TVSquad

(S01E19) Would it be at all possible to have Will Arnett join the cast of 30 Rock? Last week's episode was so fantastic that this one didn't have a prayer of living up to it. At least, Jenna was a no-show again this week. I actually like Jane Krakowski, but I can't say that I've missed her. Nevertheless, this episode had plenty of fine one-liners and Tracy's Jefferson preview.

Before getting to the funny, let's take a moment to think about Jack and Liz's relationship. 30 Rock wisely shifted their relationship from being one of corporate tycoon bossman versus sympathetic creative type to one of reluctant mentor and mentee. This episode, however, took the relationship to another level.

(S01E17) We learned many important things from 30 Rock this evening.

1. When you have to break bad news to someone, fake them out with something cute or distracting first. Whoa, holy crap, what's that? A baby panda sneezing!

2. Name your fists. St. Michael and St. Patrick. Tip O'Neill and Bobby Sands. Bono and Sandra O'Connor. Whatever works.

3. Catholicism, while it comes with the confession thing, also comes with crushing, crushing guilt. You could be eating tacos alone in a park, and boom, there's the guilt. As someone raised by an Irish Catholic family with more than one priest in its ranks and educated at Catholic schools, let me personally confirm that one. I feel guilty right now... for no apparent reason. It's just there - always crushing.

This episode didn't reach the farcical highs of "Black Tie." It was more standard sitcom fare than goofy bliss, but it wasn't bad. How wrong can you go cataloging Tracy's possible religious options, meeting Jack's family and seeing Liz embrace her role as the decider?

(S01E16) You can't hit it out of the park every time. While "The Source Awards" delivered plenty of funny, the episode seemed a bit off-kilter. It had fewer laughs-per-minute than the past few episodes, and structurally, I think the writers couldn't decide which story to foreground. Maybe, they couldn't decide if LL Cool J or Wayne Brady should get more lines. My answer to that quandary - Ghostface Killah. Who, other than Dave Chappelle, gets the Wu on their sitcom? You don't see Raekwon and GZA turning up on Scrubs? (They haven't been on Scrubs, right?) Actually, this points to a sorta interesting and unexpected thing about 30 Rock. In addition to being your weekly one-stop shop for Alec Baldwin greatness, Tina Fey smartness and all-around goofiness, 30 Rock is one of the only comedy outlets sending up the excesses of hip-hop culture and white guilt on a regular basis.

(S01E14) The torch has passed. If Alec Baldwin has a spiritual predecessor in his portrayal of network executive Jack Donaghy, it is Rip Torn as Larry Sanders' producer Artie on The Larry Sanders Show. Putting Alec Baldwin and Rip Torn on the small screen together was a genius move. (Having Alec Baldwin sing "Simply the Best" to Rip Torn's portrait - one of the funniest jokes I've seen all season.) It's just too bad they barely had any screen time together. That was a match made in comedy heaven. Fortunately, there was more than enough funny to make up for the missed opportunity.

(S01E13) Marry. Boff. Kill. Tina Fey. Jane Krakowski. Rachel Dratch. Scratch that. Marry. Boff. Kill. Alec Baldwin. Tracy Morgan. Judah Friedlander. Man, I could play this game all night. Markie Post. Shelly Long. Tina Yothers. I only wish I had the cojones to make that my entire review. Five hundred words - all of them "marry, boff, kill." I'm always looking for an easy, gimmicky way to approach this review because, like I said last week, it's hard to not just recount the funny lines, comment on Alec Baldwin's genius and compare Tina Fey to Mary Tyler Moore. It's never easy to write about something that's just plain solid week-after-week, and well, my job didn't get any easier this week.

Brian Williams and Tina Fey are old friends, and that's why he decided to take part in last week's episode of 30 Rock, which showed Kenneth cleaning up Williams' (supposedly) office. Besides all the empty booze bottles and porn scattered around the office, the words "Katie Couric Sucks" was written on the office wall.

But the NBC Nightly News anchor says that when Fey showed him the script weeks before the episode was filmed, the "Katie Couric Sucks" part wasn't in it. He was kinda shocked by it, and wants to make sure everyone knows that he likes Katie and does not, repeat, does not think that Katie sucks in any way, shape, or form.

[via TV Tattle]

(S01E11) Professor Baldwin has arrived, and class is in session. All you would-be comedy geniuses out there should be taking notes every Thursday night. What did we learn from Professor B tonight? Timing. The guy knows how to squeeze some serious funny out of a simple gesture and a pause. Did you catch his lingering stare at Jenna and Liz after taking their drink orders? It was the funniest moment in a very funny episode, and it wasn't even scripted. It was just an actor's choice. Granted, Professor B is no ordinary actor. He's the Golden Globe Award-winning actor who delivered this line with panache, "I'm going to be your bottom, Kenneth, and I want you to ride me as hard as you can."