Review: "30 Rock" Season 4, Episode 7: "Dealbreakers Talk Show No. 0001"

By our guest blogger, Sam Roos

This week’s "30 Rock" was another example of how the show is able to hide traditional sitcom-style storylines in their non-traditional setting. This was a “walk a mile in their shoes” episode for Liz and Jack, as Liz became the insane actress, and Jack had to take Liz’s place talking the actress off the ledge. It’s an effective trick, as it shakes specific characters out of their comfort zone, while still keeping everything totally in line within the world of the show. In the “C” story, Frank also is forced to see through someone else’s eyes, as a promotion causes him to transform into Liz basically overnight.

Of course, no matter how traditional the main storyline gets, it wouldn’t be an episode of "30 Rock" without some wacky antics from Tracy Jordan, and this week was no exception. Building off of last week’s “Tracy-wants-a-daughter” story, the writers were able to horn in a sort of B story for this B story, as Tracy’s quest for a daughter becomes tied to his pursuit of getting an “EGOT”--that is, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. This sets the stage for a fun but reserved cameo from EGOTer Whoopi Goldberg (I was hoping for Mel Brooks myself, but shudder to think of what the 83-year-old comic legend might look like in HD, a topic which led to some of this week’s best jokes on "30 Rock," including a callback to Kenneth’s muppet-based worldview, one of my favorite "30 Rock" bits ever.)

While I was a little sorry to see the “Dealbreakers” Talk Show plot line come to an end, it was a showcase in restraint from the writing staff. It’s easy to imagine how much fun it could be to put Liz Lemon into that new world, but ultimately, it takes Liz too far away from “TGS” and the heart of the show. What’s nice about the way they ended this story was that it evolved very naturally, and taught us something about Liz and Jack--while they may be great at their respective jobs, and it may seem like they’re “above” the people they manage, it doesn’t mean they can do what their talent is able to do. So, when the show re-sets back to normal at the end of the episode, it doesn’t feel as if the plot has simply been thrown away, but instead has been allowed to come to a natural conclusion.

Finally, it can’t go unsaid how impressive Tina Fey’s acting was this week. While the plot may have revolved around Liz Lemon’s inability to perform on camera, the show revolved around Fey’s actual acting chops. Her Jekyll and Hyde bit, where “Performer Liz” and “Regular Liz” fight it out, is not only hysterical but genuinely a little frightening. While Liz Lemon is obviously based on Fey’s real life, this was one time where the real Fey really outshone her fictional counterpart.