Take Three: The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 1, Episode 3 “Kimmy Goes on a Date!” (B-)

One of the best – and simultaneously worst – elements of “30 Rock” was its randomness. Sometimes, it worked wonders, and others, it just didn’t make any sense, and did the show a disservice by not taking itself seriously. I haven’t quite made up my mind about one of the major plotlines of this episode, which is the revelation that Jacqueline was actually born and raised Native American before she dyed her hair, started wearing contacts, and tried her hardest to act like a white person. It’s funny to a point, but it’s hard to know what to make of her entire character. I like that, even if it’s for all the wrong reasons, she did step in and speak up for Kimmy in this installment, defending her to her nasty stepdaughter and hurling German flight attendant phrases at her elderly suitor so that he would get back to his home at a faster pace. Kimmy needs some real human contact, physical but more importantly emotional, and hopefully she’ll be able to get that soon with Charles, though I suspect that any hint of personality on either of their parts will prompt Jacqueline to fire one or both of them. Titus pretending to be headed to a funeral to fool his landlord into thinking he didn’t have money was moderately entertaining, and the best part was undeniably when his money got snatched while he was holding it out to her, a firm reminder that the fantasy world he and Kimmy live in doesn’t actually exist.