Brief spoilers for tonight's "30 Rock" coming up just as soon as I take an immortality potion...There are episodes of "30 Rock" where they take old sitcom cliches and find a demented new take on them. "Generalissimo," unfortunately, felt like they came up with the cliches they wanted to mock -- goofy/evil twins, a character spinning a ridiculous web of lies to land a new crush -- and never moved to the next step. I was cringing frequently throughout this one, and I should never be cringing at an episode that brings together "30 Rock" and the awesome, funny, super-manliness that is Jon Hamm. (No, I'm not ashamed to have written that last part. Really, I'm not. It's Jon Hamm.)
There were a few scattered good jokes in the Jack and Liz storylines -- like Elisa trying to explain to Jack that MetroCards are real, or Liz saying, "And then I will put my mouth on his mouth" (in much the same vein as Alice Fey's "I want to go to there," making a return appearance) -- and Tracy's subplot was pretty funny, but too much of this one was groan-worthy.
Hamm's sheer terror at realizing what Liz had done to him -- particularly his delivery of "I don't know what that means!" -- lived up to the promise he showed with his "SNL" hosting stint, so I'm holding out hope that he won't be the latest guest star to derail the show this year. (Heck, Salma Hayek wasn't the problem tonight.) But this? This was not good.
What did everybody else think?
85 comments:
I loved it, and I'm especially thankful that the show is back to using most of the cast and set at TGS. And that the subplots all connected. What parts were you cringing at the whole time? Just Liz's generalissimo-like attempts to seduce Jon Hamm?
Liz's attempts, the existence of the Generalissimo, the running gag with the creepy guy from the basement... pretty much anything outside the Tracy/intern plot.
I thought the very gay Generalissimo, and his elderly-latina seduction techniques were fantastic ("We'll go to McDonalds and only order coffee").
In fact, I laughed out loud more to this episode than most of the 30 Rock 'sodes this season.
Also choice; Jenna's "I've been on both ends" warning about roofies.
Sorry, but I thought this one was hysterical. Especially loved Generalissimo's attempts to woo the old Puerto Rican lady. "After you finish with the scratch tickets, we'll go to McDonald's and just order coffee." And Matt Lauer's bit at the end was really funny too.
I realize this were largely plugs for Telemundo and the Today show, but for once I don't care.
This? This was pretty great.
The central contrivance of Liz' storyline was a painful idea, and begged an overcomplicated elaboration between the scripts for the telenovella and her relationship, some sort of Kaufmanesque thing... but those two have charm in spades to pull such a shortcoming off.
Way too much funny for you to be this down on this, from the Wall Street Bros to the pictures of cute grandchildren on the Today show - "Let's go to Burger King and order nothing but coffee!" The big thing it was missing was a killer tie-things-together ending, but some of that I'll chalk up to To Be Continuedness. And when it was over I mostly wanted to watch it over again.
Seriously, this was one of the good ones.
Oops, Burger King=McDonalds. What they said.
I think they saved the Generalissimo thing with the references to the Patty Duke theme song. And does anyone else think Jack's Generalissimo looked exactly like Jackie Gleason as Reginald van Gleason III?
"I will put my mouth on his mouth!" cracked me up. (Alice Fey?)
And Tracy Jordan buying Lehman Brothers. I laughed a lot tonight.
I was laughing pretty much the whole time. I especially loved everything about the telenovela. Spanish soap operas are the best and Generalissimo had the best mustache.
This was perhaps the funniest episode in what has been a great year. There were more laugh-out loud funny lines than in any other episode and Alec Baldwin should get an Oscar for his work on this show. You heard me, an Oscar. He has won enough Emmys.
I thought this was one of the funniest episodes in a while! I was laughing hard throughout the whole thing. The pediatrician's terror after getting roofied had me rolling.
Admission: I have never watched a whole episode of 30 Rock, though I have meant to. Really.
I watched because of Jon Hamm. And it was really fun. I'll be back next week.
I also want to go to there.
What they should have done was kept the subplots, which were very funny, and done away with the main Liz/Drew storyline, which was neither funny nor interesting.
Ah, I am so happy you are comfortable with your Jon Hamm man crush. That's really the one to have, too.
The episode had it's moments. The investment banking interns were funny, if a cliched joke.
Who's Jon Hamm?
Are you short of sleep or something, Alan? I thought this was pretty funny, and I disagreed with your take on Lost, too. (I honestly think you never give Jack/Kate-centric episodes a chance.)
Anyway, Jon Hamm? I want to go to there.
I too loved this one, especially the Vegetarian Times bit and the Today Show photos of the Hispanic kids.
Not even close to a bad episode.
Though I don't do it often, I have to agree with the commenters over Alan! This one was a winner.
Best line: "You should never end a sentence with a preposition at."
I agree with Alan that Jon Hamm wasn't given that much to work with in this episode until the "I don't know what this means"... then I truly laughed. I hope he gets to play more goofy and less "hot neighbour guy" in the upcoming episodes.
Who was the head intern... he seems familiar.
"Who was the head intern... he seems familiar."
That was Patrick Heusinger. He played Lord Marcus Beaton on Gossip Girl (Blair's lord at the beginning of this season). Yes, I love Gossip Girl.
I loved this episode too.
I watch Gossip Girl too, so that is why he was familiar!
I completely agree with Alan on this one. I usually find even the "bad" 30 Rocks to be funny but I didn't find the whole Generalissimo/Jack subplot to be even slightly amusing. And Liz with Jon Hamm was just a premise without the jokes. It seemed like they were trying too hard to parallel it to the Generalissimo and it just didn't work. At least the Tracy storyline was funny, but even there I felt the conclusion was a bit flat. I didn't even mind the Steve Martin episode that a lot of people had problems with, but this is a low in what has been a strong season.
Woah. Alan I almost always agree with your reviews, but I really disagree with ya on this one. I thought this was one of the funniest episodes of the season.
I thought the insanity built and built, and hit a sweet spot in the last five minutes. Really absurd, really funny episode. And nice to see Liz finding some love for once (however short-lived we know it will be.)
Alan, it seems you don't like the more over-the-top episodes (like the one with Steve Martin.)
They do have to give Jon Hamm more to do than be hunky guy. Hopefully they'll give him a real character like they did Jason Sudeikis.
Alan, I rarely disagree with you (aside, perhaps, from your brief neglect of Lost during season three), but I think you might have missed the mark on this episode, which was the funniest thing 30 Rock has done all season. Although the last ep to feature Salma Hayek represented one of the weaker moments for the series, this one was off-the-charts hysterical. So many good lines that I didn't care how contrived and middling the Liz plot was.
Please, rewatch it, maybe with some more people around this time to bring out the laughs.
(Sure, this episode didn't reach the complexity and nuance of, say, the Super Bowl Office, but, honestly, I laughed out loud more tonight.)
Also, agreed about last night's Lost, but I think you might be a little harsh on Evangeline Lily--whose work I find to be as strong as most of the cast--and I also think you might be seeing time-travel inconsistencies where they don't exist (at least not according to Lost's admittedly vague rules).
Keep up the great work!
This was a silly episode, but unlike a lot of 30 Rocks from this season, at least it was funny and had a lot of quotable lines.
I think that the fact that I watched what I thought was a brilliant episode of The Office right before this didn't do it any favors.
I too loved this one, especially the Vegetarian Times bit and the Today Show photos of the Hispanic kids.
I loved Matt Lauer's reaction to that (something like, "Really, Jack?").
My reaction to the show falls between Alan's and most of the posters here--didn't think it was that bad, but not that good, either (except Jon Hamm's "I don't know what that means!"). I enjoyed tonight's "Office" much more.
This one felt a bit off, but I would definitely not go so far as to declare it "not good." The meat of 30 Rock is always in the jokes, not the plots; essentially it doesn't matter what's going on on the surface because the writers can work hilarious jokes into just about any storyline, no matter how stale or even cringeworthy.
That said, I was slightly disappointed that Jon Hamm is being used as yet another dreamy object of Liz Lemon's dorkgasm fantasies rather than a funny character role. Liz Lemon's romantic misadventures have always been the worst thing about 30 Rock. Leave that stuff to The Office and get on with the funny. Especially when you've got The Hammster on board.
Best joke of the night: "I'm getting too old for this ship!" from Tracy's not-hit movie Cruise Boat.
I laughed out loud more at this one than at any since last season. Cackling, at times.
Alan,
I love ya man, but i gotta agree with the commenters here and say i loves this episode. Baldwin was fantastic and i like the Tracy subplot because i know alotta dudes like those Wall St. Bankers (but haven't lost their job).
Tina Fey was awesome...even love her when she's creepy
"Who's Jon Hamm?"
Inventor of the John Ham toilet paper products.
This was one of the best episodes of the season. Jack's tweaking of the Generalissimo show and Matt Lauer introducing the montage of Latin kids was particularly inspired.
Alan,
I am concerned that you have been victimized by some sort of nefarious plot. It is my belief that criminal agents, or possibly space aliens, have interfered with your television last night and deceived you by playing an artificial and falsified version of 30 Rock. Their goal was no doubt to sow confusion amongst readers of your blog. Their ultimate goals and strategy are, so far, unknown to me.
Usually, your reviews of TV episodes are 100% correct. Due to your dislike of this episode of 30 Rock, I can therefore conclude only one possibility! You clearly did not see the episode the rest of us did!
Whoever is behind this trick is the dirtiest of fiends indeed. An elaborate hoax has been played against you, Mr. Sepinwall.
I would recommend that you go to Hulu or NBC.com and view the actual episode, and you will surely then write a more appropriate review and thus maintain your 100% Correct record.
I liked it because Jon Hamm was in it. I also thought the gay Generalissimo was funny. I wish they had done more with Tracy and the interns.
I still cringe at all the Puerto Rican references, because they seem written by someone who doesn't really know what they are doing. There are better ways to poke fun of us without resorting to Mexican cliches about silver mines. Unless that is the whole point, to apply stereotypes from one nationality to another. But I suspect that's not the case.
Alan, it seems you don't like the more over-the-top episodes (like the one with Steve Martin.)
No, some of my favorite episodes are pretty over-the-top, including the season one episode with Liz Lemmler ("I'm the decider!"), where Liz went to similarly insane lengths to land a guy.
I just thought this one badly missed the mark. Obviously, I'm in the minority on that around here, but I wasn't tired, wasn't distracted, wasn't in a bad mood -- I just didn't like it.
Strokes for folks, and all that.
"He looks like a cartoon pilot"
Nerdiest joke of the year?
I'm with Alan on this episode. I found it the weakest episode I've ever seen of 30 Rock and am truly surprised by the reactions of most of the commenters. If an unknown has played Jon Hamm's part, that plot line would have been completely unwatchable. More generally, I wonder if I might have laughed more if my judgment hadn't been biased by the brilliance of The Office in the half-hour immediately before.
I got to go along with most of the comments, I thought it was pretty hilarious, and am surprised that Alan disagrees, probably the first time since I started reading the blog during the Sopranos years that I can remember such a difference of opinion with him.
Alan, I agree with many of the posters that this was a very funny episode, but I also wanted to add: How great is it that the funniest line in the episode was delivered in untranslated Spanish?
"Ahora con mas semon del toro!"
Awesome callback.
I agree with my fellow commenters. I loved it!
Now, I was nicely warmed up from The Office. And Jon Hamm's appearance reminds me of why I was among the few who loved Freddy Rodriguez on Ugly Betty. After five seasons of mixed feelings of attraction and hate for his character on Six Feet Under, I loved just being able to crush on him because he was a nice guy. Same with Hamm. Don Draper ain't my type, much as I love that show. But THIS guy, oh yeah. Let's face it. I identify with Lemon on several levels.
And The Muppets Take Manhattan is my favorite movie. (Seriously).
But I do agree with Alan that "I don't know what that means!" was the high point. I was giggling like crazy at his delivery. Man, that guy's talented.
I usually don't find myself laughing out loud at 30 Rock, but I had to pause the DVR after the Generalissimo scene with a stick of dynamite strapped to the little boy's head. I thought that gag was hilarious, and enjoyed this episode overall a great deal.
"I don't know what that means" got the biggest laugh from me. What can't he do?
Can someone explain "He's gone broken arrow?" None of the uses I can find make sense in this context.
I laughed at OTHER parts of it -- I did like the business about "Now we will look at pictures of your grandchildren" and so forth -- but I thought the use of Jon Hamm was very, VERY disappointing.
That's a super-funny, super-sexy man, and the character seemed extremely dull to me. Like, he's hot, but for Liz to be quite so wackadoodle over someone with no personality just didn't fit.
The evil-twin business I thought was pretty dumb, but I liked where they went with it.
The story with Drew felt really ragged. If that weren't Jon Hamm, just how lame and underdeveloped would that character seem, and how pointless would Liz's interest in him appear?
I liked it better than Alan, but not nearly as much as most of y'all.
I guess I'm in the minority along with Alan and a couple other posters - not a good 30 Rock. (I literally groaned when I saw the doppelgänger) But at least not a good 30 Rock is still better then most shows out there.
The show's really missing something this year - why so many guest stars when the players they have are so good?
I will also agree with the earlier poster -it's difficult to follow that Office episode.
I'm sure it was a weak episode, but frankly, they had me at Jon Hamm and frosting. {swoon}
I liked it as much as most episodes, but really I was so mesmerized by every second of Jon Hamm I would have accepted just about anything.
I thought Tracy's story was funny and could have been developed even more.
Selma Hayak had her best moment to by storming into Liz's office and yelling out Lemon exactly as Jack would.
I just thought broken arrow was a reference to the John Travolta movie where is a military guy that becomes a traitor and tried to steal a missile or something.
The line about bull semen was a great one, and there were moments of funny, but just not an overall funny for me.
Were you in a bad mood when you watched Alan, because I thought this one was hysterical. Tracy's subplot especially, but also the other developments. It's the first time in a while that I couldn't really find anything to nitpick about "30 Rock."
Also, where was Hamm hiding before "Mad Men" - because I can't recall seeing him anywhere in the past. And I'm usually good at remember faces.
Alan,
I thought you were spot on. The lines you pointed out were the only high points for me. This episode (and the last few episodes for the most part) just seem off. If I didn't know better I would say the writing staff was replaced by people who watched the previous two seasons but are just not quite as good writers as the people who wrote those.
I think "broken arrow" is specifically a term for a nuclear missile that is no longer in control by the military, but in context I just think they meant it as "going rogue".
OMG, I thought this episode was damn funny. I'm surprised you didn't like it Alan.
The Generalissimo adoringly looking at pictures of cute grandchildren was a LOL moment for me. So was "Let me get my coat!" Hamm's delivery there was perfect.
Just chiming in to add myself to the gang who loved this episode. Funny thing is that as I was watching it, I was thinking that when I read your review I'd find you loved it as well.
Strokes for folks, indeed.....
Here's a little thing I noticed that might have been a way too subtle reference. (Either that or I should get back on my meds....):
I think Jenna was already scoping out Drew for herself after learning about him at Liz's place. That's probably why she had the tootsie pop in a later scene - she probably got it after a visit to his pediatrician's office.....
"Stranger things have happened" pulled it all together for me at the end, nicely giving the Ped some godly reason to not run away from Lemon.
I'm with Alan on this one; I really thought the episode was a little off. Like others, I did enjoy the scene where he was seducing the old woman; I loved the "I don't know what that means!" line and really loved how Salma Hayek's character yelled "Lemon!" when she came into Liz's office (but that may just be because I have a total girl crush on Salma Hayek).
Part of the problem is whenever they have one actor playing two parts and put "them" in the same room together I find myself totally distracted by trying to count all the differences between the actor and the stand-in. E.g. - the haircut on the stand-in for Jack was way neater around the edge of the neck than Jack's was. Yeah, I have too much time on my hands - I know. I don't mind when they use one actor for two parts but sweet baby moses don't put them in a scene together.
Sorry, Alan, but I thought this was a really funny episode -- maybe more accessible to a lot of people who aren't fans. It could be that's why it seemed a bit contrived to you. I keep telling friends it's a great show, but most newbies don't get it. I think people who watched this one would get it immediately. (And yes, I am your former editor...)
@bsangs
Download Bill Simmon's podcast from this week. They are sports buddies, but he (Hamm) explains his history in Hollywood. (many years of waiting tables then he was on Providence).
Alan, I completely disagree. I found this to be one of the best episodes this season! I may be slightly biased because of my love for Jon Hamm :)
The reaction to this episode reminds me a lot of the online reactions to Simpsons episodes from the late 90's. (See e.g. Mountain of Madness, which ranged from an A+ to a D-.) I'm in the middle. It wasn't great, it wasn't terrible. It didn't quite all click together at the end like some other episodes, but there was enough funny in it that it worked.
I did like the reappearance of "I want to go there" and Sabor de Soledad.
I agree the ep was hot and cold.
Hot - Jon Hamm (in more than one way) and Tracy and the investment banker/interns
Cold - Jack's storyline
Living in NY, I appreciate the investment banker jokes - work hard, have no real skills
If I were a hollywood writer, I would be working my tale off to write a romantic comedy for Jon Hamm - he is delicious!! (and of course super talented - can do drama and comedy)
Just a small thing but I loved how Salma Hayek's character (Elisa?) was calling Liz -- "Lemon" -- just like Jack does.
"I want to go there" originated from Tina Fey's toddler Alice? Does this mean she has to join the WGA to get a writing credit?
Alan, I love you man, you're my television quarterback, but I think you should watch this one again and give it another chance.
Sorry Alan, I'm with the peanut gallery. This was pretty funny. It didn't all come together as well as we might expect from 30 Rock, but had a lot of funny moments. By far the best Selma Hayek episode/ best use of her and Jack. I had read about the Generalissimo plot before and i still laughed pretty loud when the grandmother scowls at Jack after watching her telenovella. and Matt Lauer at the end? "and now, pictures of adorable Latino children and the music of Tito Puente" C'mon!
I actually thought the whole Tracy subplot was pretty pointless. the one thing i didn't like.
Does anyone know the name of the somewhat Spanish song that played? Sounded like "One Tanta Mara." Thank you!
The song that El Generalissimo played on the guitar is called. "Guantanamera." Here's a link to Celia Cruz singing it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js0rKmv-0Iw&feature=related
@Amy -
Where can we find this Bill Simmons podcast? I for one would love to listen. Many thanks.
I laughed out loud more times during this episode than I have any episode this season.
I can see how some of it might have rung as contrived, though.
You can download the Simmons podcast from ESPN Podcenter at:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=2864045
It's the 2/4 edition.
Jon Hamm was also on Dave Dameshek's podcast a while back too. Here's the link to that one:
http://podloc.andomedia.com/dloadTrack.mp3?prm=5802xhttp://query-origin.andohs.net/8000A6/content-root3.andomedia.com/origin/mp3/stations/989/dameshek/dameshek081218.mp3
Yulie Harris in the Belle of Amherst! Plus the Telemundo studios are exact replicas of the TGS studios excdept painted in bright tropical colors.
In an interesting bit of coincidental timing, yesterday's episode of Gilmore Girls on ABC Family featured Jon Hamm as a handsome crushed on guy (who turned out to be a lame rich dude who only talked about himself, his cars, and wine).
I recognized the melody of Guantanamera and it has made me realize how woefully and obviously wrong either my high school Spanish teacher's explanation of the song or my recollection of her explanation was. For some reason I had it in my mind that Guantanamera was a person from Puerto Rico. So I was like "hey that makes sense" because Salma's character and her grandmother are Puerto Rican. But...duh. Anyone who speaks any Spanish should be able to see clearly that Guanatamera would be a woman from Guantanamo, and seeing as how that's probably the most (in)famous place in the Caribbean for at least the past 5 years, I probably should have made the connection with Cuba.
TV: I LEARN THINGS FROM IT.
And now I'll have that song in my head for the whole weekend.
Another vote for hilarious from me. The telenovela subplot with Jack was hysterical.
This is in response to someone waaay upthread, but the first time I remember seeing Jon Hamm was in the gadawful Lifetime lady-cop series The Division. He and everyone else had angsty-ridden Lifetimey lives.
I found myself laughing out loud at this ep even as I knew in my head that a lot of it was cheesy. 30 Rock is at its best when it is clever and takes novel twists on old cliches, but for me this was a case of "funny forgives a lot."
Yulie Harris in the Belle of Amherst! Of course, Julie Harris!
Damn....I got it in my head he switched around Harris Yulin and that mind-pic really screwed me up!
oh my goodness - between the slicked back hair and the smoking, you don't notice it on Mad Men, but that is one good looking man!
okay, now to read your post/blog/article/review - that's it
I'm one of those who thinks 30 Rock has been off this season, but last night's was my favorite ep so far. Not just because of my love of Jon Hamm, cartoon pilot. :-) I really thought, for the first time in a long time, that Tracy's subplot was hilarious.
I want to go to there. Thank you, Alice Fey.
Alan, I agree with many of the posters that this was a very funny episode, but I also wanted to add: How great is it that the funniest line in the episode was delivered in untranslated Spanish?
"Ahora con mas semon del toro!"
I loved that so much that I had to get up and go tell someone. It was the untranslatedness of it that got me. (is that the correct word in Spanish for semen? We didn't cover that in High School)
I think I also liked it a lot because, other than Jon Hamm, there was a lot of Simple Spanish and it was fun to see if i could translate (most of the time)
plus, I looked up the lyrics - finally! - to Guantanamera. which i've been wondering about for years - but apparently not since I found out that you can find lyrics on the web. Wikipedia even has the translation.
I guess i always wanted to know because there we some sentences that I *could* understand, and I wanted to know what the rest were.
I mean when you hear - before I die, I want to... you want to know what he wants to *do.*
@Eldo - Many thanks!
She pretty much had me at "He looks like a cartoon pilot."
It's funny, because it's true.
I understand why Alan was cringing, but I have to say I found myself laughing out loud an AWFUL lot.
And yes--the untranslatedness of "Ahora con mas semen del toro" was priceless.
My way of judging how much I love an episode is how many times I can re-watch it and still laugh. I've seen this 6 or 7 times in a 24-hour time period, so yeah, LOVED IT! Loved the evil Liz laugh, the Sabor de Soledad callback, the fact that Elisa called Liz "Lemon," Tracy using his porn video game money to buy Lehman Brothers, the double-dose of Baldwin, and of course... Jon Hamm. Mmmmm. Oh and Tina Fey/Liz Lemon totally rocked that dress!
Dam you Alan,
Can't you see we want you to tell us how great every 30Rock episode is? If you don't like an episode, and there have been many subpar ones this season, just "cut" and "paste" and old review from last season. We don't care, we just want to be reminded how funny this show used to be, and not fact that the quality has gone down at an equal rate that the guest stars have gone up.
I'm late to the party, but really liked this one. Many good lines. Loved it when Salma Hayek says to "Lemon" that "she edited the script and took out all the Star Wars references."
Didn't love the Tracy subplot. Thought it was worth 1 joke.
But I'll continue to wish for more involvement from the rest of the cast. Where's Josh? More Lutz. And MORE Jenna! She's the most under-used lead character -- I love her hyper ego!
Loved this episode. Laughed out loud and thought it meshed together quite well. Guess not every episode will hit everyone the same way, but I thought this one was really as good as 30 Rock gets. I'm still laughing about it.
I thought this was the best episode of the season by far. It had me smiling and laughing throughout.
and not fact that the quality has gone down at an equal rate that the guest stars have gone up.
this isn't good. it's winning awards, people are starting to watch it (shouldn't those two things happen in the opposite order?) and it's nt as good as it was?
people are starting to tune in to see a shadow of what it used to be??
oh well, at least it's not studio 60 (and it makes those promos of Alec Baldwin looking forward to meeting Aaron Sorki even funnier! wonder if those are on youtube...)
I thought this episode was really great. I'm shocked by your review Alan... normally agree with you almost 100%.
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