves, but not necessarily in a good way.  Last night's episode felt like three episodes folded into one.  First, Devon Banks (Will Arnett) returned to antagonize Jack (Alec Baldwin) by marrying the daughter of Jack's mentor, Don Guise (Rip Torn).  Then, after being told that he in fact would be inheriting the company, Jack started grooming Liz (Tina Fey) for his former position.  In the meantime, Tracy (Tracy Morgan) and Frank (Judah Friedlander) endured an "Amadeus"-like drama as Frank served as the Salieri to Tracy's Mozart as he tried to create a porno video game in order, of course, to make his children proud. 

Whew!

Now that's more like it.

Last week's "30 Rock" felt like an anomaly from other episodes: the story, jokes, tone, even the look of the show felt somehow out of step with the other installments of the series that its fans have come to love and quote.

Last night, however, felt more like a typical episode with multiple light story lines, sharp politically incorrect humor and plenty of memorable lines.  Liz Lemon's (Tina Fey's) ex-boyfriend Dennis the Beeper King (Dean Winters) came into the spotlight after saving someone from a subway accident, garnering offers of fame from "news and dancing shows" and even getting a favor from a stripper: "a white stripper." Dennis tried to get Liz back into his life, which elicited a hilarious-in-its-truth monologue from Jenna (Jane Krakowski) on what love is: wearing makeup to bed and going down to the Burger King to poop. 

The "30 Rock" post-strike return was big on cleverness last night, but of a different sort than usual.  Fans of the show love the machine-gun barrage of witty lines and bizarre situations -- Tina Fey herself has noted that she has received feedback that some episodes are watched several times for all the jokes to be picked up.  However, with a grand overarching allegory to a reality TV show (with a name that can't be printed in the L.A. Times), the episode was slightly more of a thinker and not as much of a laugher. 

On a conference call with journalists Tuesday afternoon, Tina Fey, creator, writer and star of "30 Rock," discussed what's coming up for the comedy as it returns to NBC from the writers' strike on April 10.

On what will happen with her character, Liz Lemon:
"Both of Liz’s former boyfriends, Dennis the Beeper King [Dean Winters] and Floyd [Jason Sudeikis] will be back briefly. And Liz does have a little bit of a pregnancy scare. She probably hooks up once every seven years, yet when it rains, it pours."

And on her supporting cast:
"Frank [Judah Friedlander] has teamed up with Tracy [Morgan] a fair amount this year. He becomes Salieri to Tracy’s Mozart in a way. And Toofer [Keith Powell]  got to play Sammy Davis Jr. in a weird fantasy sequence and he did a really good job."

'30 Rock': An episode for Devon, Jack and John

Sometimes the writers on "30 Rock" outdo themselves, but not necessarily in a good way.  Last night's episode felt like three episodes folded into one.  First, Devon Banks (Will Arnett) returned to antagonize Jack (Alec Baldwin) by marrying the daughter of Jack's mentor, Don Guise (Rip Torn).  Then, after being told that he in fact would be inheriting the company, Jack started grooming Liz (Tina Fey) for his former position.  In the meantime, Tracy (Tracy Morgan) and Frank (Judah Friedlander) endured an "Amadeus"-like drama as Frank served as the Salieri to Tracy's Mozart as he tried to create a porno video game in order, of course, to make his children proud. 

Whew!

Now that's more like it.

Last week's "30 Rock" felt like an anomaly from other episodes: the story, jokes, tone, even the look of the show felt somehow out of step with the other installments of the series that its fans have come to love and quote.

Last night, however, felt more like a typical episode with multiple light story lines, sharp politically incorrect humor and plenty of memorable lines.  Liz Lemon's (Tina Fey's) ex-boyfriend Dennis the Beeper King (Dean Winters) came into the spotlight after saving someone from a subway accident, garnering offers of fame from "news and dancing shows" and even getting a favor from a stripper: "a white stripper." Dennis tried to get Liz back into his life, which elicited a hilarious-in-its-truth monologue from Jenna (Jane Krakowski) on what love is: wearing makeup to bed and going down to the Burger King to poop. 

The "30 Rock" post-strike return was big on cleverness last night, but of a different sort than usual.  Fans of the show love the machine-gun barrage of witty lines and bizarre situations -- Tina Fey herself has noted that she has received feedback that some episodes are watched several times for all the jokes to be picked up.  However, with a grand overarching allegory to a reality TV show (with a name that can't be printed in the L.A. Times), the episode was slightly more of a thinker and not as much of a laugher. 

On a conference call with journalists Tuesday afternoon, Tina Fey, creator, writer and star of "30 Rock," discussed what's coming up for the comedy as it returns to NBC from the writers' strike on April 10.

On what will happen with her character, Liz Lemon:
"Both of Liz’s former boyfriends, Dennis the Beeper King [Dean Winters] and Floyd [Jason Sudeikis] will be back briefly. And Liz does have a little bit of a pregnancy scare. She probably hooks up once every seven years, yet when it rains, it pours."

And on her supporting cast:
"Frank [Judah Friedlander] has teamed up with Tracy [Morgan] a fair amount this year. He becomes Salieri to Tracy’s Mozart in a way. And Toofer [Keith Powell]  got to play Sammy Davis Jr. in a weird fantasy sequence and he did a really good job."

'30 Rock': Back in the groove

Now that's more like it.

Last week's "30 Rock" felt like an anomaly from other episodes: the story, jokes, tone, even the look of the show felt somehow out of step with the other installments of the series that its fans have come to love and quote.

Last night, however, felt more like a typical episode with multiple light story lines, sharp politically incorrect humor and plenty of memorable lines.  Liz Lemon's (Tina Fey's) ex-boyfriend Dennis the Beeper King (Dean Winters) came into the spotlight after saving someone from a subway accident, garnering offers of fame from "news and dancing shows" and even getting a favor from a stripper: "a white stripper." Dennis tried to get Liz back into his life, which elicited a hilarious-in-its-truth monologue from Jenna (Jane Krakowski) on what love is: wearing makeup to bed and going down to the Burger King to poop. 

The "30 Rock" post-strike return was big on cleverness last night, but of a different sort than usual.  Fans of the show love the machine-gun barrage of witty lines and bizarre situations -- Tina Fey herself has noted that she has received feedback that some episodes are watched several times for all the jokes to be picked up.  However, with a grand overarching allegory to a reality TV show (with a name that can't be printed in the L.A. Times), the episode was slightly more of a thinker and not as much of a laugher. 

On a conference call with journalists Tuesday afternoon, Tina Fey, creator, writer and star of "30 Rock," discussed what's coming up for the comedy as it returns to NBC from the writers' strike on April 10.

On what will happen with her character, Liz Lemon:
"Both of Liz’s former boyfriends, Dennis the Beeper King [Dean Winters] and Floyd [Jason Sudeikis] will be back briefly. And Liz does have a little bit of a pregnancy scare. She probably hooks up once every seven years, yet when it rains, it pours."

And on her supporting cast:
"Frank [Judah Friedlander] has teamed up with Tracy [Morgan] a fair amount this year. He becomes Salieri to Tracy’s Mozart in a way. And Toofer [Keith Powell]  got to play Sammy Davis Jr. in a weird fantasy sequence and he did a really good job."

'30 Rock': Eating its own twin

The "30 Rock" post-strike return was big on cleverness last night, but of a different sort than usual.  Fans of the show love the machine-gun barrage of witty lines and bizarre situations -- Tina Fey herself has noted that she has received feedback that some episodes are watched several times for all the jokes to be picked up.  However, with a grand overarching allegory to a reality TV show (with a name that can't be printed in the L.A. Times), the episode was slightly more of a thinker and not as much of a laugher. 

On a conference call with journalists Tuesday afternoon, Tina Fey, creator, writer and star of "30 Rock," discussed what's coming up for the comedy as it returns to NBC from the writers' strike on April 10.

On what will happen with her character, Liz Lemon:
"Both of Liz’s former boyfriends, Dennis the Beeper King [Dean Winters] and Floyd [Jason Sudeikis] will be back briefly. And Liz does have a little bit of a pregnancy scare. She probably hooks up once every seven years, yet when it rains, it pours."

And on her supporting cast:
"Frank [Judah Friedlander] has teamed up with Tracy [Morgan] a fair amount this year. He becomes Salieri to Tracy’s Mozart in a way. And Toofer [Keith Powell]  got to play Sammy Davis Jr. in a weird fantasy sequence and he did a really good job."

'30 Rock': Tina Fey on what's next

On a conference call with journalists Tuesday afternoon, Tina Fey, creator, writer and star of "30 Rock," discussed what's coming up for the comedy as it returns to NBC from the writers' strike on April 10.

On what will happen with her character, Liz Lemon:
"Both of Liz’s former boyfriends, Dennis the Beeper King [Dean Winters] and Floyd [Jason Sudeikis] will be back briefly. And Liz does have a little bit of a pregnancy scare. She probably hooks up once every seven years, yet when it rains, it pours."

And on her supporting cast:
"Frank [Judah Friedlander] has teamed up with Tracy [Morgan] a fair amount this year. He becomes Salieri to Tracy’s Mozart in a way. And Toofer [Keith Powell]  got to play Sammy Davis Jr. in a weird fantasy sequence and he did a really good job."