120. The Head and the Hair (Season 1, Episode 11)
Dir. Gail Mancuso
Writer: Tina Fey/John Riggi
I’ve got a fan theory. Peter Hermann (the disgustingly attractive Charles Brooks from Younger, not to mention husband of Mariska “Dun Dun!” Hargitay) was cast as “The Hair”, one of two men that Jenna and Liz are vying for (the other being Brian McCann, most notable for his characters on Conan including Pimpbot 5000 as well as playing Freddy Spaghetti, notable Pawnee childrens entertainer in the Season 2 finale of Parks & Rec). Thinking she’s destined for The Head, Liz finds herself falling for The Hair after connecting over a bodega cashiers refusal of a $100 bill. But back to my fan theory! Is it just a coincidence that the actor who plays The Hair’s last name is Hermann in an episode with “The Head” in the title or is it actually a thinly veiled reference to the short lived FOX television show Herman’s Head starring William “Charley Brewster” Ragsdale? Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
119. Hiatus (Season 1, Episode 21)
Dir. Don Scardino
Writer: Tina Fey
Ah, the end of the first season. Where audiences expected things to get wrapped up into a nice little bow because, hey! That’s what TV is supposed to do right? Not quite. BUT what we do get is our first appearance of probably the best guest star the show ever had: Elaine Stritch as Colleen Donaghy, Jack’s mom. Equipped with the frame of a bird and the leathery voice of, well, herself Stritch effortlessly plays Colleen as if the role was written specifically with her in mind. But don’t take my word for it, ask the 2007 Primetime Emmy’s which awarded Stritch Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy. And while I love the prolonged Misery reference with Kenneth’s cousin Jesse Parcell (Sean Hayes), it feels lazy that Floyd and Liz’s breakup happens off screen. With Floyd being the relationship Liz holds on to through Season 4 you would expect just a modicum of more gravity given to their separation. But that’s ok because we still have six more seasons and three and a half more boyfriends to get through!
118. The Source Awards (Season 1, Episode 16)
Dir. Don Scardino
Writer: Robert Carlock/Daisy Gardner
Can one person trust another who doesn’t find LL Cool J to be endlessly endearing? I do not know, nor do I wish to find out that answer, but for his role on 30 Rock playing fictional hip-hop producer Ridikolous he, unfortunately, doesn’t get to be his typical charming self-playing a rather to-the-chest cooler-than-cool character, except for when he’s actually slipping the facts about the whereabouts of Tupac. An early attempt to diffuse some of the problematics surrounding Liz and her thinly veiled uncomfortableness involving race, the B plot of this episode focuses on her date with a characteristically funny Wayne Brady who is everything Liz is not. But when she attempts to end the date she’s denounced as a racist, only causing her to dig deeper into the hole that is called white guilt. The saving grace of this episode? Tracy Jordan, as Oprah, hosting The Source Awards.
117. Jack Gets in the Game (Season 2, Episode 2)
Dir. Michael Engler
Writer: Robert Carlock
30 Rock, as wholesome as it is sometimes, is far from Nicecore. Sure, we do get one of the greatest new Halloween jams of our time, ‘Werewolf Bar Mitzvah’, in this episode (written by Robert Carlock, Jeff Richmond, and most importantly Donald Glover). What made 30 Rock funny was it’s dark cynicism that we were holding on to coming out of the Bush administration and into the (relatively) stable Obama era. And sometimes the jokes are so mean, so over the line, so dark that the only choice is to funnel that through the egoic lunacy of Jenna Maroney. I’ll highlight more as they come up, but in this episode it’s her first big catchphrase of season 2: “ME WANT FOOD!”. Is it body shaming? Sure. Does it feel malicious? Not really. It makes sense for Jenna, who can’t fathom irony, to play into destructive stereotypes. Why? Because she is one. And we kinda love her for it.
116. Season 4 (Season 4, Episode 1)
Dir. Don Scardino
Writer: Tina Fey
If someone handed me a Cheesy Blaster, you god damn well better believe I will try it while high fiving Meat Cat, the too cool for school mascot for the brand of quasi-Hot Pockets filled with cheese and hot dogs. And let’s be real, with our penchant for BuzzFeed lists for the most heart clogging foods of State Fairs, you goddamn better believe that a restaurant like Season 4, a fusion of all the most popular cuisines of the flyover states, would make a killing thanks to ironic hipster who’d wait in 5 hour lines for a donut. But outside of this, the episode falls back into the cardinal sin of 30 Rock: being forgettable. Something even good ol’ reliable Len Wozniak can’t save us from.
115. Grandmentor (Season 6, Episode 12)
Dir. Beth McCarthy-Miller
Writer: Sam Means
By season 6 Liz has had plenty of time to learn from her mentor Jack, so much so that she’s ready to take on her own ward. Unfortunately for her that turns out to be Hazel Wassername (Kristen Schaal), on again off again girlfriend and foil to Kenneth. Hazel is another glimpse of 30 Rocks anti-comedy, drawing her as this bizarre patchwork of a sociopath, or an ambitious Annie Wilkes even. But this episode most importantly acts as a bridge to an even better episode later in season 6, establishing the framework for Jack’s attempt to gain more attention for his imprisoned fiancee: the TV film “Kidnapped By Danger”.
114. Sun Tea (Season 4, Episode 6)
Dir. Gail Mancuso
Writer: Dylan Morgan/Josh Siegal
Just saying the words “sun tea” makes me gag. For the uninitiated (or those who haven’t connected 30 Rock to your veins like my fiancée and I have), the sun tea system is a way of being environmentally friendly by peeing into glass jars (to save on water), developed by perennial teenage boy Frank Rossitano (Judah Friedlander). This method does work in getting Liz’s unwelcome roommate out of her apartment (so she can secretly steal his apartment). It also, shockingly, makes for a wonderful floral fertilizer. And while Nate Corddry (Brother to Rob Corddry) is great as Liz’s gay cop roomie, it’s the connection between Tracy and Jack as they both soften to the ideas of having children again that makes the episode memorable. Well that and the recycled Al Gore joke that is beautifully stupid and I LOVE IT.
113. The Collection (Season 2, Episode 3)
Dir. Don Scardino
Writer: Matt Hubbard
I think you can argue that the quality of an episode of 30 Rock can depend solely on it’s guest stars. And while our C Plot of Kenneth making sure Jenna retains her Mystic Pizza: The Musical weight leaves a lot to be desired, this episode is Sherri Shepherd’s show. Do we get better Angie episodes later? Without a doubt. They clearly weren’t exactly sure what to do with Tracy’s wife early in the series before they balanced his salacious celebrity with a down to earth dad. But it’s hard to deny the likeability of Sherri Shepherd who you can’t take your eyes away from on screen. Which is a shame that ultimately her story winds up being about another fight with Liz that Tracy has to break up. Though the greatest thing in this episode? Steve Buscemi back as Lenny Wozniak, imploring Jack to rid himself of his cookie jar collection before being vetted to be GE’s next CEO. And let’s be real, knowing the Rudy Giuliani of 2018, we all know he probably did collect antique dolls. We see you Rudy. WE SEE YOU.
112. College (Season 5, Episode 8)
Dir. Don Scardino
Writer: Josh Siegal/Dylan Morgan
“College” is a prime example of peak middle of the road 30 Rock. There’s nothing outwardly bad in this episode, it does have some great jokes including GEs microwave division being unable to tell white people apart and the episode punchline of Liz being the RA of TGS. We do possibly get the series best buttons and that’s Jack and Pete playing Jethro Tull, eating pizza and drinking beers, leading Liz to shotgun one. The pizza that is.
111. Florida (Season 7, Episode 10)
Dir. Claire Cowperthwaite
Writer: Tom Ceraulo/Matt Hubbard
Ah, the first episode of season 7 to be ranked unfortunately is the only episode that featured Tim Meadows. But it’s not Martin Lutherking’s fault! The episode just feels like a show running out of ideas. While I appreciate the idea of Jack’s mother Colleen finding happiness in her final years with her live-in nurse Martha, it feels like a gimmick just to get Liz and Jack to finally share a bed and confront why they never slept together over the seven years of relationship ups and downs. But the answer to that question has always been clear, especially after Avery confronts their relationship. Liz and Jack are platonic pals. A mentor-mentee relationship that transcends normal friendships. Which, in retrospect, is quite refreshing.
110. Verna (Season 4, Episode 12)
Dir. Don Scardino
Writer: Ron Weaver
No joke, there is a certain invented nursery rhyme that originated in “Verna” that is literally stuck in my head as I write this. “Don’t Go To Bed With A Frown” is used a few more times throughout the show, namely a future Mother’s Day episode, but here it’s no better deployed than on the found footage-esque sleep cam that Liz installed to catch Frank night smoking. What does it catch though? A sleepwalking duet between Liz and Franks mailroom lover as she coos Frank to sleep. To quote Tracy “This is the most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen.” But remember, live by the words of our good friend Panama: “We all have our release.”
109. The Shower Principle (Season 6, Episode 14)
Dir. Stephen Lee Davis
Writer: Tom Ceraulo
Another episode that feels like a bridge to a better punchline, The Shower Principal is a more optimistic episode of 30 Rock. Despite feeling stuck in a rut, Liz is able to rectify new problems by looking at her journal entries from the year prior, while Jack consults meditation to find a way to get Kabletown CEO Hank Hooper to invest a dividend back into the company. Though this episode will be remembered for having one of the best TGS moments: Mayor McCheese reciting the “Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow” speech from Macbeth.
108. Cutbacks (Season 3, Episode 17)
Dir. Gail Mancuso
Writer: Matt Hubbard
So not only do we get another appearance by NBC’s Head of HR Jeffrey Weinerslav, but a guest role from the singing voice of Hercules himself, Roger Bart! Bart plays Brad Halster a consultant in charge of cutbacks at TGS. How else will Liz save her show from the brutal blade of corporate America? Trying to seduce him of course. The episodes B Plot though highlights an evolution of Jenna and Tracy’s character that fuels the next four seasons: their growing childlike friendship. Do they kill Kenneth’s bird? Yes. Do they replace it ten-fold? Of course!
107. Into the Crevasse (Season 4, Episode 2)
Dir. Beth McCarthy-Miller
Writer: Robert Carlock
Heeeeey we see you Pawnee City Council Member and Town Dentist Jeremy Jam better known by his actor name Jon Glaser! He’s the one beating up the cardboard cutout of Liz in the bookstore display window for Dealbreakers, the book version of the sketch that was turned into a failed TV show in season 3. Here we see the fallout as Liz’s dating and life advice begins to have an adverse effect on the male staff members of TGS, including Tracy who moves in with Liz out of punishment. While the episode may not be the strongest in the Dealbreakers Saga, having Jenna shoot a werewolf film in Iceland (where it’s nighttime for about five minutes a day) as punishment for TGS searching for a new cast member is inspired!
106. Corporate Crush (Season 1, Episode 19)
Dir. Don Scardino
Writer: John Riggi
The best part of Phoebe, Emily Mortimer’s love interest to Alec Baldwin’s Jack, is anytime she says “Oh! My bones!’ in reference to her Avian Bone Syndrome. But unfortunately she is mostly just written as shrewish and conniving partner, with Liz constantly trying to reveal Phoebe’s true intentions with Jack. Is she a gold digger? Are her bones as brittle as a birds? Who knows. But this episode does give us the endearing bromance between Jack and Floyd, while also slightly foreshadowing Lin Manuel Miranda’s global sensation Hamilton with Tracy Jordans Jefferson biopic where he will not just play Thomas Jefferson, but his wife Martha as well as Sally Hemings, a potential ancestor of Tracys.
105. Khonani (Season 4, Episode 18)
Dir. Beth McCarthy-Miller
Writer: Vali Chandrasekaran
To be honest, when the Conan/Leno debacle was happening, I had long stopped paying attention to the Late Night shows. And despite loving Conan and Colbert, I still don’t really care about Late Night shows. Happy they are there, but not for me. But that makes this episode so fun because before working on this, I never really put together that the conflict between Jack and two custodians, Subhas and Khonani, was a metaphor for what was happening in real time on NBC. Yes, I should have known by the episode title but when you have 136 other episodes, some of 30 Rock just washes right over ya.
Related Topics: 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin, NBC, ranking, Tina Fey
