Episode 1 - Season 4
26 October 2009
Review
Synopsis: Jack says the key to GE surviving the economic downturn is to appeal to Middle America. He tells Kenneth that he can’t pay the Page’s overtime and orders Liz to hire a new cast member. Tracy tries to reconnect with the common man while Jenna “goes country.” Liz and Pete try not to arouse suspicion as they search for a new cast member. Kenneth sees Jack’s paycheque and wants him to admit that he is a liar. Jack refuses so the Page’s go on strike.
The Good: The Kenneth and Jack relationship continues to be one of the few things which works about 30 Rock. Kenneth, incorruptible and moral, Jack a ruthless advocate of capitalism at all costs. Kenneth outsmarting Jack is always fun as both men play their roles with utter conviction. Seeing Kenneth’s confused facial expression as Jack huffs and puffs around him is good value too. In the end Kenneth falls foul of his own moral simplicity and like all characters on 30 Rock, ends up doing what Jack does anyway.
Otherwise the plot was fine but the jokes were pathetic. The show definitely could use a new cast member to freshen things up, though what poor Josh did I don’t know.
The Bad: The humour is painfully one dimensional and simple as it so often is. Tracy for once suffers badly. He has lost touch with the common man and so wonders around New York making patently ridiculous statements to bemused strangers. So much of the humour follows in this subtlety free zone throughout the episode. Jenna pulls a girls earring out from jealous and Liz claims she and Pete are “intercoursing” each other. Poor Steve Buscemi returns to play Len and is once more furnished with jokes based on him being deliberately incompetent. Aside from not being funny (because of their sheer transparency) it doesn’t make any sense. Jack hires the best, why would he keep hiring this man who is so patently bad at his job. Worst of all was everyone helping Josh to turn over their conference table in anger. Why would they help him do that? There’s barely anything believable in the episode and as a result the humour is as basic and pitiful as ever.
Comic Highlight: About the only joke told in an unexpected manner was Tracy’s reaction to hearing the news that there would be a new cast member. When Jenna heard she screamed “If it is a blonde woman I will kill myself!” When Tracy finds out he naturally cries “New what!? If it’s a blonde woman I’m gonna kill myself!”
The Bottom Line: Nothing changes about this show. Even sketch comedy needs a sense of reality and some character consistency. 30 Rock continues to just make everyone behave stupidly and I’m still amazed that it wins awards.
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