Now That's Comedy Night Done Right

Why couldn't last night's combo of The Office and 30 Rock have followed the Super Bowl? The Office was everything the Super Bowl ep should have been, and the combination of Don Draper and Alec Baldwin as a Mexican soap star would definitely have gotten 30 Rock new viewers. Whatever night it was, last night was quality comedy, so let's get into it.

First up, The Office, which managed to find the perfect balance between cringe and funny with the return of a very pregnant Karen, the party planning antics of Jim and Dwight, and Andy's sad attempts to woo a client.

Finally Jim and Pam get to be funny. How great was Pam saying she's sure Al Qaeda would like her if they got to know her? While Pam was trying to make peace with Karen after winning Jim, Michael was, of course, making things as awkward as possible, asking if Jim is the father of Karen's baby. Michael also got to go all David Brent (British Michael Scott) with his public speaking, which again let Karen play the funny straight man. Karen here serves as a reminder that Michael's antics are only funny when there's someone to judge him for it. With the promise of an Amy Ryan return next week, this story should stay funny for another week.

Back in the office, Dwight creates the most pitiful birthday decorations ever and Jim elicits a $3 bill from Creed. Nice to see Jim and Dwight working together. As for Andy: who in their right mind would take Creed's advice, especially since he thought Andy was Jim? I can't say I managed to look directly at the TV during any of Andy's encounters with crush client Julia, but if The Office isn't making me incredibly uncomfortable, it's not doing its job.

Last night marked the arrival of Mad Men's Don Draper (or Jon Hamm in real life) as Liz's new romantic interest, a doctor who bakes and trains seeing eye dogs. He proved he could do funny on Saturday Night Live, and plays off of Liz nicely. Best was when, post-roofie, he realized all of Liz's manipulations with horror in his eyes. Hilarious. Also, I know some people miss the days when Liz just played straight man, but crazy Liz is here to stay, and I'm liking it.

Elsewhere, a Mexican soap star doppelganger of Jack Donaghy? Hilarious. Especially his hawking of some Mexican snack, "Now with more bull semen." If that wasn't enough, there was 30 Rock's idea of what Puerto Rican grandmothers like: pictures of their grandchildren and Tito Puente. Matt Lauer's cameo at the end was a guest appearance well worthwhile.

Finally, Tracy hanging out with laid off i-bankers let the show comment a little on the times ("They don't know how to do anything"), making it a funny enough C-plot. I just hope it doesn't inspire Congress to put "have celebrities buy banks" into the stimulus plan.