In the first of a double 30 Rock night, we have the TGS cast coming back after winter break. Jack and Liz both had pretty wild New Year’s parties and their transgressions are about to come back to them. On the other side, we have a strange plot involving James Franco hiring Jenna to be his fake girlfriend to cover his fetish for Japanese body pillows with anime girls printed on them.
Overall, this episode was a pretty lifeless start to the second half of the season. It merely picks up on some left open story lines from last season involving Nancy Donovan, Jack’s high school sweetheart, and Tracy’s desire to have a daughter. It was a pretty humorless episode I thought, with only a few gags thrown in. The scenes in Nancy’s home with Kenneth taking random pictures by merely touching her computer was slightly funny, but it wasn’t the usual laugh out loud comedy 30 Rock has been known for.
The James Franco plot line was a humorous jab at Jenna’s love of the spotlight, but in the end we find she actually has some craving for a real love. Overall though, I thought the whole plot was a little awkwardly written and without much substance.
It wasn’t a terrible start to the back half of the season, but it sure wasn’t a great start either.
Interesting Observations
- Cerie wears some…interesting things to work
- “Beach sex is the third best sex, behind elevator and warehouse” – Jack
- Liz durnk texts Cerie a lot.
- Tonights new phrase, which I’m sure many have thought about the last 4 seasons, is “Lemmoning” something.
- We had a little bit of shameless Jamba Juice promotion.
- “The paparazzi are calling us James. That’s Jenna and James put together!” – Jenna
- The feud between Brandon and Kenneth grows more as Jack continues to pick Kenneth.
- Jenna apparently sleeps inside something to make her younger?
- Kenneth recognizes himself in the mirror as an albino monk, and he knows all the airport codes in the country.
- “Sir, i dont mean to swear, but i am irritated right now.” – Kenneth
- “Kenneth, your haircut is disrespectful to lesbians” – Tracy
