Latifah played a grandstanding congresswoman who used Jack Donaghy's Kabletown testimony as an opportunity to call out NBC's racism and draw attention to herself. Halfway through a rant, she starts declaring that she forgot what she was talking about minutes ago, all while employing that bravado suited for speakers at (Nonpartisan) National Conventions. It's a funny idea. It's not so funny coming from the mouth of an actress who's flashing us congenial Cover Girl mugging and failing to reach the delirium of even an actual politician. And if we're going to hire an Oscar nominee of the past ten years to play this juicy part, why not -- say -- the always convincing Viola Davis? Latifah is all charisma and no character, and we needed the latter in this guest appearance.
Still, let's not forget the episode's perks. Jenna's "Vagitrex" prescription ("It's for dry... knees"), the insulting placards that Frank keeps posting on Liz's door ("Winona Ryder in 100 Years" was my favorite), and NBC's new verse to "We Didn't Start the Fire" ("Golden Girls, Quantum Leap, Outsourced is the new Friends!"). Fear not, 30 Rock will rip itself apart next week with its live episode and start from scratch, "just like Mickey Rourke did to me sexually." Viva Krakowski, always.