Alright, so we know 30 Rock couldn’t top the Leap Day episode from a few weeks ago, but that didn’t stop the writers from tackling St. Patrick’s day this week. The holiday brought many things: Tracy and Jenna cohosting the St. Patrick’s day parade, Hazel learning what it takes to be the page for TGS, a spirited game of Colonizers of Malaar, and the return of Dennis Duffy.
It’s always nice to see old friends, especially when the have the uncanny ability to torture Liz Lemon. Dennis is a great character and I’m always glad to see him back on 30 Rock. Liz is at her best when she is freaking out, and Dennis freaks her out better than just about anyone. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that he drove a wedge between Liz and Criss, or at least that’s how Liz saw it. The whole situation may not have been some sort of Irish curse from Jack brought on by Liz’s irrational hate of the Irish, but it did lead to a stunning revelation: Liz telling Criss that she loved him. I’ll still be surprised if the relationship doesn’t end in a fiery ball of mess.
Liz wasn’t the only one having revelations, though. Jack regained some serious mojo, inspired by St. Patrick himself. A game of Colonizers of Malaar with the writers didn’t hurt either. Jack realized that he has the power to make something out of nothing, whether it’s becoming King of Malaar or taking over Kabletown. I’m looking forward to seeing Jack take control of the company, and hopefully getting rid of the very unfunny, one joke character of Hank Hooper.
Finally there was the third story line of the night that featured Jenna and Tracy fighting with each other, jockeying for position as top star of TGS. I think my favorite moment had to be when Jenna accused Tracy of assuming Al Roker would side with him because they both had massive weight fluctuations. It was nice to see Kristen Schaal back as Hazel, the new page, though I am still concerned about her going absolutely crazy and murdering someone. Only time will tell.
Being an enormous fan of This American Life, I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t mention the vocal cameo by the show’s host Ira Glass. It was fun to hear, and I hope that he is not actually attacked by an angry mob of drunks this Saturday.
Quotes:
“None of the writers can go out on St Patrick’s day because we all have faces people naturally want to punch.” — Frank
“Live TV is such a rush! It’s like sex, but your husband isn’t looking at a picture of a bridge.” — Hazel
“May your pornography be free of diarrhea.” — German curse
“When I was a kid, you could get a prostitute for 5 dollars!” — Tracy, taking over for Andy Rooney
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Mar 15, 2012 @ 20:52 EST5EDT
