30 Rock: Senor Macho Solo (recap)

By Tom Rose
Fancast.com

Last night on 30 Rock the scratch-pad style of scriptwriting was out in full force (you know, Jack falls in love with his mother’s nurse, Tina, blinded by baby fever, becomes attracted to a little person and Jenna pulls a Sean Young, busting into Jack’s office auditioning as Janis Joplin) but they managed to be hilarious, poignant and thought provoking too. A post-nup? Hmmm…

And some innovation popped in. The multi-guest star strategy worked beautifully with Salma Hayek polishing her NewYorican accent (and filling out a fiery red cocktail dress VERY amply… are those really hers?) Sherri Shepherd getting down with Tracy in the hallways and on every desk in 30 Rock, Peter Dinklage in a dual role as prepubescent (from the back) teen with great hair and prospective baby daddy to Tina, and even Elaine Stritch’s voice acting from her sick bed at Jack’s place. If they can keep this up, they can use all the sticky notes they want at every beer-fueled idea meeting from now until the finale. It works.

Liz (Tina Fey) is still watching the bio-clock ticking down to quitting time as she strolls 6th avenue while the kids line up for Santa’s lap at Radio City, when she reaches out to tousle the head of a cute little guy waiting at the light. Turns out it’s Peter Dinklage, and he’s not happy to be mistaken for a kid for the millionth time. “Did you just touch my head?” asks Dinklage. “I had to do something to get your attention” retorts a desperate Liz. But when he gets a good look at that face, he holds his tongue. You never know what may transpire over a cup of coffee. Lunch is next… dinner… well you can take it from there. And Liz is ready to try anything.

Meanwhile, Jenna (Jane Krakowski) picks up the rumor that NBC is moving ahead (for the 4th time) on the Janis Joplin biopic, and she’s determined to score the lead. Never mind if she gets her research notes off an unverified Wikipedia stub. Some purple shades, tye-dyed jeans and a sun hat is really all you need. Maybe throw in a raspy voice for effect. Too bad Julia Roberts is in the running as well. But Julia doesn’t know about Jack’s open door policy.

Jack (Alec Baldwin) has trouble at home finding a nurse for mom’s two broken hips, but the right lady is sent by the agency when Salma Hayek shows up. Even though she lives on a Prospect Park budget, she’s not impressed (too much) by Jack’s Central Park view. She’s grounded. Plus, there’s always Santeria in a pinch. Naturally Jack falls hard.

Tracy (Tracy Morgan) is trying his best to plow through his gazillion dollar video game money because he’s afraid that Angie (Sherri Shepherd) is waiting to split from him as soon as half his money will sustain her lifestyle. Wearing a Benjamin Franklin mohair shirt and solid gold Timberlands can only take you so far. It’ll take forever to spend that kind of dough and the 100 lb. boots don’t help his progress. Jack asks about a pre-nup. A pre-nup? “When Angie and I got married, my only assets were a toaster oven and two tickets to a Young MC concert.” Never at a loss for ideas, Jack suggests a post-nup. Brilliant.

When Dinklage catches on to the idea that Liz is infatuated with his baby-likeness he reluctantly moves on to more important matters at his U.N. post (despite Kofi’s advice that he “give it three days”) but relents when she suggests a “Sex And The City, The Movie” meeting on the Brooklyn Bridge. It backfires when too many young’uns along the promenade bear too close a resemblance. It takes a big man to admit defeat. At least he’s halfway there.

Jenna bursts into Jack’s office in full psychedelic-era regalia, complete with some big brothers from the holding company. Jack bites and promises her a shot at the picture. A test run on The Girlie Show can’t hurt. Unfortunately NBC cannot secure the song rights in time, but that doesn’t stop Jack. He pens his own version of a Joplin classic, which fits in nicely with his corporate entertainment/kitchen appliance merger dream. “Take another little chunk of my love now mister. You know you bought it if it makes you sweet food.”

This is all before Jack zips up in the executive wash room and discovers something strange in his pants. The fastest biopsy in history reveals the lump is benign, but Jack decides he’s at a point in his life when slumming might just do the trick. He’s off to Prospect Park in search of a bilingual tryst with a Puerto Rican twist. Hayek stays on for a three episode story arc.

In the end, all the flaps fold together and the package is sent out overnight express. That means it’s time for another story arc meeting. Mondays roll around much too fast. But here’s a team that knows how to move the merchandise out of the warehouse.

Or, as Jack/Jenna/Janis Joplin would say: “You know you bought it, if you buy it with things.”

I’m buying.

Watch more free full length episodes of 30 Rock and tune in to a new episode (the flu hits TGS) next Thursday night on NBC.

We’ll be watching on Fancast.