Ah, Christmas time. A time for joy and a time for depression, depending on your state of mind come holiday season. Last night, NBC gave us a bit of both. At 9, we had The Office‘s “Moroccan Christmas,” a bit of a darker take (in the case of Toby’s Princess Unicorn, literally darker) on the yuletide spirit. At 9:30, we had the more Christmas Spirit-y, more uplifting episode of 30 Rock. I thought The Office was a bit funnier, but also I liked the faster pacing and more uplifting feel of 30 Rock. It was really a nice pairing of 2 of NBC’s only good shows. 5 specific thoughts on the 30 Rock:
1. Tracy Morgan, for me, is always the funniest character. Every single episode, I laugh at his lines more than anyone else’s. Every single episode.
2. The show is always better when Jane Krakowski is involved. She’s really funny, supremely underrated as an asset on the series, and is guaranteed added funny every time. Can you think of an episode where her character dragged the episode down or made it less funny? No way– she’s consistently a positive contribution to any episode.
3. It was nice to get Pete, Toofer, Lutz, and Frank back in the mix. This is a series about a television show, remember? Its taken 6 episodes, but it seems like Fey & Co finally remember that this show is about the kooky folks behind a fictional comedy series, not about Oprah and Jennifer Aniston.
4. Speaking of Oprah and Aniston, while I didn’t think Elaine Strich was all that funny, at least her presence in the episode didn’t dominate the episode itself. Yes, her role drove the plot of the episode forward, but she herself was not an imposing presence, something I really appreciated after the past 5 star-studded eps.
5. I love Tina Fey. Often, when there’s something/someone I love that isn’t well-known or popular, which then becomes popular, I will start to hate what I once loved. I call this the Borat Effect, after millions of Americans ruined my deep-seeded love of HBO’s Da Ali G Show, (which I’m guessing several people reading this still have never heard of or seen. Rent it. Now.) But Fey’s work on-screen as Liz Lemon, especially this season, have made it impossible to stay away. She seems to be growing more and more comfortable as the leading lady, as if the self-deprecating writer in her is starting to think “Hey, maybe I actually am the big superstar that all the awards and magazines say I am.” Well, I say kudos to you, Tina Fey. You’re as relevant and revelatory as ever.
Grade: B+
Krakowski may be a positive part of any episode now, but I wouldn’t have said the same in the early days of the show. “Jenna the Star” dragged down a few too many of the earlier episodes primarily because the show had no idea what to do with her. Around the time of “Hard Ball” they realized that Jenna taking herself too seriously shouldn’t be a point of tension but a point of comedy. Since then, she’s been used perfectly.
Really enjoyed “Christmas Special” – no, it wasn’t great, but its heartwarming (or saccharine if you prefer) ending fit better for my own Christmas episode standards.
Hey Myles, great to hear from you! I agree with you about Jenna’s role — she works best as comic relief, not as narrative focal point, though I think they made the adjustment quickly enough.
And yes, I’m still singing “Chestnuts Roasting.” As a friend noted, you could feel Lorne Michaels influence all over that– I was expecting Kermit the Frog and Justin Timberlake to come out and join in around the piano. Nonetheless, it was certainly a heartwarming moment.
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