The Chris Moeller Archives

I actually like a few of the episodes their contributors chose: "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" and "The Summer Man" on "Mad Men," "The Puerto Rican Day" on "Seinfeld," and "30 Rock's" "Stone Mountain." None are great, but they don't stick out either. Tasha Robinson is correct though that "Breaking Bad's" "The Fly" was a complete dud.

My choice actually goes to another "30 Rock" offering, which I'd like to point out couldn't be my choice here unless I thought the show was great. I want to reiterate that. The category is "best show, worst episode," remember? Some of you may not have seen this pile of manure yet because the season 5 DVD won't be out until November 29th, but it has to be "Queen of Jordan."

This is the episode centered around Tracy Jordan's wife Angie (played by Sherri Shepherd). It's done up as a fictional reality series for Angie, with the production overlapping the TGS set. There's no doubt that it was done as a filler episode. Tracy Morgan, as Tracy Jordan, missed much of season 5 due to health complications, and the series struggled for his absence. That's #1. It was also a concept episode in which we suffered for the lack of Liz as Liz, Jack as Jack, and particularly Kenneth the Page as Kenneth the Page. The cast is already playing down a man, why make it two?

Reality shows are too easy a target for such a clever show as "30 Rock," and that silly main plot dominated the half-hour. The gimmick disrupted the overall rhythm, and I rarely laughed. The B and C stories seemed like afterthoughts of a sort, and though one of them featured guest star Susan Sarandon, making the episode worth watching even years from now, I regret that the actress' agreement to guest on the show was used to such limited ends. Perhaps she'll reappear.

Shockingly, I'm finding much love online for this episode as I search for details to support the general impression I still carry with me from half a year ago. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's that I can't fully appreciate a spoof based upon the "reality housewife" shows as I have actually never seen one.