Noblesse Oblige and Strawberry Mouths: More Thoughts on the Season Premiere of "30 Rock"

I am really hoping that all of you watched last night's hysterical third season opener to 30 Rock ("Do Over"), which was available to screen online a week before the linear broadcast. (My original advance review of "Do Over" and the Oprah-centric second episode "Believe in the Stars" can be found here.)

Naturally, being the obsessive 30 Rock devotee that I am, I rewatched the season premiere again last night (I think for the third or fourth time now) and once again fell under its warped spell. Considering the state of the economy, anxieties over the presidential election, and life in general right now, a dose of 30 Rock's absurdist humor is exactly the panacea we all need right now.

Among the moments I absolutely loved: Tracy shouting "Noblesse oblige" and then giving Frank gold nunchuks and Pete a chinchilla coat (promising a lot of "nice nice" while wearing it) for their work on Tracy's porn video game... and Jenna a coupon for a free hug.

Oh, what else? That Sex and the City-inspired opening, Kathy Geiss touching Jack "in [his] swimsuit area" and putting strawberry lip gloss on her "fancy boy," Bev (guest star Megan Mullally) seeing if Liz's window blind cord is capable of strangling a small child and asking if she runs a webcam from the apartment, Liz's casual (and unintentional) racism, Devon scrambling up those rocks in Central Park after an, um, encounter with two gentlemen and telling Jack that he likes to keep his enemies "so close that you're almost kissing," Jack working his way up from a mailroom position (and getting promoted several times in the course of a single day), Jenna's Tokyo University commercial, and Kenneth's hope that he'll one day meet the three of his nine siblings that were adopted.

Best line of the evening: "This job was all I've ever wanted, Lemon, and now it hinges on how far I am willing to go with a woman in Dora the Explorer panties that were clearly made for an obsese child." - Jack

All in all, a fantastic start for what promises to be another fantastic season of the very best comedy on television right now.

What did you think of 30 Rock's third season return? Talk back here.

Next week on 30 Rock ("Believe in the Stars"), Liz flies to Chicago to get out of jury duty and meets Oprah on the return flight; Tracy and Jenna's feud leads to a "social experiment" to prove whose life is more difficult; Jack finds his morality tested by Kenneth.