Culture

'30 Rock': The Many Miserable Faces of Alec Baldwin

By Caitlan Smith
Saved Stories

Last night's episode of 30 Rock brought home, to the viewer and, in particular, to one Jack Donaghy, just how things would change under Kabletown. The subtitle for this episode might as well have been "See How Many Miserable Faces Alec Baldwin Can Make", because Jack understandably feels a lot of awkwardness about his role in the new parent company.

Kabletown and its unique brand of executives are setting new standards for business at 30 Rock, including:

1. Hugs are the New Handshakes
Hank Hooper, head of Kabletown, is touring 30 Rock for the first time. Instead of a message-sending handshake (Jack's favorite kind), Hank comes in for a big hug. Later on, when Kenneth hugs Jack, Hank encourages, "That's some good huggin'".



2. The Executive Dining Room is for Everyone
When Jack arrives for lunch in the old Executive Dining Room in 30 Rock, he finds TGS writers there as well, scarfing down lobster tails and wearing sandals.



3. Open Office Hours are Mandatory
Hank encourages Jack to have "Employee Idea Days" in order to solicit great new ideas from the masses, rather than having an Ideas Guy (read: Jack Donaghy) think of every next big thing.



4. Memos Have Emoticons in Them
Enough said.

5. Kabletown is "A Family Company"

The big idea that Kenneth comes up with, the Bla Bar, is just the kind of thing Kabletown executives are looking for—censorship and ad space! As a result of the Bla Bar (and Jack's co-opting of Kenneth's idea), Jack also has an unexpected chance to demonstrate to the Kabletown executives that he really belongs in the company.



All in all, major changes are going down in Rockefeller Plaza, and Jack just needs to figure out a new way to operate. However, the hilarious subplot to this episode, Avery's ascension to a reporter role with NBC Nightly News requiring Liz to pretend to be pregnant, demonstrated that Jack's powers have still retained some potency.

Best random quote that has nothing to do with the show's plot: "Now's not the time to discuss this, but I need to eat your umbilical cord." –Jenna Maroney