And… spoilers for 30 Rock coming up after the jump:
I had intended to save some time for other work by doing a quick combined post for The Office and 30 Rock. Then I got sucked in to my Office musings and kept writing… and writing… I am not going to get sucked into that trap again! So let me just say that last night’s 30 Rock was the first one in a long time that I enjoyed almost completely without reservation (Jenna’s subplot was off, but it was barely a blip), and see if I can get it done in three paragraphs.
We knew that Jon Hamm’s Drew would have to be written off, and the way the show did it could have gone that predictable Friends route, in which the temporary love interest reveals some hidden crazy streak that means he or she must be banished. Instead, Drew revealed a flaw—no, really a handicap—that was in front of Liz to notice the whole time: that he was given every break because he is beautiful, and therefore he never got to fully develop as an adult. Along the way, the script made a few observations about how good looks open doors, and was damn funny doing it. (Kudos to Hamm for showing us how Drew is damaged goods without making him dislikable; the way he said, incorrectly, that his rude awakening felt “ironic” was both funny and sweet.)
Meanwhile, Tracy’s subplot was one of those crazy-Tracy storylines that really worked, showing him in a different kind of bubble with brilliant results. (I only wished Alec Baldwin had done the Bill Cosby impersonation himself, a la Redd Foxx, but maybe he doesn’t have as much range as I thought.) Well done.
There! Three paragraphs and out! Oh, damn it, this is a fourth paragraph! Curse you to Hell, Return key!
