Pete Catches Clams

It's impossible for me even to contemplate saying goodbye to my beloved 30 Rock, and to the characters I have really come to treasure over the years. Obviously there's Liz (Tina Fey) and Jack (Alec Baldwin) and the eternal struggle of feminist vs. arch-conservative. There's Jenna (Jane Krakowski), unstoppable diva/ gleeful sexual deviant, and Tracy, with his defiantly untreated mental illness. But then there's the deep bench of secondary and tertiary characters: Dr. Spaceman's exuberant incompetence; Danny's Canadian bewilderment; Devin Banks with his endless schemes; the true love story of Grizz and Dotcom; steely Avery; Lutz and his two undescended testicles. I'll miss them all, but after last night I know I won't miss anyone more than I'll miss Pete.

Though Pete (Scott Adsit) is rarely part of any episode's A-plot -- and, indeed, doesn't appear at all in many of the show's episodes over the years -- he plays a pivotal role in the show. He's Liz's professional support, standing with her against Jack or Jenna or Tracy and sharing her exasperation and exhaustion. He offers her, a famously single woman, a model for marital happiness (kind of) and fidelity. And even though Liz often says that Jenna is her best friend, clearly her real best friend is Pete.

What makes Pete a touchstone for the viewer is that he's us. Other characters on the show have grandiose goals: to become the President of a corporation, to be adored by the public, to expose their bellies to as many cameras as are available. Pete just wants to get through the day without a crisis, and then go home and, ideally, find it empty. When he triumphs, it's by getting out of things, like an awkward conversation, or a vending machine his arm's been caught in. Even when he allows himself a brief fantasy -- of being friends with Jack, or in a dad band, or beating a Teamster at arm-wrestling -- he seems to know it's impossible.

This is what made Pete's embrace by Jenna's Unwindulaxing followers so bittersweet last night -- not just because everything about Pete is bittersweet, but because we knew even before the coda that it couldn't possibly last. Peace and happiness are not Pete's lot: people who are good at relaxing don't get that bald. But it was nice of Fey in her capacity as the series creator to give Pete at least one night of perfect contentment as he careens toward the end of our time together. After all, it's never too late for now!