"30 Rock:" TGS Moves to Boston

Published by Ozarks Unbound.

During Thursday night’s “30 Rock,” we witnessed the mid-season creative hump with “Winter Madness.”

Jack is still jonesing for Nancy (Julianne Moore), the TGS cast and NBC staff is grumpy, and Jack decides that they should all go to Boston (instead of Miami, as Liz and Pete suggest) to film TGS, so that he can visit Nancy.

Now, we all know how I feel about Jack and Liz, so it comes as no surprise that I cannot stand Nancy. I think she’s highly annoying and not funny and Moore’s Bwaston accent is awful. I’m very excited to report that by the end of the episode Nancy had decided that, despite her pending divorce, she couldn’t allow herself to be with Jack. I did a happy dance.

As for the rest of the episode, the cast and staff of TGS is extremely irritable and fighting amongst themselves to the point that Liz doesn’t think the episode is going to happen. Jack suggests that Liz reunite the cast by creating a common enemy, preferably Lutz.

As Liz attempts to do this, the staff turns against her and she “creates” a fictional common enemy, Dale Snitterman. Unfortunately for Dale, he isn’t fictional–he is the man who occupies the office across from Jack’s Boston office, which looks exactly like his NYC office. So, the TGSers bust into Snitterman’s office, yell at him, and Lutz Truffle Shuffles him. It’s disturbing.

The funniest sub plot of the show involves Tracy yelling at Revolutionary War actors because of their racist attitudes and vague writing when drafting this country’s founding documents. Tracy takes so much pleasure in this, that he returns to the Freedom Trail tour to heckle them, but inadvertently angers Patriots fans and is then attacked.

Although the episode had its funny moments, any show that relies on Tracy Morgan’s Revolutionary War jokes is lacking momentum.

Hopefully next week will return to the quippy norm.
Favorite Quotes
Liz pitching Jack the idea of filming in Miami.
Liz: Cross-promotional… deal mechanics… revenue streams… jargon… synergy.
Jack: That’s the best presentation I’ve ever heard

Kenneth, about Boston: ”They’re all named Sean, they’re mean, and I hate it here.”

Jack: The imaginary enemy. Classic move, Lemon. The Salem Witch Trials, the Red scare, global warming.

Tracy to John Hancock impersonator: “For a dude that has the most hilarious last name I ever heard…..you blow!”