Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, I’m concluding my coverage of 30 Rock (2006-2013, NBC), which is currently available, as of this writing, on DVD and streaming.

30 Rock stars TINA FEY as Liz Lemon, TRACY MORGAN as Tracy Jordan, JANE KRAKOWSKI as Jenna Maroney, JACK McBRAYER as Kenneth Parcell, and ALEC BALDWIN as Jack Donaghy. With SCOTT ADSIT and JUDAH FRIEDLANDER.

30 Rock’s seventh season is a solid, satisfying end to the series, well-paced and well-plotted to bring both the characters and their situation to a wrap, with many “greatest hits” trotted out for one last hurrah, and rich displays of the show’s sense of humor corroborating its unique comic identity. In addition to a bevy of classic guests — Elaine Stritch, Will Arnett, Chloë Grace Moretz, etc. — the year’s perfectly allotted 13 episodes also include an opening arc that’s especially clever, revolving around the then-current 2012 presidential election. It’s a brilliant plotline for 30 Rock‘s final season because it so typifies its sensibilities — it’s political, and thus topical, like the kind of fare we’d see on Saturday Night Live, and it relates to this specific series precisely due both to Tina Fey’s ascendent stint playing 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on SNL (during this show’s run) and also the fact that politics has always been a defining part of Jack’s character. So, it all feels very 30 Rock, and situation-affirming as a result. After that, this collection also has enough time to nudge all the leads to happy but buyable endings, with Liz marrying midseason — to Criss (James Marsden), who remains comedically bland and therefore isn’t himself value-adding, even as his calm stability is narratively helpful as a balance to her chaos — and then resuming her goal to start a family, reigniting her adoption objective that was set aside back in Season Three, from which point we’ve been well-aware that having children (alongside a career) was her inevitable endgame sign of growth. And here it finally happens, via a believable plot that also honors the emotional heft of the centralized Liz/Jack relationship without being overly schmaltzy or sentimental in a way that would betray 30 Rock’s sketch-like irreverence and its commitment to laughs as a raison d’être. Accordingly, I think this show ends commendably — at just the right time with a final season that, no, is not in peak condition in terms of sitcommery, but nevertheless respects the show and its audience while operating at a respectable baseline, maintaining its reputation as one of the finest sitcoms of the late 2000s — up there with The Office and Curb, fellow anti-multi-cam meta romps that combine traditional low-concept tenets with fresh, higher concept comedic perspectives. It’s been a joy to cover 30 Rock here — it’s easily one of the best sitcoms of the past twenty years.

 

01) Episode 127: “Governor Dunston” (Aired: 10/11/12)

Jack’s efforts to tank NBC are complicated by a new vice presidential candidate.

Written by Robert Carlock | Directed by Robert Carlock

Altogether, I think this is the funniest and best-written sample from the early part of the season, where the show is having fun with the then-upcoming 2012 election, emphasizing the topical and even self-referential SNL-ian comedy that has always distinguished 30 Rock from its sitcom contemporaries. This episode is especially riotous because of its very metatheatrical wink about Tina Fey’s previous triumph playing Sarah Palin on SNL — during the run of 30 Rock (which naturally accentuated the ties between the two shows) — when Tracy Jordan turns out to be a dead ringer for the new GOP Vice Presidential candidate, whom the TGS writers are eager to spoof. The joy of that idea — which is also rooted in the literal premise of the crew producing a sketch comedy show like SNL — ties in nicely to the premiere’s established arc about Liz trying to help Jack ruin NBC for his own professional gain, as this puts the two co-conspirators in conflict, making it a great story for them and their relationship (another crucial aspect of the series’ identity). Also, I appreciate the casting of Catherine O’Hara and Bryan Cranston as Kenneth’s mother and step-dad — they’re underused but it’s nice to see Kenneth get some (rare) exploration. So, this is a strong showing for 30 Rock‘s situation all around — proof of the show’s high quality at this late juncture. (Matthew Broderick also guests.)

02) Episode 133: “My Whole Life Is Thunder” (Aired: 12/06/12)

Jenna tries to upstage Liz at an award show after Liz stole her wedding thunder.

Written by Jack Burditt & Colleen McGuinness | Directed by Linda Mendoza

Some 30 Rock fans struggle with Jenna’s depiction and her perceived lack of depth, but unlike the more one-note Kenneth, I think from late Season One on, the show has done a fine job dimensionalizing her via her relationships, and even though she’s a broad character, she has unique rapports with other regulars like Tracy and, in particular, Liz, that aid the series’ situation and create emotional stakes within episodic stories. To that point, this is her best outing in Seven — and maybe the best Liz/Jenna friendship outing of the run — as Jenna schemes to upstage Liz after being offended that Liz not only stole her wedding thunder, but also had a ceremony without inviting her. Things come to a head at a women-supporting-women event (with a lot of stars playing themselves, and the very funny sketch comedy icon Andrea Martin in an emcee role) where Liz exposes Jenna in a literally harsh light. It’s a comedic idea that also rests on their established bond, granting it real character value. Additionally, the subplot has more meta TV-about-TV fun with a guest appearance by Florence Henderson, while Elaine Stritch takes her final bow as Jack’s mom, making this an important stop along 30 Rock‘s farewell season.

03) Episode 134: “Game Over” (Aired: 01/10/13)

Jack teams up with his former nemeses to take down the boss’ granddaughter.

Written by Robert Carlock & Sam Means | Directed by Ken Whittingham

More of 30 Rock’s “greatest hits” come out for this consistently funny, well-written installment that has fun putting Jack, one more time, against his nemesis, the boss’ granddaughter (played by Chloë Grace Moretz), as he schemes to best her and get his promotion, turning to former rivals — played by Will Arnett and Steve Buscemi — for their assistance. That’s an inherently amusing idea that flatters the show’s long history, and for a business-related story that finally sees Jack elevating into the job he’s always wanted — a step towards his supposed happy ending. Meanwhile, Liz’s adoption dreams are reignited as her endgame arc starts — Megan Mullally, who made a memorable turn as an adoption agent in Season Three, re-appears — and there’s a situation-affirming subplot where Tracy Jordan, in his effort to be the next Tyler Perry, works with a difficult Octavia Spencer in his Harriet Tubman biopic, realizing that he’s become the Liz to her Tracy — a bit of self-referential humor that’s perfect for the characters in this final year. (Ken Howard and Chris Parnell are also among the included guests.)

04) Episode 137: “Hogcock!” (Aired: 01/31/13)

Liz has trouble adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom.

Written by Jack Burditt & Robert Carlock | Directed by Beth McCarthy Miller

30 Rock‘s last two half-hours originally aired together in a single hour-long block, and they’re an effective conclusion-providing post-script to the previous entry — mentioned below — which actually seems to operate as what you’d expect of a series finale for this sitcom, with the TGS show being cancelled, Liz getting her adopted children, and Jack ascending to his new job while promoting Kenneth. But 30 Rock is a very clever series, recognizing that there’s more to Jack’s happiness than work and more to Liz’s happiness than family, and this offering shows us what happens after, as they’re both dissatisfied with what they thought would make them happy, culminating in a surprisingly intelligent clash between the two where they basically blame each other, and their relationship, for changing what they wanted in life — a fascinating exploration of their characters based on who they are in direct juxtaposition, and therefore how they exist within the situation and thus the entire series, which really sets up a finale that has its finger on the pulse of the show’s construction, with their special friendship its earned emotional core.

05) Episode 138: “Last Lunch” (Aired: 01/31/13)

Jack quits his job as the cast and crew prepare to do one last episode of TGS. 

Written by Tina Fey & Tracey Wigfield | Directed by Beth McCarthy Miller

As long-time readers know, I tend to not like sitcom finales, as their unique need for narrative finality usually invites gaudy story-heavy plot points and an elevated emotionalism that deviates too much from most sitcoms’ fundamental charms, failing to properly represent what their series has heretofore been, particularly in terms of comedy. However, I think 30 Rock boasts one of the best finales out there, capably resolving its premise via the end of “the show” on which they’re all working, while also driving the leads to their own believable, motivated happy endings. And through a concerted focus on the dynamic between Liz and Jack — as they make up after their fight, once Liz realizes she can have a family and a career, and Jack finally appreciates the relationships he’s made beyond just the job — the show understands, as a sitcom, what it must do to deliver closure to its main characters. I love this; 30 Rock has always gotten more credit for its sketch-like sense of humor than its well-applied sitcom construct, but this finale is ultimate proof of its validity and value within this format, honoring its situation in a genuinely smart way… And yet, at the same time, it’s also as funny as 30 Rock‘s comic reputation requires — with lots of meta jokes (parodies of other finales) and self-referential nods (like “The Rural Juror”) that have always been warranted within this series’ SNL-ian ethos, guaranteeing that, more than just bringing the characters and their situation to a close, the finale also encapsulates what the show has been, and been like, all along. Okay, there is a bit more sentiment compared to a typical half hour, but it doesn’t feel like the show is betraying its usual modus operandi here — for given that this has sort of been, from the start, an updated take on the classic workplace sitcom Mary Tyler Moore, where coworkers were posited as a proxy for family, I believe this finale improves upon the template by maintaining a firmer command on its show’s regular identity, especially comedically, as it avoids falling earnestly into the former’s now-worn clichés. In fact, I’d say 30 Rock’s finale bests Mary Tyler Moore’s as an accurate yet closure-providing sitcom sample, and in line with that high praise, it’s indeed the most memorable excursion from this season — the point to which this entire year has been building — meaning, I can’t deny it; it has to be my pick for MVE (Most Valuable Episode).

 

Other episodes that merit a look include: “Mazel Tov, Dummies!,” where Liz struggles to reconcile her brand of feminism with her desire for traditionalism when it comes to getting married, and “A Goon’s Deed In A Weary World,” the antepenultimate half-hour that seems to wrap up the situation by giving the characters what they’ve always wanted. I’ll also take this space to cite “The Beginning Of The End,” the funny season premiere with lots of fun media parody, “Stride Of Pride,” which is just another solid, amusing show for the regulars, and “Unwindulax,” the first and funnier half of a two-parter where Jack and Liz are politically opposed, ultimately realizing that Jenna’s newfound fans are potential swing voters that they must court. Lastly, it’s not a great entry but “Florida” is notable for explicitly addressing the lack of romance in the Liz/Jack relationship — something that mirrors “Lou Dates Mary” from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and those leads’ key dynamic, but in a more meta, 30 Rock-ian way.

 

*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season Seven of 30 Rock goes to…

“Last Lunch”

 

 

Come back next week for Parks And Recreation! And stay tuned tomorrow for a new Wildcard!