Episode 7 - Tracy Does Conan
29 March 2012
Synopsis: Liz wants to break up with Dennis once she gets home. She has to look after Jenna who is hurt that Tracy has taken her place on the Conan O’Brien Show. Tracy’s mix of medications is making him behave very strangely. Jack won’t countenance taking him off of the Conan Show and keeps calling Liz up to his office to help him come up with a joke for a speech. Liz gets a new prescription from Tracy’s physician Dr Spaceman and Kenneth struggles to bring it back on time. Pete tries on a wig for fun but Jack insists he continue to wear one. Finally everything comes together and Tracy falls asleep on Conan. Liz returns home hungry and exhausted and doesn’t break up with Dennis.
The Good: This is an excellent episode for storytelling. The point being made about Liz’ life is so simple. She is overworked and can’t get rid of Dennis because she doesn’t have time to find anything better. By the end of her exhausting day of work she is happy to have someone waiting for her.
In the meantime her hunger, stress and exhaustion is built perfectly throughout the show. The use of music to make her seem in a constant hurry was a very nice touch. And all the other characters played their roles well around her.
Jack is in charge and is the reason that she has to look after Tracy. Jack isn’t being malicious, he is trying to promote TGS, he is doing his job. But he is being insensitive by dragging Liz up to his office and not appreciating how difficult her job is. But that defines his personality well and leads to some good lines as she gets more irritated with him.
Tracy isn’t particularly funny as he plays crazy. But he does play crazy convincingly (licking mirrors and asking an imaginary blue person where his feet are at). His litany of medications fits his back-story and introduces us to Dr Spaceman who has a lovely little cameo here. He is happy-go-lucky and garrulous which is an amusing combination in a doctor who is meant to be confidential and authoritative. “Medicine’s not a science” he claims matter of factly and then explains Tracy’s condition “It’s erratic tendencies and delusions brought on by excessive notoriety and certainly not helped by my wildly experimental treatments!”
Pete finally acts like a fully formed character. He bundles into Jack’s office awkwardly, reminding us that he was fired in the pilot and is still afraid of that fate. It helps explain his compliance in wearing a wig which he understandably feels stupid about. He supports Liz like a proper friend and employee and gets a moment of wig-inspired authority which was a nice moment.
Kenneth seems to come into his own here too as he picks up Tracy’s medicine. His innocence and manners play well into the story as he lets old women ahead in the queue at the pharmacy even though he is in a rush. And in one of those conversations that are funnier in the imagination than in reality we see him telling a surly looking pharmacist “Fine, I will try the other location but frankly Ladonika, you have not been real helpful.” His fantasy interview sequence at the end seemed to fit his star struck persona too.
Conan O’Brien plays his role fine too. We get it confirmed within the story that he once dated Liz. I actually thought his “Let’s not do this” when she asked about his wife was a funny line. I guess, again, it is funnier to hint at their past than actually explore it. Conan makes the most of Tracy’s previous attempt to stab him and he reacts like he is in the 30 Rock universe and not above it.
The Bad: In this new post-studio audience, post-laughter track, post-punch line, post theatre performance style sit com, the jokes aren’t always as prevalent as they used to be. This isn’t a very funny episode by any means. The humour comes from the characters behaviour and reactions to one another. Your amusement will probably vary greatly as a result.
Comic Highlight: The TGS writers try to get stories from Tracy which they can write out for his interview with Conan. Of all Tracy’s inappropriate suggestions I particularly laughed at “My wife and I like to play rape…” The sheer inappropriateness.
The Bottom Line: A well written episode. One of those start to finish stories that feels very satisfying. Liz is the central sympathetic character and we see a day in her life in all its glory.
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