Episode 18 - Fireworks
25 March 2012
Synopsis: Jack welcomes a rival NBC VP Devin Banks to 30 Rock as they both make a pitch to the higher ups. When Jack discovers that Devin is gay he sends Kenneth to spy on him. Meanwhile Liz follows Floyd into a church, only to find his AA group. She pretends she is an alcoholic too and they go out together and get close. He is furious when she tells him the truth and so she tells him all her embarrassing secrets and they end up together.
The Good: Hmm. Difficult. There is a huge amount crammed into this one episode. Most of it is fun but not funny. I think this is an example of a sketch writer overflowing with ideas and not realising that in a sit com it is context which really makes everything funny.
Liz and Floyd have an easy chemistry and Pete plays the third wheel just fine. The hot dog vendor who is concerned for Liz’ health was a fun idea.
Will Arnett of course played Gob Bluth in 30 Rock’s spiritual cousin Arrested Development. Devin Banks is a suitable roll for him and he fits right into the 30 Rock universe as the gravelly voiced sleazy executive. Pairing him with Kenneth was a clever idea and his cut off robes and aggressive sexuality were able to sail over Kenneth’s head. Kenneth’s acting is very strong. He remains convincingly naïve and happy no matter what he is doing. His love of television is exploited well here to provide an excuse for him to cooperate with Jack’s plans.
Speaking of Jack, he is in his usual good form. His fireworks idea going wrong fits his character’s story arc this season as he has struggled to adapt to the television environment. The idea that the fireworks would look like a terrorist attack to unsuspecting New Yorkers makes sense.
Finally Tracy, Toopher and Frank have some fun with their ancestral storyline. Tracy is suitably confused by the revelation that he is a descendent of Thomas Jefferson. While Toopher’s discovery that he is related to a black Confederate officer is a very clever way to bring him “down” to Tracy’s level (see Comic Highlight). The later revelation that Toopher’s relative helped shelter John Wilkes Booth (who assassinated President Lincoln) adds further mirth to his humiliation.
The Bad: There are so many one-liners in this episode that you could be fooled into thinking this is a hilarious half hour of comedy. And yes if you happen to understand them all and find them all funny then this episode could definitely be for you.
Liz writes a call for common decency which got big laughs at a Republican fundraiser. Dr Spacemen claims in the 1960s they used to dunk women under water until they renounced any paternity claims. Pete describes Hitler’s upcoming birthday as an option for Jack’s TV special. Tracy dreams about Jack playing Jefferson on the Maury Povich show. Tootsie and Tarzan on Ice jokes. It’s all too much. So many of these lines are fired out quickly in the pseudo-serious way that 30 Rock does and I suspect a lot of people won’t laugh because there isn’t enough context for these jokes to flourish.
Part of that is just that there are three stories going on at once which could all use more time to be fleshed out. Particularly Tracy and Toopher’s familial revelations. The links to their historical ancestors really needed to be treated as a bigger deal and explored further. Otherwise it just seems too casual and flippant to throw out jokes about Jefferson and Spurlock and not examine how that affects the characters lives.
Much of the humour is pretty stupid as well. Dr Spaceman claiming science can be anything we want it to be is a silly line which might be funny if we had reason to believe he was a good doctor. But it fits a pattern of him saying things which are just bizarre for the sake of it. The obvious question then is how does he successfully treat anyone? Tracy’s white guy, black guy phone dialling joke was as basic as it gets. Jack and Devin talking in low voices at each other in a mocking-drama-shows kind of way wasn’t much fun either. It’s such a vague parody that it doesn’t really have a comedic edge.
Snuff videos of celebrities killing each other is a line which shouldn’t be in the show. That crosses a line into sketch comedy and in a show set even in a pseudo-real world you can’t expect audiences to buy into that.
Last but not least we have Liz once more doing something very ethically bad and suffering no consequences. It would seem the selfish and immoral side to her character is going to stay as she betrays Floyd’s trust but still gets to be with him. She wins him over by listing a set of embarrassing moments in her life. Again without context or characterisation they are just a list of embarrassing stories. They aren’t funny as a list.
Comic Highlight: Frank is delighted to learn that Toopher’s relative was an officer for the Confederate armies in the Civil War. The idea of a black man helping those trying to protect their right to have black slaves is obviously embarrassing for the proud Toopher while also being entirely plausible. As Frank laughs at then picture he asks “Do you think these other black guys are his prisoners or what? Ha ha ha.”
The Bottom Line: It would seem that each of these stories will build toward the season finale. It’s good to see stories being started early and being given time to grow. If each of these ideas is further fleshed out then this episode may have served a solid purpose. But on its own there is just too much to take in. Yes there are a lot of potentially good jokes but do they all work as well as they could have?
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