After an excellent start, the third season of 30 Rock shows no signs of backing off in its second episode, throwing in even more insane gags, slapstick and gratuitous guest appearances (well, just one, but it's major), all in the name of great television comedy.
The plot consists of three definite strands that are eventually tied together: Jenna, irked because she received no payment for her voice work in Tracy's porn video game (remember the dubbing session in Season 2?), throws another of her tantrums, resulting in a "social experiment" between the two to sort out their racial/gender dispute; Kenneth, always the show's moral lynch-pin, is shocked when he discovers certain events at the Summer Olympics were staged (and his mentor Jack was in on the whole thing); and Liz, on a plane from Chicago to the Big Apple, happens to be sitting next to Oprah Winfrey (yeah, that's the real Oprah playing herself), who just happens to be one of her all-time great idols.
With the status quo restored in the season premiere, the show really hits another gear on this occasion, putting aside the NBC satire (let's face it, there's enough of that on the late night programs) and opting for plain craziness. And it works beautifully: the Tracy/Jenna and Jack/Kenneth scenes are a masterclass in zany comedy writing and acting, and Tina Fey's interplay with Oprah is proof that having a famous guest star does more than just increase the ratings, it's funny as hell, too (if only all celebrities were this willing to lampoon themselves).
Oh, and as for the show's trademark absurdist flashbacks (like Family Guy, but a little less irreverent), Believe in the Stars contains one of the best: Liz getting out of jury duty thanks to Star Wars. Long live the nerds!