30 ROCK: Natural Order

Oh how the worm turns, as we start the ball rolling toward the season finale with Jack realizing Jimmy Donaghy, that wily old con artist, isn’t his real father. Obviously this will upset the natural order of quite a few things: Jack Donaghy is who he is because of both mommy and daddy issues, and he’s got 35 years of hurt and resentment wrapped up in Jimmy’s abandonment of the family. He’s also been sitting on a pretty good kiss-off speech, which he delivers to his mother’s unsuspecting married boyfriend instead, with only the slightest of edits: “I am not afraid of you, you’re just a big bully, like Simon Cowell! That’s right—I just called you a Communist.”

The possibilities of this little thread are lined with comic gold, and not only did we get the return of Steve Buscemi’s weirdo PI—who rides his bike to a meeting with Jack and admits he’s wearing a child’s Halloween costume beneath his clothes—every line coming out of Elaine Stritch’s mouth was divine (“I’ll call the restaurant, see if they can seat a third wheel.”). They didn’t skimp on the heart this time, either, bringing a tear to even my jaded eye when Colleen consoles Jack and tells him, “You’re my good boy, and I just love you to death.”

The Liz/Tracy power play also had some nice twists (“Twist!”), starting with the detailed steps everyone’s taken to hide the actual time from Tracy, which have overlapped a bit: “I took my son to his cello recital this morning at what turned out to be midnight yesterday!” All of this naturally leading him to shout “Irregardless!” before handing his race card to Liz which, to Pete’s dismay, she accepts.

The “I Love Lucy”-esque water bottle gag went a little far for me, but I loved the writers’ room turning into an immediate farting free-for-all (with Frank leading the charge), and the way Tracy guilts Liz into attending Lutz’s fictional bachelor party just as she guilts him into staying behind to work. That was capped off beautifully when we see her crying as she’s being fondled by a stripper, while Tracy cries as he works through the night with only the cleaning guy for company. It’s a mad, mad world indeed.

Meanwhile, I am extending serious good sport props to Jane Krakowski for cozying up to that gibbon, because those things are creepy as hell. Jenna’s delight at finally finding a Little Jenna (“Somebody loves me!”) and the scary/awesome sight of them both inexplicably dressed as sailors also led to the line of the night from Tracy: “We’re dressing monkeys up as people and monkeys are playing with people as toys!” (I think I also heard her scream “Your foot fingers are so strong!” when it attacks her.)

So we seem to be gearing up to a good season ender, huh? Let me know what you think, and if you’ve forgiven me yet for hating last week.

A FEW FAVORITE THINGS

• Tracy to Liz: “You treat me like one of those little pageant girls with the clip-on teeth.”

• Jonathan reading a phone message from Colleen: “Evidently the concierge at the Plaza has a beard, and she’d rather not get raped.”

• Paul, landscaper painter and soda maker, asking Colleen if he can borrow one of her ties.

• Interesting topical tidbit: Elaine Stritch was once considered for the role of Dorothy on “The Golden Girls.”

• Grizz, Dotcom, and Kenneth tagging the gibbon with a note that reads “Take me to Indonesia.”

• Professional Tracy coming to work in his Dr. Huxtable sweater and Homer Simpson glasses.

• Jack calling Florida “America’s Australia” thanks to its criminal population.

• Jack: “I am finally going to stand up for Colleen. The small part of her that is still human deserves it.”

• Jack explaining Jimmy’s convoluted exit: “Thirty-five years ago my father, Jimmy Donaghy, went out for a pack of cigarettes, came back, smoked one, told my mother he was leaving forever, and walked out the door.”

• Kenneth leading an NBC tour group: “Now you’re standing on the same spot where Gracie Allen took Jack Paar’s virginity.”

• Liz’s halfhearted bachelor party cheer: “Let’s go see some naked daughters and moms!”

• Colleen charging a book called “Intercourse After Hip Surgery” to Jack’s credit card.

• Colleen to Jack: “A guy like Paul, who can drive at night? You just don’t say no to that!”

Kari is a 30 ROCK fanatic and will be taking it out on you, her new imaginary friends.