What I'm Watching: 30 Rock

30 Rock: Season 5, Episode 2 “When It Rains, It Pours” (B+)

I actually watched this episode twice already (with different people), and I enjoyed it equally both times. There are some moments that just had me laughing out loud, mostly said by Liz, and the various plots of the episode were also quite enjoyable. What I imagine may have originated from rehearsal mistakes or improv were two lines from Liz that had me cracking up for an extended period of time: “Reallo? I meant to say really!” and the out-of-order “End it, why?” during the staged breakup scene with Richie. Paul Giamatti had a fun part as Civil War reenacter Richie who secretly longed to be with his assistant and used Liz to further his quest. Most importantly, he wasn't distracting to the rest of the episode. A similarly well-used cameo featured familiar NBC faces Brian Williams and Andrea Mitchell mocking Liz and her rumored affair with Richie. The ease with which Tracy manages to get himself lost while he's supposed to be “werewolfing” himself is impressive, and I enjoyed his random knowledge of all of the trivia questions in the Cash Cab that just happened to pick him up (and the difficulty he had exiting the cab). Kenneth's presence was entertaining, and I'm glad that he's back full-time, even if Jack doesn't care one bit. His standing in for Tracy was both funny and endearing. Jack recording all of his videos was hilarious, and I loved the end revelation that they're actually going to have a girl. Liz's bad advice, as always, was perfectly senseless and the opposite of sensible.