“Hiatus” spoilers below:

Things that happened

The season finale opens with Liz and Jack each at their doctor. Poor Liz has an emotional breakdown because Floyd the Flower Guy has moved to Cleveland and Jack is mad at her for knowing too much about his and Phoebe’s relationship, and she has no idea where Tracy is, which means their show is pretty much screwed. I feel bad for Liz, but I prefer to ignore every scene Rachel Dratch is in and this is one of them.

Tracy is in Cleveland, which Kenneth knows, but only Kenneth knows. Kenneth hooked him up with his cousin, played by Jack from Will & Grace. Kenneth’s cousin gives Tracy a fake hick/nerd identity which he must inhabit for the rest of his life. Tracy is cool with this until. He realizes it means he wont get laid for being famous anymore.

Because Jack is marrying Phoebe, his mom is in town. His mom is fabulous (why are TV moms always fabulous?) and mistakes Liz for Phoebe and loves Liz — so much that she forces Liz to come to the family dinner – and hates Phoebe.

Floyd the Flower Guy is in Cleveland and he and Liz no longer have anything in common. You could see this relationship dying from a mile away and it wasn’t even done well. It just kind of tapers off as Liz becomes too involved with work- and Jack- issues.

Liz, Jack, Jack’s mom and Phoebe go to dinner. It is predictably awkward.

Kenneth’s cousin turns out to be a psycho killer and Kenneth comes down to Cleveland and saves him. I wish I could write more about this. Jenna is pissed because Tracy makes it back in time for the show and saves the day!

Jack has a heart attack or something when he was in bed with Phoebe. At the hospital, Phoebe isn’t allowed in his hospital room, but Liz is because she is his emergency contact. In a bit that should have been far more hilarious than it was, Phoebe and Jack’s mom use all the machines Jack is hooked up to as lie-detectors and learn Jack doesn’t love Phoebe and no longer are they getting married.

And in this disappointing and lackluster finale, Liz is no longer moving to Cleveland.

Things that were good

• Not too much. Most of this episode felt really forced. Some of the plot lines had potential, but they didn’t go anywhere. While everything ended as it needed to – Tracy getting back, Liz and Floyd breaking up and Jack and Phoebe breaking up – it didn’t do so in that delightful and satisfying way finales are supposed to.
• Suki had lines! I’ve missed her!
• Jack’s mom was the best character in this episode and she wasn’t used as well as she could have been. At dinner, she was fantastic, but by the end, she was tiresome.
• More Kenneth. And more posse.

Things that were not so good

• There wasn’t anything memorably awful about this episode, it just felt tiresome and done, you know? This season ran out of creative steam and ended with a thud. I still have hopes for next year though.
• I liked Floyd and am sad to see him go, but understand why: Liz is a better character when she’s lonely and angry (od dating DENNIS!!!) and two shows is a bit much to ask of someone, especially when one is SNL.
• Phoebe was a painful character. I know she was designed to be unlikable but I didn’t even get any joy from not liking her. Having any sort of emotions towards her was a waste of time and energy.

Worth Watching If…..

You want to finish off the season. This episode did tie everything up neatly for next year, so you won’t come into the second season wondering where Phoebe and Floyd are. However, if you read this recap, you don’t really need to watch it. This show isn’t bad, it was just very forgettable, and you can’t have forgettable endings. If this episode was a mid-season episode, I wouldn’t have been so harsh.

In Five Words

Five Pounds of Lobster Meat

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