A Statement About Generalissimo

On 6 February when I finally sat down to watch the 30 Rock episode entitled "Generalissmo," I became immediately aware of an indisputable fact: That was the funniest half hour of television I have seen all year.

Now, before you smart-asses start talking about how we're only 6 weeks into 2009, by "year" I mean "television year," which of course started in September and ends in 2 months. Got it?

Let us start with the brilliantly used guest stars-- Salma Hayek as Jack Donaghy's girlfriend (as well as his mother's nurse) is absolutely divine. In this episode, Jack is trying to impress his amour's grandmother, who dislikes him because of his close physical resemblence to El Generalissimo, the bad guy on her favorite telenovela (played by... Alec Baldwin. Amazing).

This plot beautifully parallels Liz Lemon and her quest for love with Dr. Andrew Baird, the new guy in the building (Mad Men's Jon Hamm... has there ever been a more geektastic couple assembled on television?), for whom Liz has rather immoderate feelings, whose mail she opens, and who she drags out into the street to look for her missing dog. Liz Lemon, of course, has never, ever had a dog.

For the record: Don Draper, as much as we love you, you have nothing on Andrew Baird. Sorry, cowboy.

The whole thing culminates with Alec Baldwin's dual personalities confronting each other over the death of a ridiculous telenovela character, Liz accidentally roofie-ing darling Dr. Baird, the man who lives in the basement with the nails delivering her dog back to her, and something about complimenting all of the Latin babies in New York on television.

Even Simon liked it, and that's saying something.