Jack the Writer
| "Jack the Writer" | |
|---|---|
| 30 Rockepisode | |
| Episodeno. | Season 1 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Gail Mancuso |
| Written by | Robert Carlock |
| Production code | 104 |
| Original air date | November 1, 2006 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Jack the Writer"is thefourth episodeof thefirst seasonof the Americansituation comedy30 Rock,which aired on November 1, 2006, on theNBCnetwork in the United States, and on November 1, 2007, in the United Kingdom.[1]The episode was written byRobert Carlockand was directed byGail Mancuso.[2]Guest stars in this episode includeKatrina Bowden,Keith Powell,Maulik Pancholy,Tom Broecker,Jonathan Lutz,James AndersonandSharon Wilkins.
The episode focuses on the relationship betweenLiz Lemon(Tina Fey), head writer ofTGS with Tracy Jordan,andJack Donaghy(Alec Baldwin), her boss; and the distractions the writers ofTGSface when writing sketches. This becomes evident when Liz's assistant,Cerie(Katrina Bowden), wears sexually suggestive clothing; and when Jack decides to join the writers for observation.Kenneth Parcell(Jack McBrayer) learns that working forTracy Jordan(Tracy Morgan), the main star ofTGS,is more than he expected.
Plot[edit]
The staff are preparing to write sketches forTGS with Tracy Jordanwhen Jack arrives and announces that he went through a program atGeneral Electric(GE) calledSix Sigma,which encourages bosses to interact with their staff. He tells Liz and the writers that he will be sitting in the writers' room every day as an observer. As days pass, Jack begins to interfere with the writers' work, and instead of just being an observer, he regularly gives the writers ideas for upcoming sketches. This causes a major frustration for the staff, so Liz tells Jack that the writers do not like his involvement. Jack says that although he enjoyed joining the writers every day, he tells Liz that he accepts their decision.
Afterwards, Jack's secretary tells Liz that Jack wants her to apologize, but that she has to pretend that it was her idea. Liz goes to Jack's office and apologizes, and they forgive each other. While the staff eats their lunch, Jack introduces the staff to two of his guests. The writers mention to Liz that they would love to go outside to the same roof that is used forThe Today Show,and Liz tells them that she can make it happen now that she and Jack are friends. Liz asks Jack, but he denies the request. He tells her that the two guests were his bosses from GE, and then criticizes Liz and her staff. He apologizes to Liz, but she says that their friendship is over. Having settled the situation with Jack, Liz tries to talk to her assistant Cerie about her attire, which seems to distract the writers. Liz attempts to convince her to wear something conservative, but Cerie tells Liz that she would look great in something sexy herself, and Liz is later seen walking down the hallway with a dress that reads "Dirty Diva".
Kenneth, who is now working for Tracy, learns that working for Tracy is more than he expected. Tracy orders Kenneth to complete several tasks, including going toYankee Stadiumfor nachos, and picking up an important package, which turns out to be an illegal fish that Tracy wants to put in his aquarium. Tracy then tells Kenneth to buy something for his wife,Angie Jordan(Sharon Wilkins), and to take her to a fancy restaurant, where he gives her Tracy's gift.
Production[edit]
30 RockandStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip,both of which debuted on2006–07 NBC lineup,revolved around the off-camera happenings on a sketch comedy series. Evidence of the overlapping subject matter between the shows, as well as the conflict between them, arose whenAaron Sorkin,the creator ofStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip,askedLorne Michaelsto allow him to observeSaturday Night Livefor a week, a request Michaels denied.[3]Despite this, Sorkin sent Fey flowers after NBC announced it would pick up both series, and wished her luck with30 Rock.[4]Fey wound up "winning" over Sorkin whenStudio 60 on the Sunset Stripwas cancelled after one season and30 Rockwas renewed for a second and eventually went on to have seven seasons. Though30 Rock's first season ratings proved lackluster and were lower than those ofStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip,[5]the latter was more expensive to produce.[6][7]"Jack the Writer" contains a self-referencingwalk and talksequence, which is commonly used onStudio 60 on the Sunset Stripand Sorkin's previous series.[8]
Star Warsis frequently referenced in30 Rock,beginning with thepilot episodewhere Tracy Jordan is seen shouting that he is aJedi.[9]Liz Lemon admits to being a huge fan ofStar Wars,saying that she had watched it many times withPete Hornberger(Scott Adsit),[10]and saying she dressed up as theStar WarscharacterPrincess Leiafor several Halloweens.[11]Fey, a fan ofStar Warsherself, said that the weeklyStar Warsjoke or reference "started happening organically" when the crew realized that they had aStar Warsreference "in almost every show". Fey said that from then on "it became a thing where [they] tried to keep it going", and that even though they could not include one in every episode, they still had a "pretty high batting average". Fey attributed most of the references toRobert Carlock,who she described as "the resident expert".[12]In this episode, Liz repeatedly uses analogies fromStar Warsfor her situation with Jack, when she realizes that she "need[s] to get new DVDs".[13]
Reception[edit]
According to theNielsen ratingssystem, "Jack the Writer" was watched by approximately 4.61 million American viewers, ranking eighty-first in the weekly charts.[14]The episode received a rating of 1.7/5 in the key adults 18–49 demographic. The 1.7 refers to 1.7% of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and the 5 refers to 5% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. In the United Kingdom, the episode attracted 500,000 viewers and a 4% share of the viewing audience at the time of the broadcast.[15]
Robert Canning ofIGNfelt that while the episode was "still an entertaining half-hour, there was nothing to it that was incredibly memorable." He said that Tracy Jordan was "quickly becoming one of the more enjoyable aspects of the show".[13]Matt Webb Mitovich ofTV Guidefelt that "this outing fell a bit flat for [him]". He thought that "the best moment this week, by far, had to be that big, fat wink to Aaron Sorkin'sStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip(andWest Wing,andSports Night... ), where Liz and Pete, upon realizing that they had traveled in a small circle over the course of a banter exchange, shrugged and said, 'Nice walk-and-talk', and then bumped fists. Nice. "[16]
See also[edit]
- Jack Unterweger(1950-1994), Austrian serial murderer, a.k.a. "" Jack the writer "
References[edit]
- ^Pickard, Anna (2007-11-01)."Watch This".Media Guardian.Retrieved2008-08-09.
- ^"30 Rock: Episodes".London: Screenrush (AlloCiné).Retrieved2010-04-27.
- ^Friend, Tad (2006-04-24)."Who's on First Dept: Shows about Shows".The New Yorker.Retrieved2008-08-01.
- ^McFarland, Melanie (2006-07-22)."Tina Fey's Weekend Update: Aaron Sorkin calls her out!".Seattle Post-Intelligencer.Retrieved2008-07-31.
- ^Sassone, Bob (2007-04-05)."Here's why 30 Rock was renewed and Studio 60 won't be".TV Squad.Retrieved2010-10-22.
- ^Starr, Michael (2007-05-01)."StudioSinks, Not30 Rock".New York Post.Archived fromthe originalon 2007-05-03.Retrieved2008-08-04.
- ^Friedman, Roger (2007-05-11)."Lights Go Out onStudio 60".Fox News Channel.Retrieved2008-08-10.
- ^Ostrow, Joanne (2006-10-14)."Memo to Sorkin: Lighten up".The Denver Post.Retrieved2008-08-06.
- ^Writer(s):Tina Fey;Director:Adam Bernstein(2006-10-11). "Pilot".30 Rock.Season 1. Episode 1.NBC Universal.NBC.
- ^Writers: Dave Finkel, Brett Baer; Director: Beth McCarthy (2007-04-05). "Fireworks".30 Rock.Season 1. Episode 18.NBC Universal.NBC.
- ^Writer(s): Robert Carlock,Daisy Gardner;Director: Don Scardino (2007-03-01). "The Source Awards".30 Rock.Season 1. Episode 16.NBC Universal.NBC.
- ^Topel, Fred (2007-09-16)."Tina Fey Gets the Gold".Crave Online. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-08-21.Retrieved2008-07-07.
- ^abCanning, Robert (2006-11-02)."30 Rock:"Jack the Writer" Review ".IGN.Retrieved2008-08-01.
- ^ABCMedianet,(November 7, 2006) "Weekly Program RankingsArchived2010-05-28 at theWayback Machine".Retrieved on August 8, 2008.
- ^Tryhorn, Chris (2007-11-02)."Wedded Bliss forEastEnders".Media Guardian.Retrieved2008-08-09.
- ^Webb Mitovich, Matt (2006-11-02)."November 1, 2006:" Nuts to You, McGullicuty! "".TV Guide.Archived fromthe originalon September 21, 2008.Retrieved2008-08-09.
External links[edit]
