What I’m Watching: 30 Rock

30 Rock: Season 4, Episodes 9 & 10 “Klaus and Greta” & “Black Light Attack!” (B+)

This a fantastic duo of episodes to segue into the new year. I love how Jack and Liz always acknowledge the timeline and check in with each other about their holidays and time off. Jack’s trip to Waltham was a bit wacky, especially since it’s not acknowledged at all in the second episode, most likely because Julianne Moore doesn’t want to recur on a television show when she could be delivering astounding performances in movies like “A Single Man.” Kenneth’s discovery that her voicemail PIN spelled out Klaus was pretty cool though. Tracy’s joy at the impending birth of his daughter was fun, and the addition of a woman to his entourage was wisely short-lived. Jenna had some nice front-and-center plotlines in both these episodes, first with James Franco and his love for pillows and then trying to cope with the fact that the “Gossip Girl” producers wanted her to audition for the role of the 41-year-old mother rather than the 21-year-old college student. Her death scene, of old age at 41, was a great moment for the actress. Liz had a lot to do in these two episodes, first trying to help her newly out cousin adjust to New York City and then entering into a romance with the robot. Jack’s delight at finding a male friend to actually do masculine things with was great, and it was even more entertaining when he expressed his horror at realizing that the robot’s new flame was none other than Liz. Another funny line from the hour of episodes was Pete’s excitement at the possibility of the show having been cancelled when he saw a smile on Liz’s face.