"30 Rock" Recap & Review - "Seinfeld Vision (Season Premiere)"

30 Rock
"Seinfeld Vision"

Original Air Date: October 4, 2007

PG Ignacio - TwoCents Staff Writer

Our favorite head writer, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), arrives to 30 Rockefeller Center, kindly greeting everyone she walks past by asking about their summer. She arrives to her “buddy,” Jack (Alex Baldwin). Without greeting he tells her to “Walk with me Lemon,” as if time must not be wasted and he must brief her on very important business to start the day.

Ahh, the second season of 30 Rock has arrived.

After Jack brags about his successful summer of programming that included shows like America’s Next Top Pilot, Are You Stronger Than A Dog, and M.I.L.F Island, he ignores Liz’s attempt to share her summer experience by letting her in on his first plan of the season – Seinfeld Vision. Jack wants to use NBC owned video footage of Seinfeld and digitally place him in current television programming to boost ratings. Clips of Law & Order: SVU, Heroes, and Deal Or No Deal are shown with obvious alteration, adding Seinfeld. Liz being the rational one in the conversation poses a great question, “Does Jerry Seinfeld know you’re doing this?” Answer: Of course not. Jack believes when Jerry gets back from Europe Seinfeld Vision will be a hit.

Liz starts her summer recap by declaring that she had a great summer. She started a summer quilt, practiced yoga twice a week, and wore flip-flops in public. She declares to Jack that she really believes that this will be her year. More importantly she lets Jack know that she and Floyd (Jason Sudeikis) have broken up due to distance and that she is over him. Jack quickly becomes the rational of the two and insists that Liz will not finish that quilt and she is not over Floyd. “This is my year,” she proclaims. She could be setting herself up for the complete opposite.

In other character updates, Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) is moving into his dressing room because his wife kicked him out of their home after he was photographed with a transvestite that the tabloid mistaken to be his wife. Liz assigns Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) the NBC page to take of anything non-sexual that Mrs. Jordan would have done for Tracy. Tracy labels Kenneth his “office wife.” They carry that theme throughout the episode, acting like an old married couple.

Jenna Maloney (Jane Krakowski), Liz’s close friend and co-star of the Girlie Show, has gained about 30 pounds during a summer run of performances consuming 32 pieces of pizza a week as a cast member of the Broadway musical, Mystic Pizza (see Mystic Pizza movie starring Julia Roberts). Jack warns Liz that Jenna must either lose 30 pounds or gain 60 pounds, otherwise anything in between there is no place for her on television.

After Liz enters the writers’ room to inform everyone that she has broken up with Floyd and is over him as well, Cerie (Katrina Bowden), Liz’s assistant asks Liz and Jenna to be bridesmaids in her wedding. Liz and Jenna end up agreeing and Cerie hugs Liz and tells her she now has “something old” for her wedding. While they are trying on dresses Liz grows to like one of the wedding dresses and the salesperson tries to persuade her to purchase it.

Enter Jerry Seinfeld (himself). Jerry returns to NBC to speak to Jack about information he has received that he will be appearing in shows he has never filmed. Jack does his best to dodge Jerry, sending Liz to occupy Jerry by giving him a tour of the offices. Jerry has a very quick heart-to-heart with Liz, explaining to her that she’s not really over Floyd. She agrees and wants to call Floyd. Jerry finally meets up with Jack only to be disappointed with Jack’s pitch of Seinfeld Vision. Jerry agrees to come back in two days to give Jack time to come up with a better presentation of Seinfeld Vision.

Liz calls Floyd, but a woman answers the phone. This makes Liz depressed and pushes her to make a compulsive decision…she went and bought that wedding dress. While trying it on in her office, the writers catch her with it on and give her a hard time. Just then Jack needs Liz to stall Jerry a second time before his Seinfeld Vision presentation. Liz greets Jerry wearing the wedding dress and breaks down crying about her attempt to call Floyd. This is the highlight of the episode – Liz’s “crying” voice sounds very much like a Jerry Seinfeld impression and Jerry doesn’t appreciate it, no matter how honest Liz is about her tone when she cries.

In the end – Jack has no real quality presentation for Jerry and begs to him on his hands and knees to allow him to use Seinfeld Vision. They negotiate back and forth finally agreeing to use Seinfeld Vision for one night only in exchange for things such as money to a charity of Jerry’s choice, Al Roker in a bee costume to promote Bee Movie, and Jerry disclosing his secret vacation spot. As for Liz Lemon, we find her depressed on the set, wearing the wedding dress, pigging out on two separate meals – ham and green beans in one foil container, a burger meal in another. Jack picks her spirits up and reminds her that it is going to be “our year.”

PG’s Two Cents: This was a great season premiere for 30 Rock. It was very funny and entertaining. It kept consistent with the first season’s story line of Liz’s relationship problems, Jack’s wacky ideas, and the rest of the cast’s abnormal behavior. If the writers of this show, headed by Tina Fey, can keep this kind of entertainment going every episode of this season, there’s a great chance you will see them nominated for Best Comedy again. If you missed the first episode go watch it online and tune in at its regularly scheduled time. You won’t regret it. Come back and read me next week!