Preview: 30 Rock, Eli Stone
Jonny Lee Miller of "Eli Stone" by Gale Adler/ABC
Ever wondered what a Fox reality show would look like on NBC? Watch, and revel in, the glimpses we're shown of the fictional (at least for now) reality spoof
MILF Island in tonight's first-episode-back of
30 Rock. Everyone from Alec Baldwin's deliciously malicious network boss Jack Donaghy to a certain other vice president who should have better things to do are glued to the season finale of
Island, which is what
Survivor would look like if populated by cougar moms and adolescent boys. It's a hilarious backdrop to an episode that, as is often the case, is at its best when Jack and beleaguered Liz Lemon (the terrific Tina Fey) tangle and tango over the sad state of the business we call show. A business where a breakout reality star can be judged on her appeal to the key demographics of "soccer moms, Nascar dads, white-collar pervs and the obese." How many ways do I love
30 Rock?
Liz, the clay-footed hero of this brilliant satire, is naturally appalled by
Island, and tells Jack, "What we do is art" and "I have integrity." Both statements flatly contradicted by snippets of the flatulently vulgar comedy show Liz produces for NBC. As it turns out, integrity (or the lack thereof) is what the episode's all about, as Jack instigates a witch hunt to find out which anonymous
TGS staffer called him "a class-A moron" in a gossip column. To say that Liz does not rise above the occasion is an understatement. As Kenneth the Page (the absolutely nutty Jack McBrayer) watches the staff turn on each other in horror, and is especially chagrined at Liz's bad behavior- at one point directly aping a reality-show cliché- the episode hits its perverse stride.
But it's
30 Rock's very perversity and dark irony that probably keeps it from being as popular among the masses as it is with critics, awards groups and fans of edgy comedy. Already, I've argued with some in our office who think Liz goes too far in this episode and isn't true to character. I disagree. Her character wouldn't as funny if it wasn't as deeply flawed. Think
Arrested Development and Michael Bluth. As much as we liked him, he was hardly a role model. If some of Jack didn't eventually rub off on Liz, we wouldn't believe her as a survivor in the wicked, wackily warped world
30 Rock has so winningly created.
Switching gears now to shine a light on ABC's much warmer, sweeter (and naturally, on the bubble) midseason hopeful- emphasis on "hope"-
Eli Stone, which is nearing the end of its 13-episode tryout run. (And kudos, by the way, to ABC for letting this show, unlike so many others, get to the end of its 13-episode order. After tonight, a new episode will air Sunday following the return of
Desperate Housewives- some good exposure there- with the season finale airing next Thursday. ) Last week's episode was an all-out tearjerker, in which Eli (the hugely appealing Jonny Lee Miller) came to terms with his father's death years before, seeing it play out through his doctor brother's eyes. His brother Nate, by the way, now buys into Eli's visions as being something more than a manifestation of an aneurysm. Nate's a believer. So might you be after tonight's episode, which also choked me up- not because of any sadness or loss, but because of the hope Eli's visions convey about the future. The final moments are pretty euphoric, and you don't see a lot of that on TV these days.
Laced with generous doses of whimsy- one of the cases tonight involves two male chimps whose love for each other is being denied by the local zoo, which tore them apart-
Eli Stone often reminds me of
Boston Legal, except this show leads with its heart and not its groin. Katey Sagal makes a strong entrance tonight as one of the firm's senior partners, who doesn't appear nearly as forgiving of Eli's pro bono quirks as Jordan (the great Victor Garber), which could mean some juicy office showdowns ahead.
I'm rooting for
Eli Stone, a true underdog tonight as it faces new episodes of
Without a Trace and running-on-fumes
ER. Looking back, this was probably my favorite new show of an underwhelming midseason crop, a show that kept drawing me in with clever surprise and unabashed sweetness. Here's hoping (that word again) that this time next week, we won't be saying goodbye to him forever.
