The first episode of the LAST season of 30 Rock is finally here -- so why do I feel like the world is coming to an end? I can't imagine life without Liz Lemon and her cynical, power-hungry (yet closet-ly compassionate) boss Jack Donaghy. But it's not just me who's feeling like the apocalypse is here -- the whole episode was about the end of the world.
Kenneth thinks we're less than 24 hours away from The Rapture, Liz Lemon is in a FABULOUS mood (and not just because she's not weighed down with "all that redundant torso fabric" by wearing a dickie), Jenna is acting NICE (well, for about 5 seconds, anyway), and Jack has a bizarre moment of baby-induced conscience. What's going on here?!?
Never fear, viewers, this is just a temporary glitch. All the 30 Rockers will revert back to their usual behaviors soon enough. And that's probably the biggest lesson we learn from this first episode: Even when it feels like the world is about to end, you'll notice how people still can't help being who they are. After the apocalypse, life will be exactly the same!
Take Kenneth. Faced with what he thinks is his last day on earth, he's really going to bust loose before he goes on to the next world where there are 72 virgin ... margaritas waiting for him. So what does he do? He goes after his dream chore list, of course, starting with scraping that Chiquita Banana sticker off the ceiling. It's not until the end of the episode, when the rapture sadly doesn't happen ("Oh sure, make fun of the super-handsome guy who believed too much"), that the TGS writer finally carts him off to Coney Island to see the ocean for the first time in his life. We are so not surprised when Kenneth ecstatically mis-identifies a diaper as a mermaid. So much for the virgins.
Meanwhile, Liz Lemon is uncharacteristically chipper. Try as Tracy might, all the acting-out in the world can't shake Liz. She must be on drugs! Nope -- she's a DORK, remember? It appears that Liz is actually high on her super-secret double life as a jazz dancer for the WNBA Liberty's Timeless Torches. Oh -- but maybe 30 Rock has one little secret for us after all? Jack drops her off at the movie theater to, obvs, ironically watch New Year's Eve and then cry when Lea Michele and Ashton Kutcher kiss. ("I love it when the swarthy girl gets the guy.") But then he notices -- Liz is kissing some guy! Who is he?!? We'll have to wait until next week to find out. Okay, fine, it's James Marsden. But you fans probably already knew that!
Do you already miss 30 Rock even though it hasn't ended yet?
Image via NBC