30 Rock – No one can escape the horror of Christmas

I’ve always enjoyed the Christmas episodes of 30 Rock, mostly because they usually mean a focus on Jack and a guest appearance by Elaine Stritch as his mother Colleen. This episode elevated it another notch with the addition of Alan Alda as Jack’s long-lost father. I forgot how much I enjoyed him as the ultra-liberal hippy. Watching Alda, Stritch, and Baldwin go at it was a joy. Elizabeth Banks also returned as Avery, Jack’s fiance, and continued to show what a great comedic actress she is. I think the guest stars were outshining the regulars in this episode.

I also loved that 30 Rock was able to balance its natural ironic cynicism with a little bit of holiday cheer. Sure, Liz realized that there is no way to escape the horrors of Christmas, even if she skipped out on being with her own family. There was also Jack and his parents, however, to show us that maybe being with family isn’t that bad. I thought it was sweet that he was so happy to get yelled at by both his parents, something he missed out on growing up.

It was also nice to see Paul and Jenna reunite. This relationship is just too insane and bizarre to end. In case you weren’t convinced of the fact, how funny was it watching them dressed up as two black swans? (Paul as Natalie Portman in Black Swan, and Jenna as football great Lynn Swann). Those two crazy kids are just perfect for each other.

Finally there was Kenneth, who taught a newly serious Tracy a special lesson. Tracy was ashamed of his The Chunks sequel and only wanted to be known for his serious movies since his Golden Globe nomination. With the help of Kenneth he learned that sometimes laughter is the best medicine. I think the funniest part of this story line was the montage at the end of the episode featuring three costumed, slow motion vomiting Tracys. Both disgusting and hilarious at the same time.

My favorite quotes from the episode:

“I have been watching The Mentalist a lot lately because my TV is on CBS and I lost my remote.” – Liz

“Obesity is killing the African American community … with laughter!” – Kenneth on Tracy’s new movie, The Chunks 2

“It should have gone to the other boy!!!” – Colleen, on Jack’s childhood scholarship

“Oh Liz! I’m sorry, I thought you were a transvestite.” – Paul

“Who hasn’t made mistakes? I once frnech kissed a dog at a party to try to impress what turned out to be a very tall twelve year old.” – Liz

“Can I get you a cup of coffee or an absinthe enema?” – Jenna

Clacked by Bob Degon
on Dec 09, 2010 @ 21:40 EST5EDT