Jack Gets in the Game
| "Jack Gets in the Game" | |
|---|---|
| 30 Rock episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Michael Engler |
| Written by | Robert Carlock |
| Cinematography by | Vanja Černjul |
| Production code | 202[1] |
| Original air date | October 11, 2007 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Jack Gets in the Game" is the second episode of NBC's second season of 30 Rock and twenty-third episode overall.[2] It was written by Jon Pollack and directed by one of the season's producers, Don Scardino.[3] It first aired on October 11, 2007 in the United States.[2] Guest stars in this episode include Fajer Al-Kaisi, Will Arnett, Kevin Brown, Grizz Chapman, Marceline Hugot, Matt Lauria, Chris Parnell, Sherri Shepherd and Rip Torn.[3]
In this episode, Devon Banks (Will Arnett) finds out that Jack had a heart attack, which occurred in "Hiatus", and decides to use this to his advantage; Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) is still trying to fix his marriage to Angie Jordan (Sherri Shepherd); and Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) begins to see the positive side of being overweight. This episode received generally positive reviews.
Plot
[edit]Jack realizes that his boss Don Geiss (Rip Torn) is hinting that he will retire and believes that he, Jack, is a definite candidate to take over Don's job, as the CEO of General Electric. Jack's only other opposition is Devon, who has returned from the west coast, only now with a fiancée who happens to be Kathy Geiss (Marceline Hugot), Don's daughter. Upon returning, Devon, who is secretly gay, finds out from Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer) about Jack's secret heart attack. At a gathering at Don's house, the pair face off against one another during a game of football.
Tracy is still struggling with his marriage to Angie, who had thrown him out of their family home. Later in this episode, the pair reconcile, but only if Tracy allows for Angie to follow him to make sure that he isn't having an affair.
Jenna becomes attached to her newly gained fat when a mishap during a sketch, on TGS with Tracy Jordan, brings her large amounts of attention from the public. Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is still re-adjusting to life outside of a relationship.
Production
[edit]The "Me Want Food" T-shirts which Jenna and Liz see in the NBC store, at Rockefeller Center, were made available from the NBC Universal website shortly after the episode aired.[4] Shortly after the episode "MILF Island" aired, similar T-shirts were manufactured, featuring the MILF Island logo.[5]
Reception
[edit]
"Jack Gets in the Game" brought in an average of 6.6 million American viewers. This episode achieved a 3.0/8 in the key 18–49 demographic, a series high in that category. The 3.0 refers to 3.0% of all 18- to 49-year-olds in the U.S. and the 8 refers to 8% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast, in the U.S. This episode was the highest-rated program, in its timeslot, among the men 18–34 demographic.[6]
Robert Canning of IGN thought that this was a "solid episode", and that Will Arnett's character "was even more entertaining in this episode" compared to his appearance in the episode "Fireworks". He added that "there was little to complain about", and rated it 8.9 out of 10.[1] Matt Webb Mitovich of TV Guide said that he "preferred this episode of 30 Rock" compared to the previous episode, "SeinfeldVision".[7] Jeff Labrecque of Entertainment Weekly asked his readers "do you feel like Liz Lemon took a back seat, and if so, did you mind?", adding that "[Alec] Baldwin and [Tracy] Morgan get the laughs, but like the Tracy Jordan Meat Machine [from "The Rural Juror"], 30 Rock requires three distinct flavors. Don't be afraid to sprinkle in the Lemon."[8]
For their work in this episode, Arnett and Rip Torn were nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Canning, Robert (2007-10-12). "30 Rock: "Jack Gets in the Game" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- ^ a b "30 Rock "Jack Gets in the Game" 10-11-2007 8:30PM" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. Retrieved 2008-07-28.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "30 Rock "Jack Gets in the Game"". Yahoo. Retrieved 2008-07-28. [dead link]
- ^ "30 Rock "Me Want Food" T-Shirt". NBC Universal Store. Retrieved 2008-07-28.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "30 Rock; MILF Island T-Shirt". NBC Universal Store. Retrieved 2008-07-28.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "NBC Places Four Shows in the Week's Top 10 in Primetimes's Key Demo of Adults 18–49, with Heroes, Law & Order: SVU, The Office and NBC Sunday Night Football" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET, 30 Rock (3.0/8 in 18–49, 6.6 million viewers overall) retained 97 percent of its Earl lead-in among adults 18–49. 30 Rock was up 20 percent in 18–49 versus its average for original episodes in the second quarter 2007 (3.0 vs. 2.5). 30 Rock ranked number one in the time slot in men 18–34.
[permanent dead link] - ^ Webb Mitovich, Matt (2007-10-11). "Episode Recap: "Jack Gets in the Game"". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- ^ Labrecque, Jeff (2007-10-12). "30 Rock: Jack's Back!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2008-01-10. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- ^ "The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards Nominees are..." Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2008-07-17. Archived from the original on 2008-07-18. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
External links
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