30 Rock Recap: Good Sweatshirt To You!

Last night’s episode “¡Qué Sorpresa!” actually did result in a few surprises in the form of character development.  For instance, Liz risked professional embarrassment to ensure Avery’s promotion, and Jack learned the value of selflessness by listening to his plebeian staff.  Ultimately, these characters figured out how to make the most of these sacrifices, with Liz exploiting a fake pregnancy for sympathy from her colleagues and Jack gaining respect from his new boss.
Now that it seems the series is finished depicting the politics of the merger, 30 Rock has delved right into its new corporate marriage.  How will the Great American Executive Jack Donaghy fit in with his new superior, a man who commutes to Philadelphia on a bus equipped with a pool table?  Well for starters, Hank Cooper is no Don Geiss, and Comcast Kabletown is the polar opposite of GE, a company that barred common workers from dining with executives and hosted bachelor parties that were so intense that Jack suspects there are still “stripper bones” hidden in the building.
Ultimately, Jack, desperate for ideas, pitches Kenneth’s bizarre plan for the company to place a bar on television screens filled with ads to obscure mature content.  After Jack tries to convince Kenneth to use this opportunity for leverage, it turns out that all Kenneth really wanted was a hug.  Kenneth is truly Jack’s moral compass on the show, and Jack rights a wrong by letting Cooper know Kenneth was the “brains” behind the idea, while offering his resignation.  Of course, Cooper declines it, seeing signs of a moral pulse Jack as well as his ability to inspire talent among his less elite employees.  Is the friendly Kabletown a better fit for Donaghy?  What does this say about those corporate sharks at GE?  Did Comcast write this script?
More ridiculous than Carmen Chao covering Hurricanes ...

•      Liz’s sex life, “Sometimes a lady likes to leave her blazer on.”
•      Liz and Tracy, “Without us, who would present awards to actors.”
•      Tracy, when opening his computer from its case, “I always wanted one of these, the box would make a perfect coffin for my teddy bear.”
•      Jenna took Tracy’s nephew’s virginity, and Tracy threw up in Jenna’s grandmother’s jewelry box.
•     The Seahorses of Warwickshire Abby
•     Vanessa Minnillo fits in well with the cast as Carmen Chao.  I hope provides great Hurricane commentary.
•     Avery dressed in wizard garb is one of the greatest sight gags in the history of television.
•      Liz’s description of her supposed insemination: “Got jacked big time!”
•      To Jack’s credit, memos with emoticons really should end.
•       Liz makes a valid point when Jack asks her to pretend to be pregnant, wondering if he would show her the same level of respect.  He wouldn’t even go to her murder mystery costume party!
•       Kenneth points to himself, with both fingers, when he refers to “the elderly.”
•       Jenna to Liz, “I will need to eat your umbilical cord.”
•        Liz has a framed photograph of half-eaten chicken fingers, French fries, and ketchup.  She must view this as art, and for future reference, I must make it a point to reanalyze all items in Liz’s office.
•        Richard Belzer’s cameo would make 30 Rock the 9th television series to feature Detective John Munch (of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit).
•        Keeping Up With The Kardashians appears on screen when Jack says, “crap.” 
•         Liz, pretending not to care for Jack, says in a weird accent, “Shoot him in the throat and let the dogs eat him!”
•         Jack has pistols hidden on his person.
•         Tracy ignores the comma when Liz says, “I was pretending, to help Jack.”  This is almost as funny as the Modern Family episode last month wherein Claire creates a sign that is misread as “Slow down your neighbors.”  She had intended the words “your neighbors” to stand as the signature of the request, “Slow down.” Got that?