Review: '30 Rock' - 'The Tuxedo Begins': Why so SERIOUS?
Liz tries to game the system, Jack reacts to a mugging and Jenna embraces a new normal
Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) got her Joker on in last night's "30 Rock."
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A review of last night's "30 Rock" coming up just as soon as I send my daughter off to a baby leadership conference...
Liz Lemon occupies a tricky place in the "30 Rock" comedy universe. She's the straight woman, but it's a waste of Tina Fey's comic chops to just have her reacting to Jack, Tracy and Jenna, while at the same time, when they make her as crazy as the rest of the characters, it can throw the show's entire balance out of whack. So crazy Liz(*) needs to be doled out both sparingly and carefully.
(*) Like crazy Dave on "NewsRadio," crazy Michael on "Arrested Development," crazy Jeff on "Community," etc.
Fortunately, "The Tuxedo Begins" was an example of crazy Liz working very well. It helped that the "Batman Begins"/"The Dark Knight" parallels unfolded very gradually before it became obvious that Liz was becoming the Joker and Jack was trying to be Batman. Mainly, though, I think it worked because the insanity came from a very familiar, long-established quality of Liz's in her frustration that the rest of the world doesn't behave itself any longer. (This goes back to the show's very first scene, where she bought up all the hot dogs from the cart to get back at the guy who cut in line.)
Jack's Batman transformation briefly skirted another art-imitates-life moment when he launched his very brief campaign for mayor, but was primarily a (successful) excuse to do more class warfare humor(*), and to revisit one of the show's greatest jokes ever. I also liked, in both the Liz and Jack scenes, our glimpses of the various New York caricatures, from the wide-eyed girl fresh off the bus and looking to hit it big (albeit in prostitution, which she appears to be successful at by the end) to both Mr. Met and the Statue of Liberty appearing randomly after Jack's takedown of Liz.
(*) Though my favorite joke of that whole story may have been the throwaway line about Jack's contributions to "Irish Arguments Weekly, America's only all-caps magazine."
And while the Jenna stories the last few weeks haven't worked for me, I'm always glad to see Will Forte back as Paul. Even before their attempt last night at the "normaling" fetish, it's always felt like his presence weirdly normalizes Jenna, because suddenly she's placed in stories that aren't just about other people reaction to her either being socially inappropriate or overly narcissistic. Paul is just as freaky as Jenna, and he worships her, so she becomes less of a cartoon character even as she's generally being kinkier than ever around him. This was a nice flip of that, with them trying to convince themselves that standard couple stuff is the kinkiest activity of all, and the show had a lot of fun with it before Jenna realized what was happening and Paul ran pantsless through the streets. Hope he's not gone for too long.
What did everybody else think?
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February 17, 2012 at 10:40AM EST Reply to CommentWelcome all discussions, but after watching this again twice, I'd venture to say this was the best 30 Rock episode in years.
user ^^i agree, i was amazed how awesome/smart/funny/bats&%$crazy it was.
February 17, 2012 at 10:48AM ESTchuchundra I agree, one of the best 30 Rocks eps in a good while.
February 17, 2012 at 8:54PM ESTJenna didn't annoy me and even Kenneth was used well. When was the last time that happened?
M.A.Peel
February 17, 2012 at 10:43AM EST Reply to CommentMr. Met appearing on the day Gary Carter died. Eerie. I liked Baldwin's Batman, also shades of his own The Shadow/Lamont Cranston (he had a cape too).
BK
February 17, 2012 at 10:49AM EST Reply to CommentI know the primary references were Batman Begins/The Dark Knight, but I couldn't help but notice that the brief appearance of the billowing cape behind Jack during the "confrontation" with Liz/Joker seemed to also be a nod to Baldwin's role as "The Shadow" in the 1994 film. There is a scene toward the end of that film where The Shadow's cape billows out behind him for no apparent reason (standing still in a building with nothing to cause the cape to do that...although it does look quite epic on screen).
BK Oh, I was a little late on mentioning The Shadow reference.
February 17, 2012 at 10:51AM ESTjjmorton
February 17, 2012 at 10:57AM EST Reply to CommentThis episode had freaky coincidences to two stories in this weeks This American Life. Both shows featured going on "sexual walkabout" and young-looking cops going undercover in schools as students.
Jay
February 17, 2012 at 11:15AM EST Reply to CommentSuch a great episode. The scene where they showed Pete from Jenna's point of view and she sees a weird skull face saying "Scattergories" seemed like a "They Live" reference.
Ed G.
February 17, 2012 at 11:28AM EST Reply to CommentI want that Tina Fey sandwich for lunch today!
Charles
February 17, 2012 at 11:42AM EST Reply to CommentI think it's instructive to see this episode in light of the complaint about Liz getting 'cartoonish' that we had last week. I felt that was unjustified then, and this episode bears me out - what's more cartoonish than Liz becoming The Joker? In fact, you could almost say that the past few episodes have been part of the arc, with Liz becoming crankier, weirder and more pathetic until she finally throws everything over and goes to the Dark Side(*).
(*)Some didn't like Liz worrying about how Jack would regard her new boyfriend. I wonder how they feel about Joker Liz being put down and taught the error of her ways by The Tux? But then maybe the problem is that this is really just the wrong frame-of-reference to be using.
Prettok There's nothing wrong with Liz caring about Jack's opinion. It goes both ways. Who did Jack seek advice from when he wanted to bone Avery's mom last week?
February 18, 2012 at 12:19AM ESTDave
February 17, 2012 at 12:47PM EST Reply to CommentJenna and Paul remind me of Samberg & Timberlake's digital shorts. Both characters are such huge fans of what the other guy is saying, no matter how crazy or bizarre, that they seem like fun winners instead of borderline-psychotic losers.
Carl
February 17, 2012 at 1:54PM EST Reply to CommentDo you know what song the mariachi band was playing at the end credits? My girlfriend said the melody sounded familiar, and it didn't ring a bell for me. Any help?
Tomas Servomoteur It's "NYC" from "Annie."
February 17, 2012 at 2:06PM ESTmilliemish Which is also what the fresh faced prostitute was singing, and it was used as underscoring throughout the episode too. (Theater Geek, me)
February 17, 2012 at 5:16PM ESTRussell
February 17, 2012 at 2:05PM EST Reply to CommentGuy who cut the line in the pilot of 30 Rock? Same guy that called Leslie the 2nd least favorite word for a woman. As Jon Gruden would say, Kevin Dorff is THAT GUY when you need an a-hole moment.
Rroe
February 17, 2012 at 3:31PM EST Reply to CommentHa! That's my all time favorite 30 rock joke too!
Geoff Rose
February 18, 2012 at 1:43AM EST Reply to Comment*totally accurate Chewbacca noises*
liquandeez
February 18, 2012 at 9:32AM EST Reply to Commentok, forgive my geekiness, but i cant believe i am the only one that saw this, but wouldnt baldwin have made a better batman than michael keaton? think about it: Tim Burton made Beetljuice before he made batman, he had both Baldwin and Keaton in Beetljuice, why did he go with Keaton over Baldwin?
cgeye Baldwin, as hot as he was, probably thought he was above making a franchise comic book movie.... until l'affaire Basinger, their wackness being documented in the tabloids, offers drying up... and then, The Shadow.
March 23, 2012 at 12:32AM ESTAlso, he would have been the stereotype Bruce Wayne, to the point of camp. Burton going with someone who actually *looked* like a billionaire with inherited money -- no one special, save for the murdered parents thing -- sold Bruce Wayne as a shy, eccentric man who paid attention to social obligations only because they helped inform his crimefighting duties.
Bale only added his Patrick Bateman intensity, which was enough to actually make Wayne as interesting as Batman. Viz Keaton's "you wanna go NUTS?" outburst, which didn't fit the persona he'd crafted (more fitting to the Beet-man, hisself...). Bale, OTOH, played Wayne as a sociopath with a good education, which hid how much he cared for Gotham -- who'd suspect such a douche would risk getting hurt for strangers, as Batman?
Yeah, I've thought a lot about this -- and still consider the Timm/Conroy the best Bruce Wayne -- but as Baldwin still has to sign up for TV duty, and Keaton can pick and choose his projects until the end of time, I bet Baldwin has, too....
MyName
February 18, 2012 at 2:13PM EST Reply to CommentBuscemi.
Discuss.
aw
February 18, 2012 at 3:46PM EST Reply to Commentjust have to comment on how overwelmed i got watching the latest 30 rock. i was experiencing the feelings i use to have burning through s1/2 dvds. They need to keep this up, as i'm only sticking around because i'm loyal. Plus THE kenneth was back, hope we don't go back to the rut he was in previously.
melinda
February 18, 2012 at 7:43PM EST Reply to CommentLove the link to one of the greatest jokes ever, but the one that makes me laugh every time i see it on repeat is after Jack/Avery's baby is born in Canada, despite their efforts to get back into the U.S. Jack tells Lemon, in Alec Baldwin's perfect cadence, "Even though she is Canadian-American, we will love her just like a human baby."