Episode 4 - Gavin Volure
29 March 2012
Synopsis: Jack takes Liz to dine with eccentric agoraphobe millionaire Gavin Volure (Steve Martin). He asks Liz to come back and see him alone and she likes his strange situation. Unfortunately he has been lying and is actually under house arrest for fraud. He comes to NBC to try and convince Liz to come with him but he is caught by Tracy. Tracy had been using his sex dolls as decoys to try and avoid being murdered by his sons who he believes were after his money.
The Good: There is actually loads to enjoy in this episode of 30 Rock. It doesn’t all come together to make a good episode but nonetheless it is fun to sit through.
Steve Martin is yet another celebrity acquisition for the show and he shows a decent range throughout. From playing it quirky straight early on he is then able to get more outrageous as the episode goes on without it jarring. His recorded messages from the toilet are quite fun as are parts of his breakdown at the end. His story is passable largely because of what we learn about Liz’ love life along the way. It is a nice idea that this agoraphobe is who she wants to date because she can’t be bothered with all the boring conversation and sex. That idea fits Liz’ character well, not only does she always talk about being too tired to do things but she slopes around the office like she doesn’t have the energy to walk much faster. The twist that Gavin is really under house arrest is also clever and leads to the amusing line “I thought I was helping him when I let him hold my boob when we watched Top Chef.”
Tracy’s story is even more amusing and even more plausible. He is also a rich man having problems when he becomes paranoid that his sons will kill him to get their hands on his wealth. Tracy is a funny character, his overly serious style of speaking is always amusing to hear and becoming paranoid is a very natural comic step for him to take. And of course it is based on sound reasoning, he has become hugely wealthy and why wouldn’t his children want a piece of that. The conclusion where his son comes crying because he is worried that the money will break up the family is nice but swiftly overshadowed by Tracy threatening him with prison should he die. It’s all believably stupid and the Tracy sex dolls are the perfect silly prop (see Best Moment).
Jack shows his nice side again by trying to help Kenneth earn more money. It’s a pleasant side plot and leads to two clever jokes. The first is the ever consistent Kenneth who comments entirely seriously “Well that would be great if pigs weren’t excellent swimmers” when Jack suggests soon his parents will be able to afford a moat to keep out their aggressive pigs. Then later when Pete makes Kenneth the floor emergency marshal, Jack asks Pete if that job comes with a $4000 signing bonus (so that he can return Kenneth’s money to him). Pete cottons onto what is going on and says “Yes. Oh right I remember that meeting, where you also said I would get a per diem for gas.” He then holds Jack’s gaze long enough to get what he wants. Again it’s an effective joke because all the characters behave in a believable manner.
The Bad: Any story where a character falls for another inside a couple of meetings is going to be silly. Gavin’s Liz-related breakdown at the end of the episode is therefore too ridiculous and the jokes he fires out are too random and baseless. The faux confrontation with Jack doesn’t really hit much in the way of comedy heights. Gavin threatening to “paint” Jack is silly, as is Jack’s fearful cry “Good God Volure, that’s got to be fifteen, sixteen feet.” There’s just no emotional resonance. Why should we care about Gavin? His behaviour has no consequence for our regular characters.
John McEnroe’s cameo is a bit of a waste. I think the line they wrote for him was a nice idea but either his delivery or the direction of it was off. It happened too quickly and ruined the surprise of seeing him at the dinner table.
Comic Highlight: Liz is chewing out Jack over what happened with Gavin. As they turn a corner we see Tracy sitting in a chair and Liz says “Tracy, get out of the hallway.” The real Tracy steps out of a nearby doorway to the sound of dramatic movie music and says “Or am I?” Having mentioned his sex dolls earlier in the episode and having established his fratricidal fears too, this is a really fun moment. Both silly and plausible enough to be amusing. After explaining his situation to Liz and Jack, Tracy turns to Liz and says “You wan get one, I can get you one?” His delivery is funny (and understated).
The Bottom Line: This is pretty good for 30 Rock I have to say. It’s plausible enough and played out well enough with loads of lines to amuse me and less critical fans. But the real laughs come from the established characters and not the guest stars.
Feedback
Add your comments on this episode below. They may be included in the weekly podcasts.
)