Episode 3 - The Collection
6 January 2009
Review
Synopsis: Because Jack is being considered for the GE Chairmanship he hires a private investigator (Steve Buscemi) to find the skeletons in his closet. The result is that Jack has to give up his cookie jar collection. Jenna is so happy with her new popularity that she stops overeating. Tracy’s wife Angie interferes so much with TGS that Liz has to throw her out. The Good: Jack’s story makes sense. It’s typically cunning to hire a PI to look into his own past in order to avoid making any mistakes. 30 Rock is clearly well thought of enough to be able to attract Steve Buscemi to bring his talent to the role. Kenneth attempting to sound convincing while clearly reading a list of insults to Jenna is kind of funny. The Bad: Jack’s story hints at character development but doesn’t really deliver. The cookie jars are a symbol of his sad childhood but their role is not to tell us about Jack. Their role is to make the point that successful men must shed their silly hobbies. The joke is all about which silly hobbies Rudy Giuliani and John Kerry had. The conclusion to the story, where Kenneth takes the jars is pure convenience. I suppose this story lacks universality. I would like to think that most viewers don’t sympathise with people clinging to objects in order to deal with childhood trauma. Perhaps I am wrong. Bottom line on the cookie jars is that the story isn’t funny. The bottom line on this episode is that it isn’t funny. Jenna and Liz coming on to men who insult them is foolish writing. Not only does it not resemble reality and further undermine Liz as a serious character but it is so obvious that the humour is lost. Just as “Enorme” the fragrance for plus size women is obvious. “Make him chase the chunk” is about as subtle as a bulldozer. If Angie is really gone from the show then her involvement was pointless. Apart from the expected race jokes, there is nothing to this story. She comes, she causes trouble, she is kicked out. Comic Highlight: Jenna is freaking out about losing weight. “No I won’t calm down, this can’t be happening. Everything is based on the fat! Enorme, the offer to play Ms Pac Man in the live action Atari movie.” That’s a pretty funny thought. The Bottom Line: A very poor episode. What pass for jokes have little basis in reality and so fall flat and the stories are dull.
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