'30 Rock' - 'Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning': Uptown girl vs. backstreet guy
Liz and Tracy feud, and Jack's scheme hilariously backfires on him, in a strong episode
Tracy (Tracy Morgan) finds a way to insult Liz while being filmed on "30 Rock."
A quick review of last night's "30 Rock" coming up just as soon as I buy two blimps to crash them into each other...
The writers' room subplot was a total miss, but otherwise "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning" was a damn funny, satisfying episode of "30 Rock."
Two obvious scenes stand out. The first is Tracy finding a loophole in the reality show camera problem by singing his complaints to Liz to the tune of "Uptown Girl." Inspired, random, funny and then cool as Liz and Tracy started harmonizing as she backed angrily out of his dressing room. Definitely feels like the kind of moment I can turn to on the Interwebs when I'm in need of an instant smile.
The second was the payoff to the telethon subplot. While I liked Jack's diabolical idea, I actually found a lot of the set-up scenes a bit uneven, other than Robert DeNiro being secretly English. But the reveal of what the disaster was - not just Mel Gibson's private island (a callback to the earlier joke about how all crazy celebrities buy their own islands), but that he had Jon Gosselin as his houseguest - had me in hysterics. I didn't think anything on last night's NBC comedies could make me laugh as hard as the Rob Lowe bathroom scene from "Parks and Recreation," but that came awfully close, and Jack's panic was splendidly-played by Alec Baldwin.
(*) He doesn't always need to be told to act crazy, as those of you who saw him on TNT's NBA pregame show last night can attest (clip NSFW).
Plus, a Dennis cameo! It's been far too long, and I hope next time he can be around a bit longer.
What did everybody else think?
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January 28, 2011 at 11:11AM EST Reply to CommentI loved the LOST reference. (http://bit.ly/foxHkf) Anything that can get "Charles Widmore" to be a trending topic on Twitter is awesome in my book.
Matt The Lost reference was awesome. I also really liked some of the continuity in this episode (ex. Kenneth's comment about adoption material piling up in Liz's inbox).
January 28, 2011 at 2:59PM ESTMaggie The adoption material bit was great,especially because of Liz's reaction. In one grumble we got a month's worth of plot update: adoptions take a long time, a lot of red tape, and Liz is frustrated and losing interest.
January 29, 2011 at 11:06AM ESTTrilby
January 28, 2011 at 11:12AM EST Reply to Comment"I'm happy as a clam that wants to kill some woman." Funniest line ever.
Yeah, I didn't get the writers' room part at all, like why they wanted to ride in Lutz's car, or why Lutz was wearing obvious make-up.
klg19 Lutz was wearing makeup for the "Queen of Jordan" reality-show cameras.
January 28, 2011 at 11:18AM ESTThe writers wanted to ride in Lutz' car because it was part of their hypothetical disaster evacuation plan.
Razorback Most NY'ers don't have a car and so they would have to walk out of the city in an emergency.
January 28, 2011 at 11:21AM ESTsepinwall But in an emergency, I'd almost rather be on foot, given how difficult it is to dive anywhere in NYC under even optimal circumstances.
January 28, 2011 at 11:29AM ESTAnthony Foglia Yeah, the Lutz stuff didn't work. If the scene where the writers were saying their skills had just ended with Lutz asking, "Who will I bring?" and trolling for compliments, only to have the other writers grumble, shudder, and say it wasn't worth it, that would have been a better end to that plot rather than dragging it out through weak reality show references.
January 29, 2011 at 12:59PM EST30 Rock Commenter
January 28, 2011 at 11:13AM EST Reply to CommentThis show is like a butt. But a nice butt, not an ugly butt. Nobody likes ugly butts.
Stockman
January 28, 2011 at 11:14AM EST Reply to CommentThe payoff to the telethon plot was incredible. I laughed so hard that I almost missed the line about how every dollar given will be spent on rebuilding Gibson's sex-jacuzzi.
LAprGuy Seconding that - a great payoff!
January 30, 2011 at 12:12AM ESTJoe D
January 28, 2011 at 11:15AM EST Reply to Comment"Every crazy A-lister has an island: Nicholas Cage, Celine Dion, Charles Widmore" - Tracey's second best line of the night!
Nathan
January 28, 2011 at 11:15AM EST Reply to CommentHow can you fail to comment on Charles Widmore, who was actually trending on twitter last night. Great joke. I laughed so hard during this episode. I thought it was one of the funniest of the season.
Jim
January 28, 2011 at 11:18AM EST Reply to CommentThat was "For the Longest Time" not "Uptown Girl". For shame!
AW Tracy was doing Uptown Girl.
January 28, 2011 at 11:38AM EST
January 28, 2011 at 12:41PM ESTLoopyChew The confusion stems from the fact that, when Liz and Tracy started harmonizing their whoas, they both started snapping their fingers a la The Longest Time. Pretty sure it was a deliberate invocation.
January 29, 2011 at 2:25AM ESTGumphood
January 28, 2011 at 11:19AM EST Reply to CommentI think this episode actually used Lutz really well, and it was a pretty funny subplot on its own. I do enjoy that the writers ended up taking coming up with disasters and turning into actually worrying about post-apocalyptic survival. Though I wish it had a better final Lutz is a loser payoff reveal.
almightygod I've got to disagree. Did not like the writers' subplot at all. And I think Lutz becomes a lot less funny when they give him stuff to do. Keep him as an object of scorn, but don't put him front and center even in a subplot.
January 28, 2011 at 8:25PM ESTPhil
January 28, 2011 at 11:19AM EST Reply to CommentTotally right about the writers' room subplot. Total misfire. Everything else was golden, even down to what Tracy and Liz would be doing without each other, especially the Dennis cameo: "Hey dummy."
fritanga The writers' room subplot was worth sitting through just for these lines: "There was a cyclone in Brooklyn last year. It destroyed two vintage t-shirt stores and a banjo."
January 28, 2011 at 11:50PM ESTBrandon
January 28, 2011 at 11:20AM EST Reply to CommentI agree about the writers' room subplot. I think this is another one of those Season 5 stories that's a direct response to past criticisms, specifically that Pathetic Lutz is getting old. So they tried to turn it on its head and make Lutz the cool one for once, but next to Jenna singing vaguely about natural disasters and Jack/Liz giving meaningful glances and Tracy/Liz battling in code and, my favorite, the back-from-commercial line for Queen of Jordan, "You're watching Queen of Jordan. You heard me!" it can't compete.
Bender
January 28, 2011 at 11:21AM EST Reply to CommentHoly Daffodil, is this uneven. The writers room needs to go, as does Kenneth. They can can kiss my shiny metal ass. I'm taking Liz and Tracy with me on the next pimpmobile out of here and Jack can follow if he wants. Kenneth can find the nearest suicide booth.
P.S.
Sepinwall Rocks!
Fry Bender, you watched it without me? How could you! We always watch Nick at night classic together. As payback, i'm watching the next Real Robot Housewives of New New York without you.
January 28, 2011 at 11:25AM ESTLeela Will you two please shut up and get back to work, we have a delivery to make! Omecronians get testy without their pudding. Plus, everybody knows Jack is the best part of the show, as long as it doesn't involve his love life. Jack and Liz should get together for real one day.
January 28, 2011 at 11:27AM ESTProfessor Farnsworth Good news everyone. We will be making a delivery to NBC Universal. We will be giving them a time machine so that Jack can get his wish and go back to 1997.
January 28, 2011 at 11:30AM ESTZoidberg Can I come too?
January 28, 2011 at 11:31AM ESTHermes No, you jelly filled monster! I don't want you contaminating the past like las time. Plus, I want Lutz for myself...
January 28, 2011 at 11:33AM EST
January 31, 2011 at 9:05AM ESTLou
January 28, 2011 at 11:25AM EST Reply to CommentI was more interested in the Hannibal Buress cameo at the end. That dudes awesome!
mack
January 28, 2011 at 11:34AM EST Reply to CommentDidn't really enjoy the writers' plot either but I loved Pete's throwaway line about his set of skills: "archery and I kind of want to die".
Loved everything else! Billy Joel fighting was ridiculous and strangely perfect as they both failed at the lyrics as they went on. And the ton of Mel Gibson jokes and Gosselin photoshop was amazing. As was the Jack/Liz tag at the end. Surprise!de Niro and Dennis was great; NBC seems to have finally learnt not to spoil every single guest star this show has.
I thought it was on par with Parks & Rec though, because I was not feeling Ben/Leslie and thought their scenes dragged and weren't spontaneous like the other relationships. But these 2 make for a great hour of comedy!
Carl
January 28, 2011 at 11:45AM EST Reply to CommentAlan, you probably don't watch many commercials, because if you did, you would know that Dennis has been ruined by those car insurance ads.
mack HDU, Dennis is perfect you bloody tosser!
January 28, 2011 at 11:54AM ESTJ Agree with Mack that the Allstate campaign is fantastic.
January 28, 2011 at 11:59AM ESTDean Winchester Those Allstate ads are hands down the best on tv right now, especially now that they've started to work some new ones into the rotation.
January 28, 2011 at 12:15PM ESTRECALCULATING!
Robin TURNRIGHTNOW!!!
January 28, 2011 at 1:23PM ESTpamelajaye so *that's* why car insurance guy looks familiar!
January 30, 2011 at 1:36AM ESTNic S. That GPS Allstate commercial is the first time I've laughed out loud at a commercial since that one with the clown jumping on the unicorn.
February 1, 2011 at 1:21PM ESTJ
January 28, 2011 at 11:58AM EST Reply to Comment"Why does the warden keep giving Miss Extravaganza so many spoons?!"
It's funny how often people say they miss the writer's room characters (as opposed to, say, guest stars) and then turn when it doesn't work. But Lutz hasn't ever worked, and that storyline was just a black hole of suck.
The best thing about the episode for me, aside from the totally unexpected Dennis cameo, was DeNiro's clipped natural disaster bits. I could have watched a whole segment of "That horrific flood... that marvelous flood that saved us from that horrible fire... those super-intelligent sharks..."
April I can't believe there's not 16 replies about DeNiro...I literally peed a little when I couldn't stop laughing. He was So serious.
January 28, 2011 at 12:40PM EST"Everyone laughed and made Hitchcock jokes when the birds first attacked us, but we're not laughing now...because we know it turns them on sexually".
I'm still laughing just as hard now at work!
pamelajaye Gerald Ford, eaten by wolves - senselessly
January 30, 2011 at 1:40AM ESThttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2ZKpq5QfDE
Ricky M
January 28, 2011 at 11:58AM EST Reply to CommentI know that 30 Rock takes place in an alternate universe, but, consider: If this Mel Gibson thing happened in real life, and then NBC had a telethon in which an SNL cast member (Andy Samberg perhaps) sang that silly song about the disaster, EVERYONE IN THE WORLD would think it was a joke. Even if it were done with the most serious of intentions, Jack and Liz wouldn't really worry because they would know that people wouldn't take it as genuine. Right? Even if it weren't a comedian (let's say it were Jewel) people would still assume it was a spoof. For Jack to then realize that and get good ratings that way would have been a far more logical ending.
Chrissy That's a good point. However, they were presumably taking in actual money, which makes it harder to pass off as a joke. He probably could've worked in a line about giving all donations to the Anti-Defamation League or something.
January 28, 2011 at 2:30PM ESTluke right. cuz in real life people would donate real money to help mel gibson rebuild his house. especially if a comedian sang a funny song telling them to.
January 29, 2011 at 3:31PM ESTWilliam
January 28, 2011 at 1:30PM EST Reply to CommentThought for sure Alan's drop-in to the episode review was going to be "just as soon as I get a sandwich and eat it on the toilet..."
isaacl
January 28, 2011 at 1:48PM EST Reply to CommentNBC comedies were just cooking last night... Tracy finding loopholes to prevent footage from being used was a great device, both poking fun at how shows avoid paying licensing fees (which of course 30 Rock will have to pay for this episode) and fitting in well with the plot.
Dave I get the song loophole, but couldn't they just blur the Rangers logo out like half the T-Shirts and hats on "The Real World"?
January 29, 2011 at 12:42AM ESTMaggie Dave, I thought the same. Especially after they showed the edited clip with a Tracy stand-in - as long as the original audio was clear, they would have easily been able to blur his head or use the stand-in's head, or, as often happens on reality shows, have a camera shot of a closed door to suggest that the conversation was happening behind it away from the cameras.
January 29, 2011 at 11:12AM ESTDrew
January 28, 2011 at 1:56PM EST Reply to CommentI thought the telethon plot was a ripoff of the SNL sketch were Dana Carvey's Tom Brokaw wanted to go on vacation so they had to tape every possible ("Tragedy today, as former President Gerald Ford was eaten by wolves. He was delicious."). The 30 Rock/SNL connection made it too difficult to overlook.
pamelajaye I spoke too soon (3 days later) but at least I know I'm not alone. Except for - apparently it wasn't SNL, but the Dana Carvey Show. Link is above. Or below - depending on who I replied to.
January 30, 2011 at 1:45AM ESTThe JCL
January 29, 2011 at 1:30AM EST Reply to CommentWrite a comment...
The JCL
January 29, 2011 at 1:31AM EST Reply to CommentI liked the whole episode except for lutz in a thong wearing makeup disturbing not funny disturbing and I was trying to remember why I remember the name Charles Widmore, I feel so not lost nor ashamed.
LJA
January 29, 2011 at 1:43AM EST Reply to CommentI thought it was a strong episode. Loved it.
Charles
January 29, 2011 at 1:46AM EST Reply to CommentWhat's a 'snart'? Oh, it's a mixture between a snee... ok, I get it.
Definitely one of the better eps of the season. Started off strong and just got better.
andi
January 29, 2011 at 2:39AM EST Reply to CommentThe ending with Liz and Jack giving each other meaningful looks over music -- What was the name of the song?
Girly one republic - secrets
January 29, 2011 at 6:45AM ESTSchmoker
January 29, 2011 at 11:42AM EST Reply to CommentI must admit to feeling the same pangs as Jack in the opening bumper (obviously filmed recently to cash in on the final approval of the Comcast deal). It just sort of hit me there that while Jack was looking back wistfully at his 30 year run with GE, I was looking back wistfully at 25 years worth of GE-badly-running-NBC jokes. There will be no more GE jokes on NBC, and that realization tore out a small chuck of my soul. Makes me feel really, really old.
Alan, any idea why 30 Rock switched from cracking on their parent company by name to cracking on a fictional company called Kabletown? Sure, it's simply a not-even-veiled reference to Comcast, but it just seems strange nevertheless. I never thought about it before, but it really hit me seeing the GE sign wink out the other night (sigh), then realizing that they would now be cracking on a (semi) fictional company.
pamelajaye
January 30, 2011 at 1:24PM EST Reply to CommentI just watched, and the title of the show about the Real Transvestite Hoarders was too funny - I had to go share it on a blog I hang out at that often discusses "Reality TV."
Well, turns out I posted too soon. When they got to Mel Gibson's houseguest(!) I had to go post again. Cause it the place I was posting was a blog about the Gosselins.
Great episode. Between the reality show and the telethon plots. The Lutz has a car plot was dull, and the end of the ep cut off - NBC being stupid again? I got most of the rest at the beginning of Outsourced but I'm sure I missed a tiny bit.
Really - Jon Gosselin. Too funny.
Fuzzy Dunlop
January 31, 2011 at 12:26PM EST Reply to CommentI completely agree Alan, the writer's room stuff didn't work but otherwise the episode was hilarious.
That being said, is it just me, or was there something really weird going on with Alex Baldwin's makeup in the episode? He looked super pasty, and it almost seemed like he was wearing lipstick.