30 Rock Recap: Jack the Writer

Title: Jack the Writer
Original air date: 11/1/06

I took more notes than usual when I watched 30 Rock this week, which was surprising because it seemed like pretty much nothing happened when it was over. After three straight weeks of improvement, I’d have to say Tina Fey’s behind the scenes look at a prime-time variety show took a slight step back this week. The laughs were there; the storyline wasn’t. (And neither was Jane Krakowski for the second straight week.) That’s too bad, given the recent announcement that NBC has tabbed the show to join the network’s latest stab at Must-See-TV Thursdays.

Well this is a recap, not a critique, so here goes.

We open in the writing room, and Liz (Fey) is trying to get her writers’ attention. But sexy Cerie (Katie Bowden) is too much eye candy for these dudes.

Kenneth the page (Jack McBrayer) got Tracey’s (Tracey Morgan) car washed, because he apparently thinks it’s his job. Tracey assures him their relationship won’t be a one-way street (yeah, right) and even offers this bit of sage advice: Live every week like it’s Shark Week. I don’t know what that means, but I totally agree.

Back in the writers’ room, when Liz calls for a one-minute dance party, boss Jack (Alec Baldwin) walks in and busts up the fun. He tells the crew about the Sixth Sigma, GE’s corporate training course that calls on managers to know every facet of the business intimately. Translation: he’ll be sitting in on the writers’ meetings. This flies like a one-winged bird, but the writers try to be creative anyway. After bandying about potential cereal names for a commercial parody – Honey Bunches of Sadness, Oat Bung, Swastickos, Froot Lupus and Dingleberries – they settle on Fart Nuggets because Jack finds it funny. Soon he’s suggesting “doing” Dilbert, which he came across while doing “comedy research,” and shooting down comic jabs at his friend Jeb Bush in favor of Barbra Steisand.

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Lost Recap: The Cost of Living

So get this, next week is the last new episode of Lost before is goes on break until January!  Didn’t this show just start?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to watching Taye Diggs every Wednesday night, but I just started caring about this show again and now it’s going away.  Geesh!!

If you’ve been reading the GMMR Lost recaps, then you know that Michelle is a fantastic recapper.  She’s going to have a little time off while Lost is on hiatus.  I think if you leave her some nice comments we might be able to convince her to stick around and maybe take on the recapping duties for another show.  Whadya say?  Can we show her the love?

As for tonight’s Lost, well I only watched it once, and once is never enough to watch this show.  There were certainly some heavy themes and a MAJOR surprise death.  Can you believe they killed off Sawyer?  I mean, I never saw that coming. Kidding…just kidding.  I thought it was a good episode, but it didn’t do much to push the storyline along.

What did you all think of tonight’s ep?

Title: The Cost of Living
Original Airdate: 11/1/06
Lots of religious imagery – I really do love that about this show – and I’m sure there are even more allusions and images I missed.  I love that this show delves so heavily into the mystery and symbolism of Christianity.  You won’t find that on “According to Jim.”

FLASHBACK: A young Eko – perhaps 12 or 13 – is with his younger brother (young Eko looks startlingly like present-day Eko, which is unusual on TV.  Lots of times, the young actors look nothing like their older alter-egos).  They break into a shed and Eko takes food to give to his brother.  A woman sees him and drags the boys into a church, where she demands Eko confess his sin.

PRESENT: Sayid, Hurley and Charlie are watching over an unconscious Eko, who has been unresponsive for about two days.  Sayid asks for clarification regarding exactly what happened to him.  Charlie has apparently filled the until-now vacant position of island smart-ass, and he answers:

“Before or after we saved him from the polar bear cave?”

Eko hallucinates; he sees the series events surrounding the drug plan taking off from his homeland, his brother being shot, and he himself being tossed from the plane before he takes off.  He also sees his brother, right there in the tent with him, and his brother urges him to confess.  Next thing we know, the tent is in flames, and Charlie, Hurley and Sayid pull Eko to safety under a tree.  Before long, however, he apparently takes off and is gone into the jungle.

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Veronica Mars Recap: President Evil

Title: President Evil
Original Airdate: 10/31/2006
Here I was begging all of you to watch Veronica Mars last night, and of course it was, perhaps, the weakest episode of the season. Granted, a weak Veronica Mars is still better than half the nonsense on TV today, but still, I was a little bummed.

To be honest, I felt like there was just a little too much going on last night. Sometimes I just want to bust into the VM writers room wearing a shirt saying “less is more”. Why can’t they just stick with an “A” story and “B” story and be done with it? It would have made for a much better episode.

And while I’m bitching…can someone please explain to me why they bothered to add Piz, Parker, Mac and Lamb as series regulars if we aren’t going to see them week in and week out? There was so much pre-season hype about Piz, yet we’ve hardly seen him. Wallace finally has a storyline this week, albeit a weak one, but at least he made an appearance. Last week Wallace was in one scene – a scene that could have clearly been handled by an extra. Now believe me, I’m not complaining about the on screen time of Veronica, Keith and definitely not Logan, but how are we supposed to get to know these new characters if we hardly get to see them. That is all. I’m done ranting. Oh wait, no I’m not…there was NO Dick Casablancas this week. HMPH!!

I obviously needs some coffee (or Xanax) this morning to shake this cranky mood. But until then, you are going to have to deal with me.

Veronica’s trademark witty banter, that which makes Veronica Mars so fun, was almost non-existant last night. So I’ve decided that if Veronica can’t muster some good tongue-in-cheek, than neither can I. Hence, a dry recap of last night’s episode – “President Evi”

Illegal gambling is bad….
Criminal Science seems to be the only class that Veronica is taking this semester. And in today’s class, it’s Veronica’s turn to give an oral presentation. Unfortunately, Logan has nothing to do with this exercise, but oddly enough, Weevil does. Veronica is kind enough to use Weevil’s life of crime as a case study to share with her class. They go through the ins and outs of how to be a gansta, and the snobby college kids seem to get a real kick out of Weevil’s hard knocked life. Way to exploit him Veronica.

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House Recap: Fools for Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GMMR’s resident HOUSEkeeper, LaLa was forced into a brief retirement when Dr. House took a mini vacay in favor of America’s pastime. But he’s back, and so is LaLa with a recap of last night’s episode.

Title: Fools for Love
Original Airdate: 10/31/06

After an annoying month-long hiatus (I’d take Hugh Laurie over baseball any day, but maybe that’s just me…), House is finally back! And with a vengeance, too – literally, as it turns out. But more on that later. First, judging by the title and main medical mystery of this episode, the writers are obviously fans of Sam Shepard’s plays. Anyone who has seen or read his play, “Fool for Love”, knows exactly what I mean. But in case you aren’t familiar with the works of Mr. Shepard, and/or you haven’t seen this episode (which would be a good reason to read this recap), I won’t spoil it for you – yet.

So we begin the episode with a restaurant robbery, in which a young, multi-racial married couple (he is white, she is black), are held at gunpoint by the robbers, who threaten to rape the wife. A violent scuffle ensues, in which the passionate and protective husband manages to get the robbers’ guns and beat the *bleep* out of them (that’s some guts, kid!). The butt-kicking is stopped short, however, when the wife inexplicably starts choking and hyperventilating, causing the husband to rush to her side. Looks like a job for House! Or rather, Cameron, Chase, and Foreman, as House is initially more interested in why Wilson is chatting with the new hot nurse in the hospital. Wilson insists that he’s not dating said nurse, but House spends the rest of the episode snooping around and harassing Wilson about it anyway. Oh that House – he just loooves to harass people.

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