Episode 14 - Future Husband
14 March 2010
Review
Synopsis: NBC is being sold to Kable Town and Jack is out of the loop. He soon discovers that Don Geiss has passed away and he is now the protégé of a dead man. Avery helps him out by floating the rumour that Kable Town want him to remain in charge of NBC. Meanwhile Liz finds the name "Future Husband" in her phone and realises she met someone while recovering from root canal surgery. She tracks down Wesley but they don't get on at all. Kenneth tried to prove to her that things always work out for the best and when Wesley arrives to return his wallet she agrees to go out with him again. Tracy puts on a one-man show to get a Tony award for his EGOT ambition. When he realises that he has to do the same show eight times to be eligible Jenna steps in to give him acting lessons.
The Good: The writers respond to NBC's sale to Comcast in real life by having the same thing happen to NBC in this universe. Jack's career stories are always the same, the panic, the re-evaluation of his life and then the restoration. As Jack plays his role so convincingly and the story is always played pretty straight it works. Here the story is linked to his relationship with Avery, another Jack staple. So it looks like Jack will become NBC chief but working for Kable Town. Presumably we will now get a bunch of digs at Comcast which few understand but which other TV critics will think are terribly clever.
The continuity from previous stories was good with Liz' surgery leading to her meeting Wesley and Tracy setting his mind on his EGOT. Wesley returning next episode to continue this story might lead to something interesting but we shall see.
The Bad: I suppose 30 Rock aims to satirise how corporate America really functions but I did wonder why NBC's sale was such a big deal to Jack. If he is one of GE's top executives does he have no faith that he could be reappointed and work his way on up?
Liz going on an awkward date with Wesley was dull stuff though it may yet go somewhere. Explain to me how having a Jamaican receptionist actually say "bobsled" is a joke? She said it to ironically prove Liz right in her silly Cool Runnings inspired impression. But it didn't come out of anything vaguely real, she said it in order to make the joke work. It didn't come out of something she might actually say in order to make a real joke. Uh, I'm getting tired of trying to find words to express examples like that.
Tracy's plot also lacked credibility. Are we really expected to believe that he had five hours worth of material and that critics loved it? Are we supposed to believe that anyone would have stayed to see him read the phone book? His bickering with Jenna was no fun either. Kenneth's donkey impressions have no basis in reality either.
Comic Highlight: Jenna knows the Tony Awards rules well because she has been "petitioning for them to add a category for living theatrically in normal life."
The Bottom Line: An episode which will breeze past you. But the jokes are awful, they scream of sketch comedy. There is a reason those jokes don't work in sit coms and that's because sit coms are based in a more authentic world where the rules of sketch comedy don't apply.
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