Cooter (30 Rock)
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| “Cooter” | |||||||
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| 30 Rock episode | |||||||
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 15 |
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| Written by | Tina Fey | ||||||
| Directed by | Don Scardino | ||||||
| Guest stars | Matthew Broderick |
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| Production no. | 215 | ||||||
| Original airdate | |||||||
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| 30 Rock (season 2) List of 30 Rock episodes |
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"Cooter" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of 30 Rock and thirty-sixth episode of the series. It was written by Tina Fey and was directed by Don Scardino. It aired on May 8, 2008 on NBC.
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[edit] Plot
Jack gets a job in politics. When the job is not what he expected he schemes with another government employee, Cooter (Matthew Broderick), to get fired. Jack also enlists the help of C.C., his ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, Liz thinks she may be pregnant. Kenneth aspires to be an NBC page at the Beijing Olympics, but Donny Lawson (Paul Scheer), the head page, is not prepared to let that happen. Tracy's invention is nearly complete.
[edit] Reception
"Cooter" was watched by 5.61 million viewers, and received a 2.6 Rating and 7 Share in the 18-49 demographic. By comparison CBS's CSI was watched by 17.82 million viewers, ABC's Grey's Anatomy had 15.60 million, Fox's Don't Forget the Numbers had 6.22 million, and CW's Supernatural had 2.53 million.[1] The finale was watched by 206,000 more viewers than the previous episode.[2]
Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald felt "Cooter" was one of the best episodes of 30 Rock's shortened season, with something for everyone in the ensemble cast to do. He also noted that Fey's character Liz has a pregnancy scare the same week that Fey's film "Baby Mama" was in theaters, saying "how much mama drama does Tina Fey think viewers want"?[3] Bob Sassone of TV Squad originally thought the episode might have been secretly cross promoting Baby Mama but ultimately decided it probably wasn't.[4] Alan Sepinwall of NJ.com felt the "nearly-perfect" episode was marred by Kevin's page rivalry which "didn't work."[5]
Verne Gay of Newsday felt two lines towards the end of the episode were laugh out loud funny and praised Jenna and Kenneth's storylines. He also like the cameo by Broderick, stating his "comic chops [were] on full display."[6] Robert Canning of IGN also singled out two of the "B" stoyrlines for praise, but the ones he liked were Kenneth's and Tracy's. He described Tracy's voice recording session for his porn video game as "thank-goodness-this-is-airing-later-than-8:30."[7] Jeff Labrecque of Entertainment Weekly, in regards to Dennis possibly being the father, said "Liz Lemon might be carrying the most undesirable spawn since Rosemary's baby: the Beeper Prince."[8]
Terry Morrow of the Knoxville News said that although 30 Rock is struggling to find viewers, this "tiny show...shines with absolute brilliance." He speculated that the lack of viewers may be because the show has failed to create an emotional bond with its audience and is "happy to be a very witty sitcom." He declared "Cooter" one of its best episodes. He felt the entire cast was "spot on" but singled out Jane Krakowski for her "scene-stealing" moments when she revealed the art of backward compliments.[9]
Oscar Dahl of Buddy TV speculated that the episode may have been hinting at Alec Baldwin's real life political plans. He noted that Jack's new job within the Bush administration "neatly tied in" with a 60 Minutes interview that aired on May 11, 2008. In the interview Baldwin said that he is considering running for office, although he didn't state where or when. Dahl noted that actors have a long history of transitioning into politics, and that Baldwin would be "capable of giving some awesome speeches."[10]
Robert Bianco of USA Today gave "Cooter" an unfavorable review. He noted that the show's ratings were in decline despite being the follow up to NBC's highest rated comedy The Offfice. He felt "Cooter" and the show in general had "lost its way creatively, ditching plot and character in a desperate, scattershot search for laughs, as if its new goal were to become a live-action version of Family Guy." Bianco put the blame on Fey and her character, singling out when Tracy asks Liz "Do you know what it's like to be the only one who cares about your job?" Instead of a joke relying on Liz knowing what it feels like to care, he complains that it leads to a "joke about a missed period — and leads viewers to ask when exactly was the last time Liz showed any interest in her job at all. " He conjectures that 30 Rock is trying to avoid the mistakes of canelled Studio 60 which took the work of making a comedy too seriously. Bianco thinks the show went to far in the other direction and thinks this may explain why a show that used to perform well in the ratings is now stuggling to be third on the night.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ Seidman, Robert (May 9, 2008). Nielsen Ratings May 8, 2008: Trouble in Shonda-land?. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Levine, Stuart. "ABC wins tight Thursday race", Variety, 2008-05-09. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
- ^ Perigard, Mark A. (May 8, 2008). ‘Rock’ delivers. Boston Herald. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Sassone, Bob (May 8, 2008). 30 Rock: Cooter (season finale) - VIDEO. TV Squad. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (May 08, 2008). 30 Rock, "Cooter": The pen is mightier than the ketchup. NJ.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Gay, Verne (May 8, 2008). Last laughs (for now) on '30 Rock'. Newsday. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Canning, Robert (May 7, 2008). 30 Rock: "Cooter" Review. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Labrecque, Jeff (May 09, 2008). '30 Rock': Knocked Up and Down. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Morrow, Terry (May 8, 2008). Morrow: '30 Rock' rolls into brilliant finale. Knoxville News. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Dahl, Oscar (May 09, 2008). Did 30 Rock's Finale Hint at Alec Baldwin's Political Future?. Buddy TV. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Bianco, Robert (5/9/2008). Review: Quirky '30 Rock' on a downhill roll at season's end. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
[edit] External links
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