30 Rock – “I Heart Connecticut” – review

We finally, FINALLY get a conclusion to the extended arc of Tracy Jordan leaving TGS. It’s been bumpy. I’m pretty sure the dip in quality the last few episodes was mostly because of Tracy’s absence, but I could be wrong, and maybe the show is just slipping a bit. Either way, I felt last night’s 30 Rock was a bit over the top, but still mostly enjoyable.

The big storyline this week involves Liz and Kenneth tracking down Tracy’s whereabouts. This provided some amusing gags, the silliest (and somehow funniest) being the strange New York Pizza Academy and its surprisingly complex traditions. After the bait and switch of coming so close to finding Tracy (complete with a Silence of the Lambs style door answering trickery) things started to feel stretched. There will be no easy fix; we must stall this plot a bit longer!

In the end they find him, with promises that the last few episodes of the season will be ripe with the kind of antics only Tracy Jordan can cause.

Everyone else is still dealing with the idea that TGS may be canceled. Jenna gets cast in a torture-porn horror flick (the producer rented Saw and watched it). This collides with Jack’s obsession with saving every single penny he can from failed projects. I get what this bit is about. It’s a shot at the big corporations who mess with and change productions just so they’ll make more money. It just wasn’t funny. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen the whole “bad movie directed by a teenager” plot before, but I didn’t laugh at all during these scenes. It was really forced and overdone.

Pete, on the other hand–what a riot! His ability to destroy anyone in an arm wrestling match was pure genius. Even the reason for why he’d be so strong was believable (for this show, anyway). Pete gets pushed around and is usually made to look weak and pathetic, so I was so stoked that he got to be a winner at something.

And then they ruined it and made it all a dream. At first I laughed. Then I felt bad for Pete. Now I feel cheated. But maybe that’s the joke? Who really knows?

“I Heart Connecticut” was an okay episode. Plenty of solid laughs, but some huge missteps. Here’s hoping things get better from here.