Continuing off the highs of the amazing Season 2, Season 3 of 30 Rock feels as confident and effortless as the show has ever been, even if it can't reach the heights of the earlier season at times.
Whereas Season 2 was fairly episodic and comedy-driven, 30 Rock's third season has much more of a plot. The first two episodes wrap up the loose ends from the second season finale, shifting the focus of the season to Liz and Jack's romantic pursuits. Most of the season chronicles Liz and Jack's relationship with their new partners, which inevitably result in a breakup near the finale. Personally, I'm not a massive fan of these storylines, but they do a good job of supporting the many strong comedic episodes that Season 3 has to offer. However, the subplots were pretty great, especially Jenna's usually hilarious storyline of her acting in a Janis Joplin biopic, which is stuffed with the silly meta humor I've come to love from the show. Generally, however, I think the plot is the weakest aspect of the season, and it doesn't help that it ended with a weak season finale that easily could have just been a normal episode.
Thankfully, the comedy is just as good as Season 2, if not even better at times. The rate of jokes per minute is impressively high, and once again, most of these jokes actually manage to land. It's a great blend of surreal and meta humor that's unlike most comedies I've seen. It really feels like 30 Rock has hit a flow with its episodic structure, with tons of running gags and plot threads that all blend together in the usually insane and hilarious third act. Some of the best episodes feel like a Rube Goldberg machine, meticulously crafted and endlessly rewatchable. It helps that the season isn't truncated this time, unlike Season 2, allowing for even more strong and funny episodes than before.
Just like Season 2, there are a lot of standout comedic episodes this season:
Believe In The Stars: Also known as "the Oprah episode". It'll be hard to watch this one as it got banned fairly recently, but the main storyline about Liz meeting Oprah on an airplane (or so we think?) is absolutely hysterical and has an amazing payoff.
Senor Macho Solo: This episode introduces the Janis Joplin storyline in a hilarious manner, as Jenna really sinks into her role. Liz and Jack also have some funny romantic storylines which are made even funnier when set to the bastardized Janis Joplin songs as sang horribly by Jenna.
Generalisimo: This episode had a hilarious concept executed pretty much perfectly, as Jack learns an actor in his girlfriend's soap opera looks exactly like him. Also, one of Liz's better boyfriends appears in this episode, charmingly played by Jon Hamm.
Larry King: This episode just had a really funny central concept that was utilized to its fullest. Tracy said the wrong thing at the wrong time on Larry King and accidentally causes nationwide panic, and it's absolutely hysterical to see the rest of the cast deal with this fallout.
The Funcooker: When I think of the best-crafted 30 Rock episodes, this is usually the first one I think of. The Funcooker juggles many plot threads, from the titular microwave, to Tracy cursing on TV, to Liz's work stress, to the jury duty, all blending together in an uproarious final sequence that has Tracy coin a hilarious new innuendo, which just happens to be the name of this episode.
Apollo, Apollo: This episode's kind of adorable. The concept of the 30 Rock crew pretending to send Tracy to space is as hilarious as it is heartwarming, and the fight between Liz and Jenna is predictably fun.
Overall, Season 3 isn't as consistent as Season 2, with an average plot and a weak finale, but it excels where it counts, containing some of the best comedy and episodes in the show up to this point.
4/5 Stars
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