thePeanutBloggery

30 Rock
For the past few years, there’s been a wealth of new quality dramas including Lost, 24, and Friday Night Lights to name a few. However, original comedies with fresh humor are as rare as a good Kevin Smith movie. Even when the scenarios seem unique, the jokes can be stale (Knights of Prosperity, The Class). Still, there are a few gems on network television: The Office, How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs (though aside from the musical episode it seems to be falling apart this season), and, most recently, 30 Rock. Since its premiere in September, critics have obsessed over Alec Baldwin in his first sitcom role, and he is truly hysterical as Jack, the tactless and intrusive network president. Yet without Tina Fey’s sharp writing and a supporting cast that includes Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, and Tina herself, Baldwin’s performance would irrelevant. If you haven’t been watching (it is after all opposite both Grey’s Anatomy and The O.C.), some of the episodes are available for streaming on NBC’s official website, and all of them are available for download on iTunes. And if you happen to watch another new show set backstage at a late night sketch comedy, which features one white male, one black male, and one blond female cast member, check 30 Rock out anyway. This show is completely different.

Heroes
Whether it’s horror, science fiction, or, in this case, superheroes, any television show dealing with the supernatural must always consider the laws of the universe. Of course the laws of the Heroes universe don’t always match those of the audience’s, but once established, in order to maintain the viewers’ confidence, they must be followed. This week Claire tracked down her natural mother, and it turns out she can make fire with her hands. Clues indicate she burned down her house with baby Claire in it, who, of course, lived. What does this mean? Unlike Spider-Man, Captain America, and Buffy, the genetic mutation that makes someone a hero, though not the power itself, is hereditary, and the power is present at birth. Micah’s power is further proof of this, as both his parents appear to have the mutation. It also means that while there are only 36 people on The List, more can be produced. In fact, Matt Parkman’s wife is pregnant, and, assuming it’s his baby, it too may be born a hero. Of course, in answering this question, a new one arises. Why did our heroes only recently discover their powers?

What They Said

It was totally mind blowing. Bullets flying. Rebel Attacks. Suffering. Not a hottie to be found. I mean they’re thin and all, but it’s that sick thin, not hot thin.”
Becks describing his time in Africa on Ugly Betty

What They Played

The soundtrack pick of the week is from The L Word: Peaches’ Joan Jett sound-alike “Boys Wanna Be Her” is available on iTunes.

The Primetime Index

This week the index closed lower, as the four down arrows far outweigh the single up arrow.