TV Review: ’30 Rock’ Episode: ‘Kidney Now!’

All these stars support Kidney Now! Shouldn't you?

Again we have season finales going off on all NBC comedies Thursday night and that means 30 Rock is seeing its end for the year and they left us with something oddly touching and funny as they know how to do best. I’m glad to see this show getting the respect it deserves because I remember the fear of when the first season wasn’t getting great ratings and that it might not last for more than a season or two. Luckily they paired it up nicely with The Office and it’s become more of a staple of how comedy now needs to be done after kicking ass at the Emmys and the Golden Globes. So we get one more inspired and well detailed episode before we’re tossed into months of heat and a TV wasteland.

So we continue now with jack finding his real father in the form of Alan Alda and with the reveal that he now needs a kidney it is a mad dash to see if Jack is even a match for the man. Luckily when medical questions come into play on this show they tend to always bring on probably the oddest character they have on the show Dr. Leo Spaceman played by the perfectly daffy Chris Parnell. I always love when they have this character on because it usually means he’s going to say something great as when he tries to tell Jack the results but everything is in medical jargon that he can’t understand. There’s even a sweet scene where Jack and his dad end up playing catch with something and they realize it and just decide to go with it.

Then there’s Liz who becomes a relationship advice expert after she is invited on to what I can only describe as a jab at Jerry Springer, Maury, and more especially Tyra Banks on the hybrid Vontella. I like that people are mocking Tyra Banks a little more now because her show is just a huge waste of time and she’s one of the worst hosts for a talk show I’ve ever seen. But I’m still addicted to her show because it is so outlandishly terrible so I guess I can’t get too mad at her. But anyway, Liz of course becomes addicted to her new relationship altering powers and gives terrible advice to women without hearing the whole story.

Tracy actually gets a pretty nice story as he is asked to speak at his high school’s senior graduation. He is ambivalent though because he never finished high school because he couldn’t dissect a frog. Kenneth eventually sway him towards it though and we get a patented crazy speech from Tracy Morgan to the lucky graduates. Also near the end we get a stampede of famous musicians who show up for a benefit concert to get Jack’s dad a kidney. Most are used to good effect such as Clay Aiken who admits to riding on subways and Elvis Costello or should I say Decklind MacManis, international art thief! And they actually do bring in a lot of good talent such as the Beastie Boys, Cyndi Lauper, Sheryle Crow and the guy from Maroon 5 that I find to be a little bit of a jerk sometimes. So of course there’s a great big musical number at the end with the rockers taking jabs at each other and making a nice little tune for us all to enjoy. So thank you 30 Rock for another good season and I’m sure we will see you on the return of Fall.