Season 3 of "30 Rock" really should be subtitled "The Coming of the Guest Stars." Since the show's return three weeks ago we've had Megan Mullally (granted, not a huge name, but an NBC favorite from her stint as Karen on "Will & Grace"), Oprah Winfrey (OPRAH!), and now Jennifer Aniston. Next week it's Steve Martin, and Salma Hayek is reportedly coming in for a guest arc in the near future.

I have no objection to guest stars, and "30 Rock" in particular has used them well - until now. Jennifer Aniston's spot last night was terrible, and the entire show felt off. It was like the actors - Tina Fey in particular - just weren't into it. (Her energy was so low, I have to wonder if this was filmed while she was doing double-duty as Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live.") Even the always-reliable Alec Baldwin seemed to be going through the motions. It was joyless, and the whole thing seemed like a LOT of work. I was exhausted just watching the thing.

Aniston played Liz and Jenna's former Chicago roommate, a deranged sexpot that Liz correctly described as "full-on ‘Fatal Attraction.'" It sounds like a meaty, gonzo role, and I think Aniston probably did the best she could with it, but...Jennifer Aniston just isn't a very good actress. I mean, I loved Rachel on "Friends." She was my favorite character. And I think Aniston is largely pretty good in romantic comedies. But this role called for some over-the-top stuff, and Aniston played it so safe that, to me, it felt very forced. I never believed for a second that she was crazy. Annoying, yes. Possibly a little slow. But crazy? Not really.

I should confess that my personal feelings on Aniston probably colored my opinion somewhat. I just don't get America's continued fascination with the woman and her romantic life, or lack thereof. Consider that Aniston hasn't had a hit movie in more than two years ("The Break-Up," which was surprisingly successful) and instead has a string of duds to her name. She's got a dog movie coming out for Christmas. A DOG MOVIE. And yet almost every week her face is splashed across 80 percent of the tabloids at the supermarket with a headline along the lines of "Jen's pain" or something. She got dumped three years ago. And she's STILL milking it in the newest Vogue. I can appreciate a bad-news buffet as much as the next schadenfruedic jackass, but enough is enough, lady.

Thankfully, the B-plot for the episode elevated things a bit. A story that started with Kenneth upset about the new NBC page uniforms somehow turned into a mini-"Night Court" reunion with Harry Anderson (Harry), Markie Post (Christine), and Charles Robinson (Bud). John Larroquette was namechecked but not seen, I'm pretty sure Bull is dead, but where was Marsha Warfield? Don't tell me she had something better to do. The bit was cute up until Jenna came in and started throwing around her short-lived role as werewolf attorney Sparky. And then at that point it became comedy gold.

But still, not enough to eclipse Aniston's lackluster performance, making for the worst episode of "30 Rock" since probably the first half of Season 1. Oh well, something to fast-forward through when the DVD comes out...