photo: nbc
Verna
Original Air Date: Feb 4, 2010
Laura Kelley – Associate Staff Writer
laurakelley@thetwocentscorp.com
I’m surprised every week at how much this show makes me laugh out loud, and tonight’s episode did not disappoint. Liz dreams that she and Jack have a baby and it’s Meat Cat, the Cheesy Blasters mascot, and she wakes up determined to start eating better. Then Jenna storms in and tells her that her mother Verna has arrived and is “chain-smoking and waiting for me to come out, just like the day I was born.” That…actually explains a lot about Jenna.
Frank and Liz sing a creepy song about pocket frowns, and Frank wears his best hat EVER. It says “Mason Storm,” which for those of you who are not me and have lives, is Steven Seagal’s character in Hard To Kill. It saddened me immensely that I knew this instantly. It turns out Frank had a house fire, so Liz gets suckered into letting him stay with her. Liz finds out Frank smokes but he calls her out on her junk food diet, citing evidence from his video collection of fat ladies crying. Jack shows Jenna a “say no to mother” power point to prepare her for Verna’s visit, but Jenna doesn’t use his advice. Verna pays her back for everything and says she loves her.
Determined to eat healthier, Liz signs up for an organic food diet that makes her want to vomit. Pete gets frustrated that Kenneth keeps interrupting his alone time. Jenna’s mom then throws Jenna a birthday party, inviting Jack and instructing him to “wear something nice, like white jeans and a Dan Marino jersey.” God, help me count the reasons I love this woman. At the party, Verna pulls a Jerri Blank and says “I’ve been a lot of things. A liar. A dental hygienist.” Then she sings a really creepy song with Jenna. The nexy day, Verna shows her true colors and tries to get Jack to give her a show. Liz’s revenge against Frank blows up in both their faces when she shows the whole office a tape from her apartment that depicts her sleep-eating and Frank calling an overweight mail room clerk ‘mommy.’
Jack bribes Verna into being a good mother, to save Jenna from the realization that her mother is lying, and Verna packs up all her feather and talon earrings and heads back to whatever hell she slithered out of. This episode was hysterical—from Jenna’s trashy-amazing jet-ski wrecking mother to Liz’s Paranormal Activity-inspired sleep eating. 30 Rock is easily one of my top two funniest shows on TV, and every week it keeps getting better. What did you guys think? Leave your two cents in the comments, and stay away from the Cheesy Blasters.
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine
TheTwoCents 
Haha. I also noted the Mason Storm hat and thought it was the best hat ever but it wasn’t the Steven Segal character that came to MY mind. You should Google “Mason Storm” and see what comes up. I guarantee it won’t have a thing to do with that old steven segal movies (although the acting in the movies that do come up will probably be on par).