'30 Rock' Season 6, Episode 1 Recap - 'Dance Like Nobody's Watching'

It's good to have "30 Rock" back, isn't it? It's a nice reminder that there are still TV comedy writers out there who can cram 10 jokes into one minute of screen time and have them all be good.

 

The break was kind to the show, as it came back with "Dance Like Nobody's Watching," an episode so full of funny I had to stop halfway through and write a love letter to Tina Fey.

 

Firstly, there was "America's Kidz Got Singing," a parody of "The X Factor" and "American Idol" that had Jenna playing the Simon Cowell role, insulting increasingly younger children for the sake of ratings. That cause some turmoil for Jack, who has started getting a little soft due to Liddy. John McEnroe makes a great cameo here.

 

Then there was Kenneth's rapture storyline. Sure, it's out of date at this point, but you can't pass up the opportunity to comment on all that craziness using Kenneth, who would absolutely be first in line to believe someone like Harold Camping.

 

And then there was Tracy's angry confusion over Liz's persistent good mood, which Tracy chalked up to crack whoring. In fact, it was just Liz doing some jazz dance at Madison Square Garden and popping pain killers.

 

But the persistent theme, or at least the one that bookended the episode, was the recurring and ever-so-subtle sexual tension between Liz and Jack, which by law must be revisited at least once per season. This time, it was all about Jack being "the man who knows me better than I know myself," as Liz put it.

 

But when Jack drops Liz off at the movie theater, a shocking revelation: Liz has a boyfriend! That's why she's happy! And even though we haven't seen his face, he looks normal! Who could it be? Will he make it through more than a few episodes? Also, where was Cheyenne Jackson today? Oh well.

 

Notes and quotes:

 

-"Super gay horses are a sign of the coming apocalypse!"

-"Being the nice one is McEnroe's thing."

-"Maybe we could make more money pretending to be nice. I mean, look at Betty White."

-"How do nice people dress?" "Socks on their hands, no belt, roller skates."

-"Are you touching my hand because you're a baby and you're developing fine motor skills?"

-"Time to die!"

-List of movies playing at the movie theater:

"The Help 2: Still Helping"

"Goofy Pluto"

"Snorks or Whatever"

 

Frank's Hats of the Week: Closet Amish