Did Steve Martin Undo The ‘30 Rock’ Celebrity Cameo Curse?

Well, that depends on how you define “undo.” Ratings-wise, it’s down a tenth from Jennifer Aniston’s episode last week, which itself was down from Oprah’s the week previous. (THR suggests that’s not so much a bad sign for the sitcom as it is a natural settling after the season premiere bump it enjoyed following Feylinmania.) But if you define it as a return to form, then yes, something about Martin’s presence—playing Gavin Volure, an agoraphobic Ted Turner type you later find out is actually under house arrest for embezzlement and racketeering—clicked the show back into all cylinders after a subpar third season start. Among its gems: the introduction of the term “away-toilet situation” into the popular lexicon, hand-puppet voodoo, and a description of Toronto as being “just like New York, but without all the stuff.” Then there’s the first date sequence above, in which Volure unwittingly presents himself as Lemon’s sexless, TV show-goofing dream man. [30 Rock Full Episodes]