but nothing over the top to make it classic," rating the episode 8.2 out of 10. The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin was more clearly positive about the episode, calling it a "glorious return to form" and grading the episode an A−. Bob Sassone of AOL's TV Squad opined he was not thrilled with Jenna's plot, observing that it was "kinda ridiculous (and unfunny, which is the worse sin)." Sassone, however, said that Liz and Tracy feuding and Jack and his mother battling "are plots that are always good for some laughs." Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for The Star-Ledger wrote that while "The Natural Order" was not a "classic episode" it was still "solid enough, in the end." Sepinwall enjoyed Jack and his mother's story, but commented that the Liz and Tracy rivalry was a "hit-or-miss." TV Guide's Bruce Fretts said this episode "is easily the show's most grounded episode ever, even if it does feature a gibbon in a mariachi suit. The script [...] dares to deal with issues of race and gender from a typically irreverent perspective." Fretts noted that Elaine Stritch and Alec Baldwin "share a surprisingly tender scene as Colleen tells her son, 'You're my good boy [...] I just love you to death.'" References Notes Footnotes External links 30 Rock (season 3) episodes 2009 American television episodes Television episodes written by Tina Fey