‘30 Rock’: The unstressed life is not worth living

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There were three very funny plot lines crisscrossing on Thursday’s episode of ’30 Rock,’ but by far the most poignant was the Liz Lemon line, which raised the complex and provocative question, ‘Does work make life worthwhile?’

After a misunderstanding landed Liz in sexual harassment training last week, she was forced to stay away from the TGS offices this week, until she had completed the seminar. Away from the studio for the first time in years, Liz finds herself wholly at a loss for what to do next. And so, she lurks in her apartment lobby, bothering the doormen.

That’s when she meets her neighbor, Emily, who informs Liz that their building has a gym, and even better, a vending machine! Slowly, a whole world opens up to Liz; the world outside TGS. Throughout the series, Liz’s lack of friends has been a running joke -- remember when the cab driver who held Liz’s phone hostage revealed that all her contacts were coworkers? -- but in this episode, Liz finally gets to make her first group of female friends. Women she actually sees socially, for -- ya know -- girl activities. And it’s exhilarating.

Emily and her three cronies, all wealthy, nonworking women, show Liz what it’s like to be a lady who lunches. And dinners. And breakfasts. And brunches. And linners? Basically, these women do nothing but eat, drink, work out and get mani-pedis all day. At first, Liz resists the pull of the life of leisure, but over time, she softens to the stress-free schedule of the rich and tranquil. Emily, a former workaholic, tells Liz of her old mindset, ‘You get addicted to the stress, think it gives your life purpose.’

But soon enough, Liz learns that the life Emily and her well-rested, well-coifed friends promise is not as dreamy as it seems. The women are numb and only feel alive by beating one another up — literally. They are members of a fight club. The final message here, is that the satisfied and healthy nonworking person is just an illusion. A satisfying life must include work. Must, in fact, revolve around work.

It is a comforting conclusion, especially for somebody addicted to work. But it felt a little bit pat. In order for the conclusion to work, the nonworking women had to be painted in such broad strokes that they were mere caricatures; sapped of all humanity. And in the act, of both believability and humor.

I don’t mean to say the episode itself was not funny; it was. As always, it featured some hilarious one-liners. (‘Fine. I’ll set aside my feud with Raven-Symone for one day, but she knows what she did.’) I’m just saying that the question posited, about whether work should define us, was a provocative one. And that maybe it was resolved a bit too comfortably at the end.

Now, feel free to dip into the comments section and say, ‘Oh, lighten up, Stephanie! It’s a comedy.’

-- Stephanie Lysaght