(S01E09) Do you know the Mark Twain quote about analyzing humor? He said it was like dissecting a frog. You may learn a lot, but all you're left with is a dead frog. I'm going to take the chance and dissect me some 30 Rock. For some reason, I'm loving this show's constituent parts, but not always loving its whole. I'm greatly amused by its whole, but there's something missing I can't quite put my finger on. It reminds me of seeing a band that you know analytically is composed of great musicians doing amazing, virtuosic things, but you're not moved enough to sing-along or buy the concert tee. But, let's start taking this frog apart - using "The Baby Show" as our textbook example.Exhibit A. Alec Baldwin's Performance
For the scene in which Baldwin pockets Kenneth sandwich alone, he deserves the Golden Globe. Who else but a mother could put a wrinkle in Jack Donaghy's corporate facade? "My mother tried to send me to Vietnam to make a man out of me. I was 12." Genius, and Fey and her team's writing for the character couldn't be more perfectly eccentric, which leads me to...
Exhibit B. Specificity
One of the big lessons you get if you ever take humor or television writing class is that the more specific something is, the funnier it tends to be. (Technically, being really general is also funny. The middle - not so much.) Fey and her writing staff are expert at the specific. When Liz tells Tracy that Jack is in a weird place, among his responses are, "A children's clothing store in Dubai?" And, when asked what she's thinking of naming the baby, Cerie lists, "Bookcase. Sandstorm. Hat, but that's more of a boy's name." The show is undeniably well-written.
Exhibit C. Liz Lemon
She is, as I've said before, a Mary Tyler Moore I can relate to - a capable career woman with more issues than spunk. I appreciate the "capable" part quite a bit. Romantic comedies are littered with career woman who are so freaking neurotic that you wonder how they hold down a job at all. You don't wonder that with Liz. She's more lovable loser than whiner, and I think her last scene tonight nicely summarized many modern women's career vs. family dilemmas better than half a dozen volumes of Chick Lit. Stepping into the elevator to leave for the day after having inadvertently kidnapped a baby, she says to Jack, "Maybe it's impossible to have it all. The career, the family. But, if anybody can figure out how to do it, it's me." Cue Jack, "That elevator's going up." "Oh nerds." Alarm sounds.
Exhibit D. Goofiness
Speaking of that kidnapped baby scene in which Liz is holding a baby in the make-up room and suddenly appears in her apartment, this show is riddled with goofy leaps and absurdist asides. The fuzzy blue men from the Conan episode. Kenneth's Psycho mommy decor. I appreciate the goofiness, but I wonder if this is the thing that's preventing the show from gelling in my mind. Or, is it Fey's performance?
I love the way Liz is written. I love what Tina Fey, as one of the few female showrunners in television, stands for, but is she a great actress? On the other hand, who cares if she's a great actress? Jerry Seinfeld isn't a great actor. He's a great comedian, and she' s a great writer. My problem is this - the show is good for more than a few laughs, but I don't really care what happens to any of these people - not yet, anyway. But, hell, I'm still rooting for the show to do well even I can't put my finger on what's missing. In the words of every about-to-be-ex, "It's not you, 30 Rock, it's me."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-05-2007 @ 9:06AM
BillS said...
The show, as far as I can tell, has three and a half characters that work. Fey, Baldwin, Kenneth the intern, and the pager king boyfriend who I think is gone from the show now. They've got to find something to work with for those writers, that balding guy from Mr. Show, hot girl intern, wacky impressions guy, and most importantly Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski. The latter two are goofy, and often drive the action with their egos, but they need to be more than crazy and attention starved. Until that happens, it'll only be a decent show, and not a must see.
If you followed the Office from day one, though, it wasn't firing on all cylinders until a little into season two, when people like Ryan and Creed and Toby really started to work.
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1-05-2007 @ 9:13AM
Wendy Michaels said...
I'm rooting for this one too, and I think last night's episode was the best yet! Thanks for the dissection. There is something missing at times, but last night seemed solid.
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1-05-2007 @ 9:09AM
Eric J. said...
I think for me it's the sense that there are no relationships on the show. (Almost) no one on the show cares about each other, so it's hard to care about them. They're constantly talking past each other - not listening, but waiting for their next line.
Mary Tyler Moore, for example - the heart of the show was the affection the characters had for each other. Compare Lou and Mary with Jack and Liz. As hilarious as Jack is, he's so far out of reality that it's hard to care about him. And if Liz disappeared tomorrow, he'd barely notice, but probably call her new replacement "Liz."
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1-05-2007 @ 11:03AM
wes said...
Excellent Points. Kenneth is my favorite character so far. He's also probably the most/best developed, having his own episode that one time. His frustration with Drug Store cashier LaDonica in the previous episode kept me laughing for days.
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1-05-2007 @ 11:24AM
scott said...
NOT A FUNNY SHOW>>SHE WASNT FUNNY ON SNL, AND NOT FUNNY NOW...JUST B/C ITS ON TV DOESNT MEAN ITS GOOD
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1-05-2007 @ 11:40AM
SJ said...
Wow scott calm down.
I really like the show. The impressions were hilarious.
Best line:
Lemon: "What did you and Jack talk about?"
Tracy: "Oh just the usual: Invisible motorcycles, russian mafia and sex pooping."
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1-05-2007 @ 2:02PM
Jake said...
For me, Kenneth is what makes the show suffer, and I think more because of how his character is positioned on the show. NBC Page program? It sounds stupid and funny, but what does it have to with the Girlie Show and why would he be hanging out with the other characters? The other problem with the show is Jane Krakowski. She isn't funny, none of her scenes are that funny, unless its with Tina Fey. I think The show is still trying to figure out how the characters relate to each other. On other sitcoms, people's relationships to each other and how those characters interact with each other is laid out pretty early. On 30rock, it's still too haphazard.
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1-05-2007 @ 5:03PM
malren said...
Jake, do you not know what a page is? Think glorified intern. They actually exist at every network facility with more that three offices.
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1-06-2007 @ 5:11AM
Jason Hendrix said...
Give this show time. You're absolutely right, the whole is not yet equal to the sum of its excellent parts. However, go back and look at the first season episodes of many sitcoms now regarded as classic and you'll find the same thing. They frequently rely on written jokes and forced situations too much, because the characters and relationships haven't yet become rich enough to drive the humor. And many iconic characters are almost unrecognizable early on - Edith Bunker was dry and a bit sarcastic, not the deeply lovable ditz she became, Kramer was just kind of quietly (!) odd, etc etc. 30 Rock has good writers, appealing actors and a real comic spark. They'll find their groove soon enough.
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1-07-2007 @ 10:47AM
RSL said...
I think it's funny how everyone seems to have a gripe about Krakowski. If I recall correctly, her part was originally meant for Rachel Dratch. It seemed like they thought Dratch wasn't pretty enough for prime time so pulled in a blonde who can't carry off HALF of what Dratch could have. Sigh. I just hope it doesn't bring down what has the beginnings of being a really great and already fun show.
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1-09-2007 @ 10:45AM
Jeff said...
best line of the show:
Pete: Give me the baby. I'll try to smooth things over. What's her name?
Liz: Well, Anna calls her Isabelle, but i call her Nancy.
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