Episode 210
Encyclopedia
The untitled tenth episode of the second season
of the television series 30 Rock
was first broadcast in the United States on January 10, 2008, on the NBC
network. The episode was written by show runner
Robert Carlock
and Donald Glover
, and was directed by Richard Shepard
. Guest stars include James Arden, Julia Barnett, Kevin Brown
, James Cavanagh Burke, Grizz Chapman
, Edie Falco
, Toby Huss
and Gladys Knight
, who appeared as herself. The episode focuses on Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) and her decision to invest in real-estate, Jack Donaghy
's (Alec Baldwin
) choice between his job and his girlfriend
, and Kenneth Parcell
's (Jack McBrayer
) addiction to coffee.
The production and broadcasting of this episode was heavily affected by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
. Despite never being officially named by NBC, "Episode 210" has been unofficially titled "Liz the Business Woman" and "Coffee & TV." Although not unanimously praised by critics, the episode attracted generally positive reviews and was particularly appreciated for its cast rendition of the 1973 Gladys Knight & the Pips
hit "Midnight Train to Georgia
". Liz also sings a snippet of Alanis Morissette
's "You Oughta Know
" when leaving a message for the co-op board.
buys a coffee machine and puts it on Kenneth Parcell's desk, causing him to develop a caffeine addiction. Kenneth believes that he has been "sodomized
", and feels guilty that he has let New York change him, contrary to a promise he made to his mother. He therefore decides to return to Georgia
on the midnight train
; however, he gets confused with the departure time and stays. Meanwhile, Liz takes Jack's advice to invest in real estate, and Jenna Maroney
tells Liz that her business manager is selling his apartment. The sale is subject to the approval of the building's cooperative board, but Liz makes a bad impression and her purchase offer is rejected. Liz gets herself drunk and makes numerous phone calls to the board.
Jack is involved in negotiations to acquire a German cable television network, but is struggling to juggle his job and his relationship with C.C., whose work has taken her to Washington DC. Unable to see each other when they want to, the couple decide to "meet in the middle" (in a betting parlor in Pennsylvania
), but this arrangement proves unsuitable and they later decide to break up. Jack, in conversation with Liz, compares his relationship to Liz's previous relationship with Floyd, and Liz declares in song that she has to go.
Parts of this episode were filmed during the week of November 5, 2007, which coincided with the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
. The strike, which began at 00:01 EST
on November 5, 2007, did not affect the episode as it had been written earlier and filming was finished on November 9. Members of Writers Guild of America, East
and Writers Guild of America, West
voted to end the writers' strike on February 12, 2008, and although writers were allowed to return to work on the same day, Robert Carlock returned to work on February 11. The remaining writers resumed work on February 13, which began the production of the next episode, "MILF Island
". During the filming, actor and executive producer Tina Fey had to balance her duties in order not to breach WGA
strike rules. Fey also took to the picket lines along with co-star Jack McBrayer. Alec Baldwin wrote blogs on The Huffington Post
website in order to demonstrate his support for the WGA writers.
"Episode 210" was broadcast on January 10, 2008 and was the final episode, including repeats, of 30 Rock to be broadcast until the episode "MILF Island" in April. This episode is also notable for being officially unnamed; NBC billed this episode on its press releases as "Episode 210." This led some critics to give it the unofficial title of "Liz the Business Woman", while others named it, "Coffee & TV."
Entertainment Weekly
' s Jeff Labrecque wrote "the episode really finished strong with a fabulous Gladys Knight musical number". Matt Webb Mitovich of TV Guide
also praised the musical number, saying "that 'Midnight Train to Georgia' number at the end of tonight's episode... Wow. So out of nowhere and so fun." Bob Sassone
of AOL
's TV Squad said that the episode "was a good episode to go into the hiatus with, if that makes things better". He criticized the fact that the fictional TGS writing staff was not present in this episode, even though they could have been effectively used. Michael Neal of Television Without Pity awarded the episode a grading of A+. The Boston Globe's Joanna Weiss reviewed the episode positively, saying "[the episode] concluded with a musical interlude that was both hilarious and wistful".
Despite the good reviews, there was no universal acclaim from critics as a whole. Robert Canning of IGN
said that "[this episode] wasn't the most spectacular half-hour from this truncated season" and "unfortunately, there wasn't all that much that was funny about it. Sure, there were a couple of decent one-liners, but overall [Kenneth's storyline] offered up nothing new." Despite these criticisms, Canning added further praise to the "Midnight Train to Georgia" performance. Canning gave this episode a rating of 8.4 out of 10.
30 Rock (season 2)
The second season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, originally aired between October 4, 2007 and May 8, 2008 on NBC in the United States. 30 Rock takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series depicted as airing on NBC; the name refers to 30 Rockefeller...
of the television series 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
was first broadcast in the United States on January 10, 2008, on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network. The episode was written by show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock is an American television producer and screenwriter most widely known for his work as a writer for several NBC television comedies, particularly his work with Tina Fey as show runners for 30 Rock.-Early years:...
and Donald Glover
Donald Glover
Donald McKinley Glover is an American actor, writer, comedian, and musician. Glover first came to attention for his work in the sketch group Derrick Comedy, and is best known for his role as community college student Troy Barnes on the NBC comedy series Community...
, and was directed by Richard Shepard
Richard Shepard
Richard Shepard is an American film and television director and screenwriter. In 2007 Shepard received a Directors Guild of America Award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for the television pilot Ugly Betty....
. Guest stars include James Arden, Julia Barnett, Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown (actor)
Kevin 'Dot Com' Brown is an American comedian, film and television actor, best known for his role on the series 30 Rock as "Dot Com".Brown also appeared as the lead in Marq Overton's one-man play Die Laughing in 2008 at the Diversity Players of Harlem and as an actor and executive producer of the...
, James Cavanagh Burke, Grizz Chapman
Grizz Chapman
Grizzwald "Grizz" Chapman is an American television actor best known for his recurring role as Grizz on the NBC series 30 Rock. A June 2007 interview with rollingout.com lists Chapman's height as 6'10". In his commentary for the episode "Tracy Does Conan," Tracy Morgan revealed that they met when...
, Edie Falco
Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...
, Toby Huss
Toby Huss
Toby Edward Huss is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Artie, the Strongest Man in the World on the cult hit Nickelodeon TV series The Adventures of Pete & Pete, for his voice-over work on the long running animated series King of the Hill, and for his role as Felix 'Stumpy'...
and Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
, who appeared as herself. The episode focuses on Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) and her decision to invest in real-estate, Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
's (Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
) choice between his job and his girlfriend
Girlfriend
Girlfriend is a term that can refer to either a female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship or a female non-romantic friend that is closer than other friends....
, and Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
's (Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
) addiction to coffee.
The production and broadcasting of this episode was heavily affected by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
. Despite never being officially named by NBC, "Episode 210" has been unofficially titled "Liz the Business Woman" and "Coffee & TV." Although not unanimously praised by critics, the episode attracted generally positive reviews and was particularly appreciated for its cast rendition of the 1973 Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...
hit "Midnight Train to Georgia
Midnight Train to Georgia
"Midnight Train to Georgia" is a 1973 number-one hit single by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records...
". Liz also sings a snippet of Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
's "You Oughta Know
You Oughta Know
"You Oughta Know" is a alternative rock song, which also is known for its grunge effect styles in it. The instruments held in it are guitars, electric guitars, drums and drum machine...
" when leaving a message for the co-op board.
Plot
Tracy JordanTracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
buys a coffee machine and puts it on Kenneth Parcell's desk, causing him to develop a caffeine addiction. Kenneth believes that he has been "sodomized
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
", and feels guilty that he has let New York change him, contrary to a promise he made to his mother. He therefore decides to return to Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
on the midnight train
Midnight Train to Georgia
"Midnight Train to Georgia" is a 1973 number-one hit single by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records...
; however, he gets confused with the departure time and stays. Meanwhile, Liz takes Jack's advice to invest in real estate, and Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
tells Liz that her business manager is selling his apartment. The sale is subject to the approval of the building's cooperative board, but Liz makes a bad impression and her purchase offer is rejected. Liz gets herself drunk and makes numerous phone calls to the board.
Jack is involved in negotiations to acquire a German cable television network, but is struggling to juggle his job and his relationship with C.C., whose work has taken her to Washington DC. Unable to see each other when they want to, the couple decide to "meet in the middle" (in a betting parlor in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
), but this arrangement proves unsuitable and they later decide to break up. Jack, in conversation with Liz, compares his relationship to Liz's previous relationship with Floyd, and Liz declares in song that she has to go.
Production
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
. The strike, which began at 00:01 EST
Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
on November 5, 2007, did not affect the episode as it had been written earlier and filming was finished on November 9. Members of Writers Guild of America, East
Writers Guild of America, East
Writers Guild of America, East is a labor union representing writers of television and film and employees of television and radio news. The 2006 membership of the guild was 3,770....
and Writers Guild of America, West
Writers Guild of America, west
Writers Guild of America, West is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. The Guild was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, which include the Screen Writers Guild...
voted to end the writers' strike on February 12, 2008, and although writers were allowed to return to work on the same day, Robert Carlock returned to work on February 11. The remaining writers resumed work on February 13, which began the production of the next episode, "MILF Island
MILF Island
"MILF Island" is the eleventh episode of NBC's second season of 30 Rock and thirty-second episode overall. It was written by the series' creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey and producer Matt Hubbard. The director of the episode was Kevin Rodney Sullivan. It aired on April 10, 2008...
". During the filming, actor and executive producer Tina Fey had to balance her duties in order not to breach WGA
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
strike rules. Fey also took to the picket lines along with co-star Jack McBrayer. Alec Baldwin wrote blogs on The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
website in order to demonstrate his support for the WGA writers.
"Episode 210" was broadcast on January 10, 2008 and was the final episode, including repeats, of 30 Rock to be broadcast until the episode "MILF Island" in April. This episode is also notable for being officially unnamed; NBC billed this episode on its press releases as "Episode 210." This led some critics to give it the unofficial title of "Liz the Business Woman", while others named it, "Coffee & TV."
Reception
On its original broadcast in the United States, "Episode 210" was viewed by 6.0 million viewers and earned a 2.8/7 in the 18-49 year old demographic. This means that it was seen by 2.8% of all 18–49 years olds, and 7% of all 18-49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast.Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
also praised the musical number, saying "that 'Midnight Train to Georgia' number at the end of tonight's episode... Wow. So out of nowhere and so fun." Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone is an American writer. He was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to Italian and Portuguese parents. He is the youngest of seven children....
of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad said that the episode "was a good episode to go into the hiatus with, if that makes things better". He criticized the fact that the fictional TGS writing staff was not present in this episode, even though they could have been effectively used. Michael Neal of Television Without Pity awarded the episode a grading of A+. The Boston Globe
Despite the good reviews, there was no universal acclaim from critics as a whole. Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said that "[this episode] wasn't the most spectacular half-hour from this truncated season" and "unfortunately, there wasn't all that much that was funny about it. Sure, there were a couple of decent one-liners, but overall [Kenneth's storyline] offered up nothing new." Despite these criticisms, Canning added further praise to the "Midnight Train to Georgia" performance. Canning gave this episode a rating of 8.4 out of 10.
See also
- 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strikeThe 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
- Effect of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike on televisionEffect of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike on televisionThe 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, which began on November 5, 2007, was a labor conflict that affected a large number of television shows that were due to be broadcast in the United States during the 2007-08 television season...