(S02E14) "This smells like hill people milk!" - Kenneth, during the drinking contest

Is it just me or was the first part of tonight's 30 Rock a little ... lacking in something? It just seemed to me to be off a little bit, from the change in the opening (no opening scene before the credits, just straight to the credits then the start of the show immediately following) to the lack of really laugh out loud lines (except for Jonathan's singing "I Will Remember You" to Jack and making him a bizarre collage), it seemed to be rather pedestrian, for a 30 Rock episode anyway. Maybe it was because there weren't too many Jack/Liz scenes.

But then halfway through is picked up and got better.

Don Geiss is still in a coma (an easy gig for Rip Torn, eh?), and Jack is freaking out about what's going to happen to him. He loses his nice office (I questioned this plot development last week, but I guess Banks just wanted Jack out of the office) and has to work on the 12th floor, where weird things happen and weird workers circulate. It's interesting to see Alec Baldwin in a panic and frustrated, since Jack is always the cool one in control. I wasn't expecting Jack to be named the new Head of Homeland Security Crisis and Weather Management Division. I hope this isn't a disastrous plot twist. We need Jack at NBC.

Meanwhile, Floyd pops back into Liz's life after his cheap airline strands him in NYC. He wants to crash at her apartment, but she isn't sure what crash means this time and still wonders who that girl was who answered the phone many months ago at Floyd's place. Floyd meets Liz at the studio, and the gang helps her out making her look sexy with the help of a big studio fan. (Side note: my roommate doesn't think Tina Fey is sexy at all. He's high.) This plot has a satisfying conclusion actually. If Jason Sudeikis can't be on the show full-time, it's good to see that he and Liz left on great terms and its leaves the door wide, wide open for the two to get together later. I was worried they'd find some wacky way to get Floyd out of the picture, like have him become a priest or become insane or realize he likes guys or some other twist that would get him out of the way so Liz could date more guys. She can date guys, of course, but it's good to see that Floyd could be a part of her future.

It's also Sandwich Day at the studio, when Teamsters bring magical sandwiches to the office workers but don't tell anyone where they get them. The team eats Liz's sandwich and she freaks out ("Get me a sandwich or I'll cut you so bad you'll have a chin...you'll all have chins!"). They get the sandwich, but it takes winning a drinking contest with Brian Dennehy and his buddies. At first it looks like Jena has to drink alone, but then the team rallies around her when Tracy's Hollywood Sock (his ankle monitor) shorts and Kenneth realizes that drinking booze isn't against his beliefs after all.

Some good lines:

• "A drinking contest? What am I, 12 and at my boyfriend's frat party?" - Jena
• "You used Ghostbusters for evil!" - Liz, about Floyd's lie
• "I even tried to catch a snowflake on the tip of my tongue but apparently that's some sort of signal in Chelsea." - Jack, on how he spent his day
• "Wow, snow in May...thank you unpredictable global warming weather patterns!" - Tina
• "Hillary Clinton is President, sir!" - Jack, trying to shock Geiss out of his coma

Next week: Liz might be pregnant?!? How did that happen? (OK, OK, you know what I mean.)