30 Rock: Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001

Recently, a friend of mine went on a job interview. Being a little nervous he stopped by since he was hours early and had nothing better to do. Looking sharp in his suit and tie I looked him over and offhandedly said: “You know, your hair is looking a little messy, and you should really take care of your face”. As soon as those words left my mouth, I instantly regretted it. The look on his face said it all. Crestfallen he looked in the mirror and went on a tear about how he “hated his face today” and how he felt “off his game” and how out of all the things I could have said I pointed out the one thing he was really self conscious about. Yes, I had officially put my foot in my mouth AND inadvertently unleashed a shame spiral. Immediately I tried to do some damage control, but it was no use. I planted the seeds of doubt, and those my friends always make their way on to fertile ground. As tonight’s 30 Rock shows us, the lesson is simple, don’t point out people’s flaws before potentially life changing events. You will unlock a room full of crazy.

This week’s 30 Rock has Liz front and center, with her finally filming the pilot to her long awaited (and thankfully doomed) “Dealbreakers” talk show. Liz sees this as her big break while Jack desperately needs to have the show work in order to keep the network afloat, and more importantly keep Devon Banks off his ass. Confident that he doesn’t have a “crazy person” as his star Jack begins to make some subtle suggestions to Liz (i.e. ditch the glasses, change the hair), and then all hell breaks loose. In a bit of inspired physical comedy Tina Fey morphs into a deranged rag doll completely incapable of any normal physical movement in front of the camera (“smile…like a human being!”), while slowly descending into a state of Jenna-like madness. Plus the “mouth-crying” gag made me lose it.

In an equally strong B-story we got some sweet Tracy Jordan madness, with him snapping up a gaudy chain reading “EGOT” (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) previously owned by Tubbs himself, Philip Michael Thomas. Feeling that this was “a perfect goal for a talented crazy person” Tracy sets off to win all four awards by writing the best song in the world with (not surprisingly) disastrous results. Oh, and saddled with the responsibilities of being in charge Frank transformed into an eerily similar Liz, complete with adorable neurosis and an obsession with ham.

30 Rock has been increasingly guilty of relying a bit to heavily on the meta gags and surreptitious winks to the audience this season, ultimately playing a little flat. Yet this episode easily stands out as a high point this season, and marks a welcome return to the fresh and innovative comedy we’ve come to expect from Tina Fey & co. (plus it was straight up funny). With appearances from Will Arnett, Dr. Spaceman, and unlikely EGOT’er Whoopi Goldberg, it’s safe to say that this episode proves itself to be a dealmaker.

Fun Facts/Random Thoughts:

-Yes, I really did call my friend out right before his job interview…I was a complete ass.

-Tina Fey went to UVA. Here she had a roommate who would eat “ham salad”, which was basically comprised of ham and mayo.

-I feel Alec Baldwin could be a good candidate for an EGOT, he’s got some pipes.

-I love Muppet Kenneth, there should be more of him on the show.

Season 4, Episode 7: Dealbreakers Talk Show No. 0001 (originally aired December 3, 2009)

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Thursdays at 9:30/8:30C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Ali Goldstein