While it's a lot less strange now, it's still a bit odd that Frank and his former teacher Lynn Onkman (played by Susan Sarandon) were ever romantically involved, but they were and they are again in the latest installment of "30 Rock" (Thu., 8:00 p.m. EST on NBC). Apparently, the years haven't lessened the awkwardness for Frank's mother (Patti LuPone), which is why he lied and said the signed "L." on a note he'd received from Lynn was actually from Liz.
So when she showed up, she immediately embraced Liz as a much more age appropriate, though still somewhat older, woman for her son. But with the lying stressing him out, Frank decided the only solution was to break it off with Lynn for real this time. He played it off like he was okay with this, but Liz figured out he was sad about it -- she tasted tears in his meatballs.
So she orchestrated a meeting between all three of them, so that Frank's mother could realize that Lynn makes Frank happy, and Lynn could learn that Frank never wanted to break it off with them. What they ultimately discovered was that Lynn was a lot like Frank's mother. Finding out that Frank was only looking for someone like her actually made the whole thing okay for Frank's mother, and in fact was a satisfactory outcome for everyone involved.
Stanley Tucci was a much more subdued guest star as Jack's former rival Henry. Jack used Henry as an example of how cutthroat business can and has to be for Kenneth, but later learned that Henry actually thought some of the activities they did -- before Jack crushed and destroyed him professionally -- were from genuine friendship. It was in that moment that Jack realized that his way wasn't the only way.
But when he tried to stop Kenneth from sabotaging the career of a coworker, it may have been too late. Kenneth grew suspicious of Jack's motivations in trying to stop him. Has he created a monster? If so, that would certainly make for an interesting story arc for Kenneth. How far can his character go before he loses what makes him special? And can he truly never go back to what he was? Somehow, it's hard to imagine that there isn't a fresh new page uniform in his future, no matter what turns his career makes in the meantime.
Watch "30 Rock" every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.
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