TVSquad

(S01E20) Poor Liz Lemon. Things were going so well for her over the last two episodes: She had snagged a boyfriend by pretending to be an alcoholic! This week, everything is crumbling for dear Liz and I really hated to see it. I know one of the basic points of humor in the show is the way Lemon is perceived as a loser by her co-workers, but the humor also worked when she was doing well and everyone else was in a frenzy.

I didn't find "Cleveland" nearly as funny as the super-sized "Fireworks" episode two weeks ago, but it was still pretty good. The best sources of humor in this show are Kenneth the Page and Tracy Jordan, neither of which had a very prominent role this week. In "Cleveland", 30 Rock struck a slightly more serious note with Liz facing two major dilemmas: 1) Her boyfriend is moving, and 2) Her boss is marrying a gold-digger with a fake British accent. By the end of the episode, she faces a third dilemma: Tracy Jordan is missing.

By far, the funniest running joke in this episode was that the city of Cleveland was a major vacation destination and a dream city for people. Liz's boyfriend, Floyd, put it on par with Hawaii and Italy-- and Liz agreed, especially after having her bag checked by armed police before getting on the subway, and having a homeless guy spit in her mouth (EWWW!!!). The entire musical sequence where they visited Cleveland was hilarious, with people on the street smiling and saying 'hello' and mistaking Liz Lemon for a model (in New York, she's considered fat and frumpy). There's actually a guide to Cleveland here on the 30 Rock website.

Another great running joke? The Michael MacDonald cover album that Tracy Jordan plans for his comeback. And, really, the whole Black Crusaders thing. Oprah and Bill Cosby are out to ruin Tracy, he says, just like they took away Eddie Murphy's Oscar because "he done run out on Scary Spice." Even NBC newsman Lester Holt made an appearance, sending a televised message to Tracy that the Black Crusaders were coming for him. I loved how he sounded completely nuts until the end when Jack Donaghy learns the Black Crusaders are after Tracy, and he goes running away.

Great one-liners:
"By the Hammer of Thor!" - Liz Lemon's new exclamatory phrase
"I'll take this one, too. My son Ahmed will keep his motorcycles here." - Arab guy who snatches up the apartment Floyd wants to buy
"I'm Phoebe, we met before. Jack proposed to me outside your office? I have hollow bones like a bird?" - Phoebe's way of introducing herself every time she sees Liz Lemon
"Well played, Garkel." - Jack, when he sees that Floyd's competition for a job is a black man in a wheelchair"How Sex and the City are we right now? I'm Samantha, you're Charlotte, and you're the lady at home who watches it." - Jenna, putting down Liz when they're out to lunch with Phoebe
"Chef Boyardee was born here, you know." - Line from the Cleveland theme song
"Every great getaway has a moment when you want to pack it up and stay. That's how I ended up with a timeshare in Port Arthur, Texas." - Jack Donaghy trying to talk Liz out of moving to Cleveland
"If the whole world moved to their favorite vacation spots, then the whole world would live in Hawaii, Italy and Cleveland." - Floyd

I'm giving this episode a 6 of 7 because, while it was funny, it wasn't top notch for 30 Rock.