30 Rock 11/19

Cafe Society
#1

Huh. Not their best work, I’d have to say.

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First, the Liz/apartment storyline… kind of a mess. We go from (a) the building’s going condo, to (b) Liz moves in with a guy she’s never met before, to © she forces him to move out in order to keep the apartment, in what, about 6 minutes of screen time? The whole thing seemed very rushed and forced. I didn’t quite get how their plan was supposed to work in the first place, and Liz agreed to move in with a stranger way too easily; the neighbor character wasn’t developed enough to have any opinion about what happened to him. Although, I don’t know if this story would have worked even if had become a multi-episode arc. The stakes were low - a fireplace and an extra bedroom is what she got out of this? It’s hard to imagine Liz Lemon doesn’t have plenty of money. Finding a nice place to live should be pretty easily within her means. I just couldn’t buy any of it.

Then there’s the Jack/Tracy vasectomy thing. It’s always fun to see Dr. Spaceman, I guess, but this was another dud of a story. Boys acting stupid, ala Two and a Half Men or According to Jim, not at all worthy of a show that consistently rises well above the level of most other sitcoms.

There were some funny lines –
“Remember that horrible roommate you had in Chicago?”… “You mean you?”
“Some of them are sun tea.”

But I’ve come to expect a higher bar on this show. Hopefully this was a throw-away episode and they get it back on the rails quickly.

(And the Al Gore cameo was a waste.)

#2

Some of them were sun tea.

I dug this episode because the oneliners were a big improvement from last episode’s. But I agree, the Al Gore cameo was useless. Man, he’s looking haggard. Didn’t they do the “a whale is in trouble” line before?

#3

Gore’s teeth look terrible. And yes, his cameos are no longer a surprise.
But I would have done a lot to appropriate that apartment. Working fireplaces? An extra bedroom? A view? Jack is right – get the real estate while you can.

Not the best episode, but I did like Liz soliciting a “black ex-boyfriend” to come in and be all angry and whatnot. You know, because he’s black.

#4

Ah. Yes, you are correct.

Yes, and right before it, Gore said, “Recycle everything, including jokes!” So it was a little self-referencing wink, but still not that funny.

#5

Add: It was great that Kathy Geiss’s lawyer was Teddy Ruxpin.
And: “I’ll warn you, general anesthesia can cause powerful hallucinations, so I highly recommend it.”
“We all see the little black boy in the corner, right?”

#6

The idea was that Liz would buy not only her own place, but the one upstairs. Then she could turn them into a 2 floor condo. But she had to get the gay hipster cop to move out.

#7

I got that part, but: Why did he suggest she move in with him? Why would he move out as opposed to kicking her back downstairs? Or, if she wanted him to think she’d given up her apartment but really didn’t, is that plausible? I mean, how long did all this take anyway, and would her lease have been up that quickly with so little notice?

These questions may have easy answers, but it remains a poorly-told story.

#8

I was slightly amused that the neighbor was played by Nate Corddry, who was one of the stars of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. (If you remember, that show premiered in the same month as 30 Rock, and was also sort of a fictional behind-the-scenes look at an SNL-type show, and was expected to succeed while 30 Rock was not.)

#9

The condo group was going to raise the rent to a level that neither of them could afford on their own - thus the “we’ll show them” idea of moving in together.

I also noticed the guy from Studio 60 and thought it was interesting.

#10

The memory of that show had so faded in my mind that I could not place where I knew that guy from. It was driving me crazy.

#11

You left out what truly cinched the deal for Liz “…the flum doesn’t close to the whole apartment smells like Burger King during the day and Cinnabon at night.”

#12

Not the best episode, but I did find a few things to amuse me.

When Liz mentioned the green peacock at the bottom of the screen, and Kenneth looked right at it.

Teddy Ruxpin, Esq.

Jack wants to pass his head of hair on the the next generation.

“A gay, hipster cop?”

#13

I’d forgotten that Corddry was on Studio 60 (an eminently forgettable show, in my estimation). I recognized him from The Daily Show.

Amusing moments, but the overall plotlines were a mess.

#14

The stories were so-so, but there were so many great one-liners that it kept me entertained throughout.

#15

Anybody else ever wonder how totally bizarre stuff like this (or the Leno gags) are going to look in syndication?

#16

He assumed that she didn’t have a lot of money just like him based on what she was wearing, so that since rents were going up and he thought neither of them would be able to afford it, they both move in together. He suggested she move into his apartment because his apartment was bigger and had two bedrooms.

I thought it was a pretty good episode. But I do agree that the Al Gore cameo wasn’t great. I know it was a “green week” episode, but you would think they could get another environmentalist celebrity to appear instead of Gore this time.

#17

Gore’s appearances on Futurama have been consistently funnier than anything live-action he’s done, with the possible exception of his “Visit to the set of West Wing” bit on SNL.

#18

Kenneth came in to talk to Jenna and she told him to hold off because she was doing her Kegels.

Didn’t Jenna mention having taken a shower with Ed Begley Jr.?

#19

A low-flow shower, at that, which to her was as much a commitment to environmentalism as she could make.

#20

“Now this is surgery, so don’t eat anything before you come in. I’ll have a big breakfast waiting for you!”