Episode 8 - Secret Santa
13 December 2009
Review
Synopsis: Liz and Jack agree to exchange gifts but Jack is preoccupied when his old high school crush comes to town. Frank, Toopher and Lutz try to get out of Kenneth’s complex version of Secret Santa by pretending to be Verdukians.
The Good: I don’t get 30 Rock. That much should be most obvious by now. Here we get a completely straight, believable, enjoyable, rather touching romance story. Jack and Nancy play their roles convincingly and play out their tender story just fine. It plays into the Liz-Jack gift giving plot nicely and even squeezes some nice moments out of Cerie (she claims that Meet the Parents, made in 2000, is an old movie. Even the deeply predictable Facebook parody didn’t bother me because it was an important part of the plot.
I also liked the Kenneth story, one of the oldest and simplest tales. The lies of the writers make Kenneth question his faith but their later arrest (thanks to Liz for calling in a bomb threat as Jack’s present on their phone) restores it. It’s a pleasant story and Tracy playing Kenneth’s protector was nice to see too after all Kenneth has done for him.
Danny continues to be likeable and down to earth which the show desperately needs.
The Bad: But I’m not sure he should be damaging his career on camera by singing badly. I suppose it further marked him out as gullible for believing Jenna’s story about her childhood Christmas trauma. Which even if true doesn’t excuse her cheapness. It also amused me to see Liz catching their duet on a TV screen back stage. Shouldn’t she be at the taping of her own show?
I didn’t quite follow why Jonathan was so upset that Jack would give Liz a present. Does that preclude him from also giving to Jonathan?
Comic Highlight: Jack offers Nancy a nightcap but she refuses.
N: “Better not. We have an early train back to Boston tomorrow. You know how hard it is to get teenagers out of bed in the morning?”
J: “Yes, but not in the way you’re talking about.”
The Bottom Line: A simple romance story is better than humour which doesn’t work.
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