Quick Take: 30 Rock, "Mrs. Donaghy"
“She is... difficult.” - Dr. Spaceman on dating Squeaky Fromme
Review: 30 Rock, "Mrs. Donaghy"
(S0511) I was somewhat let down by 30 Rock's return episode from its holiday break (especially since its previous episode, "Christmas Attack Zone," is probably one of my top ten favorites the series has produced) for the first nineteen or so minutes. Like the occasional dull episode that the show produces, there were still a great deal of laughs to be had, but I didn't feel like it was doing anything new or creating any significant message. Which is a shame because an accidental marriage between Jack (Alec Baldwin) and Liz (Tina Fey) is ripe for hilarity, regardless of how generic and sitcom-y of a plot it truly is. But, for the most part, this potential was squandered. Then, the final scene that featured a meeting between Jack, Liz, and GE human resource manager Jeffery Weinerslav brought out a tool that 30 Rock only occasionally uses and not always well: heart.
But before we get to that great scene, I was kind of disappointed that we didn't get to see a whole sequence flashing back to Jack and Avery's wedding ceremony, but the end result was that Jack was forced to use Liz as his best man since Bob Ballard got sick. When Jack uses a French minister to perform the marriage, a mix-up in language leads to Liz accidentally saying "I do" and signing her name under "wife" on the marriage certificate. Not exactly a believable scenario, but no worse than George Michael and Maeby being wed during a fake-but-actually-real wedding for Alzheimer's patients.
Liz is all-too-willing to quickly annul the marriage until Pete suggests she use her position as Jack's wife for leverage in helping restore some of the TGS budget, which has become inconsequential during the Kabletown merger proceedings. She accepts, but Jack quickly raises the stakes by enlisting Angie Jordan (Sherri Shepherd) to work as Liz's intern. When Liz refuses (though not before comparing internships to slavery), Jack then chooses to give Angie her own reality show, to be aired during TGS's timeslot. Liz fires back by offering a great deal of her newly-acquired half of Jack's estate to various arts programs around New York, including puppeteers and theatrical jugglers.
The two continue their bickering into the final scene in Wienerslav's office where an oddly-worded HR survey about workplace relationships causes them to realize that despite their current feud, Jack and Liz's relationship with each other has been the most important relationship in their lives. Liz agrees to sign the divorce papers and Jack promises to restore the TGS budget.
The B-story wasn't particularly great, but again, it had its moments. Due to the budget cuts, Jenna (Jane Krakowski) is forced to move into Danny's (Cheyenne Jackson) dressing room. They develop their own bickering marriage dynamic and Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) felt the need to act as a buffer, much like Pete's (Scott Adsit) kids do when he and Paula fight. Without much reasoning, Danny and Jenna "divorce" and Danny moves to The Y (in this case, a Y-shaped area underneath the studio bleachers.
So, yeah, "Mrs. Donaghy" wasn't exactly a triumphant return following the greatness of "Christmas Attack Zone" (which handled the "heart" aspects quite well in its own right), but it ended as strong as an episode of 30 Rock can end... even if the strength of the relationship between Jack and Liz is kind of sad in its own right.
Lingering thoughts about "Mrs. Donaghy":
Mike, one of the many reasons it's a pleasure to read your reviews is because you'll drop in a George Michael and Maeby fake-but-actually-real wedding reference !
Great point too about 30 Rock's iffy history with inserting heart... though I agree they are getting better with it of late. Certainly it helps greatly during episodes where the zany/hilarious factor isn't quite high enough to keep one's strict attention.