H-I-R-P-E-E-S: Okay, Sepinwall and I are aligned on the yeah, that was cute, but don't ever try that again attitude towards tonight's 30 Rock, but I still enjoyed the hell out of it -- mostly for the guest performances, and especially the two who appeared in ads. Also, hey, that Canadian guy! Continuity! DRATCH!
[added: The 17 Differences Between The East- and West-Coast versions.]
As for The Office, Ed Helms had in the middle of the episode the funniest single line the show may have had in a year. Crude, sure, but it was that good. The rest ... we're on a character arc now, and we kinda know where, and let's see if they know what they're doing.
The real problem with the live show is that 30 Rock at its best works at a ridiculously fast pace. The studio audience's clapping and laughing slows down that pace. That said, there was a lot of funny stuff (the commercials in particular, as well as the doubling they used for Liz).
ReplyDeleteI liked the bit where they made it seem like Fey had forgotten her line when in fact the punchline was that Liz had a mental side effect from her cold cream -- fooled Sepinwall, if nothing else.
ReplyDeleteSepinwall mentioned two of the topical references (Favre dong; Chilean miners), but I think he missed a third: when Jack mentions that his 40th-birthday self is hotter but had a smaller penis, I think he's referring to the Family Feud meme that went around last week.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is obscure. I missed that entirely, and wasn't aware of it until this comment caused me to google.
ReplyDeleteHearing all of the laughing and applause from the live audience was very jarring and really took the show out of its usual rhythm. But that they were able to do as many cutaway gags as they did (and cast flashback Liz so well) helped the episode feel like 30 Rock. The biggest takeaway is just how quickly paced 30 Rock usually is and how it wouldn't be nearly as dense if it were a 3 camera sitcom. But the audience laughter did help to make the episode feel fun, even though the slower pace felt off.
ReplyDeleteDouble wow. That's a hell of a video.
ReplyDeleteA public service:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/v/nTGPf9Ow4iY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="170" height="140
I didn't catch the episode, but I have to know... what Canadian guy?
ReplyDeleteI liked the show because it felt a little like the experience of seeing a live 2nd city performance.
ReplyDeleteDanny, the much-ballyhooed "new actor" they added last season.
ReplyDelete(He's also the new director of Vocal Adrenaline.)