Episode 5 - Reunion
29 March 2012
Synopsis: Don Geiss wakes from his coma and tells Jack that he intends to keep running GE until he dies. Depressed by this news Jack decides to head to Miami and drop Liz off in White Haven for her high school reunion. A storm forces Jack to go to the reunion and he decides he isn’t happy with his life. When he is mistaken for a Larry Braverman he decides to play the role. Liz meanwhile discovers that she isn’t the nerd no one remembers but the bitch they all hated. Back at NBC Tracy and Jenna combine to put Kenneth in his place for upstaging them.
The Good: This is one of the best plots 30 Rock has ever put together. This is because both Jack and Liz face genuine life milestones which they are struggling to deal with. It also helps that the writers use a classic old fashioned sit com plot, the high school reunion gone wrong. The linking of Liz and Jack’s dilemma’s gives the whole episode a much stricter focus than the writer’s usually manage. And by having the major story take place in one location we get a much more consistent and well developed story rather than the usual corridor wondering around Rockefeller Centre.
Geiss’ decision to stay on as GE boss makes sense for 30 Rock as it will keep Jack climbing the ladder for a while longer. As his promotion has been mooted for over a season now, we can fully buy into his emotional destabilisation. Therefore his decision to pretend to be Larry Braverman makes sitcom sense. Of course smoothy Jack Donaghy is smart enough to fool Larry’s old class mates and leads to some nice jokes. When Jessica asks him to say what he said to her that night on the lake, he coolly touches her cheek and says “No.” Then later he tells the group “We all have ways of coping, I use sex and awesomeness.”
Meanwhile the twist that Liz was the high school bitch is really clever. It fits her sarcastic personality perfectly and of course it clearly led to her job as a comedy writer. When Jack points out that her defensive reaction is to attack others, we know it to be true. That kind of character analysis is so rare in 30 Rock that it is quite a surprise to see it play out so well. When Liz digs herself into deeper holes with her behaviour it flows logically and is occasionally funny. Her labelling of Rob Sussman as gay works because he plays his closet-dwelling so outrageously. “I’m so mad all I can do is dance!” In fact the focus of the episode means Liz’ peer group all get a sprinkling of characterisation which makes their behaviour that much more entertaining and believable.
The conclusion of the episode is classic 30 Rock with the exaggerated conclusion that Jessica has kept Larry’s son a secret. After such diligent build-up this doesn’t seem so ridiculous and Jack’s quick fire denial and Liz’ bitter send-off make perfect sense. Neither of them succeeded in fitting in to another world so they understandably head back to where they belong.
The Bad: Most of the throwaway jokes involving Kenneth, Tracy and Jenna aren’t funny. Tracy going to a deaf school instead of his high school reunion is pretty cheap and predictable stuff. Kenneth making quips in the elevator seems a bit out of character and they get far too large a laugh for what they are. Bad jokes are par for the course though, when Jenna actually spells out why actors should get more attention than others that story crosses a weird line. Jenna just isn’t believable in the way Tracy is. She seems too intelligent to really be so oblivious to her mindless arrogance. Unlike Tracy she makes her decisions from rational jealousy, rather than irrational insecurity. So she comes across as both horrible (to Kenneth) and an unreal character.
The whole set of Vietnamese immigrants jokes doesn’t sit well with me. It may not be that offensive but it doesn’t sound too nice. More than that though is the huge exaggeration of their influence on White Haven which sucks any plausibility out of it.
Comic Highlight: For once one of Jack’s right wing remarks hits the nail right on the head. “I wish I had a Princeton reunion right now, wipe that smug smile of Michelle Obama’s face.” It’s relevant, it’s a funny almost shocking suggestion and it fits Republican Jack perfectly.
The Bottom Line: So much time and effort is spent on the reunion that it begins to feel like a comedy movie when you get to know all the old high school pals of the main characters. That is what focus and believable stories can give a comedy. This is a really nice episode from 30 Rock. Of course unlike great shows, its characters don’t learn lessons and change. But I’ll settle for jokes which flow out of their characters and not whatever random stereotypes they are discussing this week. Good stuff.
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