30 Rock came back last week but felt a bit off. It was madcap and witty, clever and bright, but I thought too much of the episode was bookkeeping, trying to get everything back into balance. With Jack’s departure from GE at the end of last season, the world was shaken up. The writers could have pretended it never happened and started out this season back at status quo, but made the more interesting choice.
Then they spent all of one episode resolving it.
Why, why put Jack at the bottom of the ladder if the writers weren’t going to do anything with it?
What I would have liked to have seen, and what I believe would have been a richer vein of comedy for Jack, is a three-episode B-story arc seeing Jack’s meteoric rise from mail room to boardroom. Something a little like this…
S03E01 – Starting Over
Jack leaves his high-pay, low-pride job with the government. Cooter Burger (Matthew Broderick) suggests Jack start off back in the GE mail room and work his way up.
S03E02 – The Company Way
Jack works side-by-side with Devon Banks’ (Will Arnett) latest boytoy, Bud Frump (Sean Hayes). The head of the mail room Twimble (Will Farrell), celebrates his 25th year with GE and retires, naming Jack his successor, but Jack declines, saying Bud’s better qualified. Bud accepts and the GE board promote Jack to junior executive in charge of Microwave Manuals. He gets a new secretary, Rosemary (Megan Mullaly).
S03E03 – The Melody Locked Inside
Devon tries to get Jack fired for good by sending Old Man Sheinhardt’s (Robert Morse) newest mistress Hedy (Christina Hendricks) down to see him. Jack suspects something is off and sends Hedy into his boss’s office where she is quickly groped. Sheinhardt cans the unseen exec and gives Jack his job – Head of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming. He reunites with Jonathan who quickly pushes Rosemary down the stairs.
Okay, some of you completely get where I went there. The casting – Broderick and Mullaly were already involved – is a bit cutesy, but when you’re ripping off a classic it’s best to pay proper respects. Besides, Robert Morse can bring the funny. Mind you, this is me just roughing out what each episode could have covered; a few days or weeks actually thinking about it and it could be really nicely polished. Instead? We got whatever it was we got.
I’m thrilled 30 Rock is back, but I hope the writers have some big plans ahead to justify blowing their chances at milking Jack’s re-ascension. Think of all the career advice he could have given Liz. Think of all the advice she could have ignored because it was coming from the mail room. Oh well.