30 Rock: "When it Rains, it Pours" Review

It's very refreshing to know 30 Rock can still produce an episode of this quality. Last season was mostly duds (save for episodes like "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001" and the finale) so there is reason for hope to be severely diminished. I'm not saying this episode should make us believe that from here on out, 30 Rock is back to its glory days. For all I know, this could be the last good episode of the show ever (but is probably not). But this episode is reassuring in the fact that it tells us all hope is not lost yet, everyone still has the talent to pull it off. Let's just see how we feel about it next week. But, in the meantime:

-Tracy Jordan + Cash Cab = Instant Hilarity. "Wow, it's like I always say...white cab drivers are weird!" It definitely the highest number of hilarious lines in a short time span since recounting his childhood horrors last season.

-Dr. Spacemen continues to be the best recurring character of all time. "Ms. Jordan, I've already administered the epidural, so would you like one as well?" "Full disclosure, most of my experience is putting babies in women."

-Jack's video messages to his future son were amazing, as should be expected. My favorites are a tie between "And that is the art of camouflage." or "The secret to a healthy scalp is Dove...blood."

-I like that little attention was drawn to the fact that Paul Giamatti was guest starring as, in the past, 30 Rock has been know to practically shine spotlights on some of their big guest stars.

-All three storylines were fantastic this week, something that can't be said even for the majority of the "glory days" of the show.

-Kenneth in the Tracy mask was about as creepy as you would expect it to be (but not as creepy as Kenneth in the NBC thong last season).

-Tracy: "I don't understand why people like brunch. What's the benefit of combing breakdancing and lunch?

-Brian Williams' cameos are always awesome.

Overall, a hopefully a return to some sort of form for the show, although I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high yet. I'm also very excited for the live episode because I think 30 Rock is one of the only shows currently on tv right now that can pull it off without it seeming like a desperate plea for attention.

9.5/10