Episode 22 - Kidney Now
22 March 2012
Synopsis: Jack isn’t a match to give Milton his kidney. So he gathers a group of pop stars to sing at a charity concert called “Kidney Now.” Liz and Jenna go on “The Vontella Show” and Liz ends up giving advice to women using her “Dealbreaker” catchphrase. Following Jack’s advice she begins to take advantage of her notoriety. But her bad advice gets her in trouble with her male friends. Tracy is asked to speak at his old high school but refuses. Kenneth helps him work through his painful memories of dropping out and he gives a speech.
The Good: Jack’s story was fine for his character but felt a bit inconsequential. His decision to use his resources to find Milton a kidney was a kind thing to do. The cameos from various pop stars will probably please fans of those acts. Seeing Jack and his Dad playing catch in his office was a fun moment.
We know that that Liz can be quite horrible to people when she lets her guard down or is cornered (e.g. 305). So to see her dish out judgemental advice is no stretch. Her two montages of quick destructive “Dealbreakers” did contain some nice lines. The result is that Liz Lemon is finally getting some fame and fortune thrown her way. It could be a fun story for next season.
Of course she is wrong and Jack is right as per usual. Jack tells her she is giving bad advice and that the only person she is helping is herself. Liz of course gets wrapped up in her selfish desires and ends up hurting Pete and Tracy. I liked the way she succeeded despite her terrible advice. I assume Liz the character will redeem herself or end up a horrible failure next season. But for now the point was made well that her fame (and therefore people in society she is indirectly pointing the finger at) was entirely based on sensation and sound bite advice rather than anything substantial.
Kenneth’s references to his “science” classes teaching Bible stories were a consistent exaggeration.
The Bad: 30 Rock’s obsession with self referencing or making meta jokes as some put it, doesn’t make me laugh. To be fair some work better than others. If you are a big M*A*S*H fan then you may have enjoyed Milton’s reference to chickens and babies. And Liz’ “We sure had quite a year” followed by Jack’s “What are you talking about, it’s May?” will be universally understood.
But beyond that Liz’ whole story seems to be some kind of parody of real life actress and writer Tina Fey’s rise to success. In general I think Fey and audiences who like her delight in seeing Liz Lemon get mocked and chalk it up to Fey being such a good sport, not taking herself seriously and poking fun at fame, celebrity and herself. That’s all well and good but for those of us just watching 30 Rock as a TV show, want her character to be the focus. Comments about TGS only being around for a couple more years don’t resonate within the story because the comment seems more aimed at 30 Rock itself, or a dig at SNL’s continued success or just TV shows in general.
The whole benefit concert is a big parody of real life concerts. But I don’t think parody is funny when you just throw it out there. I think you should go all out and attack a target to get real laughs. Seeing Elvis Costello pretend to be an art thief just makes me roll my eyes. There’s no substance to it, it’s just thrown out there like so many jokes in 30 Rock without proper comic timing or context.
What happened to Liz’ adoption plans (215, 301)? Have they been forgotten?
Tracy’s story lacked any seeming point or any laughs. He went back to his old high school and fell on the ground crying. I shrug. I don’t know what the point of it was. Tracy hearing a voice in Kenneth’s head is just baffling. Why is that funny? This isn’t a cartoon. Again it’s referencing other shows and not making this one funny.
Comic Highlight: Pete and Tracy corner Liz to tell her what her bad advice has cost them. According to Tracy: “You know why I get hotel room? To poop in peace. No kids banging on the door, no phone ringing. It’s my time! Every Tuesday and Thursday at 3pm. I don’t know why I only go twice a week. That’s what Angie should be worried about.”
The Bottom Line: I just want to laugh. But I’m not. For every episode where 30 Rock gets its characters into really funny stories there have been two with lame, ill thought out, self referential nonsense. As a sit com I think it is failing to do its job.
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