TV Review: ’30 Rock’ Episode: ‘Mamma Mia’

Cameo Appeal:Get David Schwimmer back as Greenzo!

What better way to go with an episode of 30 Rock so close to Mother’s Day than to have it focused pretty much primarily on fathers. I’m not sure if there was anything intentional behind this happening but I wouldn’t put it passed the makers of this hilarious show to pull such a stunt so close to one of the holidays really few care for and probably deserves a good bashing. Now I’m not putting any slight against Mother’s Day, I’ve already got my Mother’s Day present bought and almost wrapped, but let’s not forget this day may have been invented for no more reason than to sell a few extra cards and get some flower sales moving. But enough of the same old tired, cynical approach to the holidays that we could really pay no never mind, there’s an episode to get down to.

Basically in this episode we see the continuance from last week’s previous declaration that Jack’s father may not be his actual father but he refuses to do the usual shtick and try to hunt him down. That is until Liz gets involved and convinces him to do it and we get another unexpected cameo by the great Steve Buscemi as the private eye who actually has a glass eye. No, seriously. Steve Buscemi lost an eye in a car accident and got it replaced with a glass one and I got to tell you there must be great advances in glass eye technology because for the life of me I couldn’t tell which one was the faker. Well anyway, Liz then hatches a Mamma Mia type scheme after it’s narrowed down to three men and they are invited, as contest winners, to the TGS set. They pretty much consist of an Asian man, a man who lost his down there region in the war and now looks like Spaghetti-O’s down there, and Alan Alda. I wonder who the real father will be?

Then we also have someone who is pretending to be Tracy’s illegitimate son and basically robbing the holy heck out of him and Tracy is as clueless as they come. Of course Liz and Pete can’t stand for this and they end up getting the help of Lutz who is apparently proficient in the ways necessary to prove this person might be a fake. Now this story line is a bit weak and expected and you can pretty much figure out the conclusion before we ever arrive to it, but that doesn’t keep them from making some hilarious jokes and one liners before we get there. And that’s really the best part of this show. Even if they are working off a story line that you know, more or less, what the whole deals about, they still give you some of the best comedy that TV can offer. And once again I must say suck it to Two and a Half Men that gets so much more ratings than this show, though I’d say less awards, and still manages to do nothing clever EVER and sticks to every lame plot that has ever been done without a shred of good humor whatsoever.

I’m glad this show us still chugging along and I know I will always have a good laugh watching it. How could it not be with Tracy Morgan on and can say pretty much anything and make it hilarious. Even the subplot with Jenna who gets some notoriety after Liz writes her a great one liner for the show is pretty funny as Liz gets jealous that she’s getting all the praise for something she say she helped wrote but actually texted her gay friends while Liz stayed up until four in the morning eating Raisin Bran. So keep it up 30 Rock and I guess we will be seeing a little bit more of Alan Alda to come in the next couple of weeks. You gotta milk those guest stars for as many episodes as you can and I see some great dad/son bits between him and Jack popping up in the near future.