Reaganing
Encyclopedia
"Reaganing" is the fifth episode of the fifth season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
, and the 85th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Matt Hubbard
and directed by Todd Holland
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) network in the United States on October 22, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include Kelsey Grammer
, Seth Kirschner, and Jen Ponton.
In the episode, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) is succeeding at all of his tasks, and as a result of having a good day, as he is on a roll, he decides to help Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) figure out her relationship status with Carol (Matt Damon
). Meanwhile, Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) and Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) enlist the help of actor Kelsey Grammer to help them pull off a scam, and Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) tries to film a commercial for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
"Reaganing" was generally, though not universally, well-received among television critics. According to Nielsen Media Research
, the episode was watched by 5.182 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.2 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic. For his work in this episode, Matt Hubbard received a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination in the category for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.
(Alec Baldwin
) agrees to give sketch show TGS with Tracy Jordan head writer Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) a ride to Newark Liberty International Airport
to meet her boyfriend Carol (Matt Damon
). On the way, she tells him that she is having intimacy issues with Carol and wants to end the relationship. Jack, who is having a successful run of problem-solving, encourages Liz to confide in him so that he can help solve her problem. She tells him of a traumatic incident from her childhood when, preparing to use the bathroom whilst wearing roller skates, she pulled down her underpants and fell, pulling a Tom Jones
poster on top of her. Her mother (Anita Gillette
) discovered Liz under the poster and suspecting her of masturbating, took all her posters away. With their limousine stuck in traffic, Jack exits the vehicle to try to digest Liz's story.
At the same time, TGS star Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) tries to film a commercial for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America but has a difficult time remembering his line resulting in production holding traffic up as the commercial shoot is blocking off a street. Jack comes upon the scene and realizes the problem. To speed things up, he gives Tracy jelly beans to eat and while he is chewing, Jack imitates Tracy's voice and says the line Tracy was scheduled to say.
Back in the car, Jack begins to lose confidence in his problem-solving abilities because Liz still wants to break up with Carol. As they talk through Liz's past problems with sex, they realize that they are all connected to the incident with the Tom Jones poster and that each time she has had a problem, it is because she has been reminded of the singer. Liz is relieved that she has found the root of her problem and Jack convinces her to stay with Carol. When they finally reach Newark Airport, Liz realizes that she is supposed to meet him at John F. Kennedy International Airport
instead.
Meanwhile, TGS star Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) receives a card from Carvel that entitles her to free ice cream cakes for life. She gets a free cake with the card but it has a mistake in the decoration so NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) returns it to the restaurant. When he gets a refund for the free cake, Jenna decides to scam
the restaurant. With Kenneth's help, she orders several more cakes and gets refunds for them. Eventually Jenna is banned from Carvel. The two then enlist actor Kelsey Grammer
to assist them in a bigger scam. Jenna and Kenneth submit a sketch to TGS producer Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) in Liz's name that requires dozens of cakes. Grammer orders the cakes and later gets refunds for all of them. The gang has now collected money from both TGS and Carvel for 21 free cakes, a windfall of nearly 800 dollars. Kenneth runs into one of the Carvel employees (Jen Ponton) and learns that she was fired because of the scam. Realizing the negative effect of their actions, Kenneth decides not to take part in the scams anymore.
"Reaganing" was written by co-executive producer Matt Hubbard
, his first episode for the fifth season
, and his eleventh writing credit after "The Rural Juror
", "Hard Ball", "The Collection
", "MILF Island
", "Reunion
", "Larry King
", "Cutbacks", "Audition Day
", "Anna Howard Shaw Day
", and "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land
". The episode was directed by Todd Holland
, making it his second for the series after directing the February 5, 2009, episode "Generalissimo
" from the show's third season
. This episode of 30 Rock originally aired in the United States on October 21, 2010, on NBC as the fifth episode of the show's fifth season and the 85th overall episode of the series. "Reaganing" was filmed on September 14, and September 20, 2010.
Co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock
said that the upcoming season would address Liz Lemon's sexual problems, explaining that "[we] finally get to the bottom of where [her] sextual dysfunction comes from." In this episode, it is revealed that Liz's problem stems from an incident from her childhood involving a poster of singer Tom Jones
. Actor Kelsey Grammer played himself in "Reaganing" in which he helps Jenna Maroney and Kenneth Parcell scam Carvel, an ice cream franchise. Following the broadcast, Carvel thanked the show for referencing them in the episode despite making them "the butt of the joke." In addition, Carvel enjoyed the subplot scheme, noting it "was pretty funny stuff!"
This was actor Seth Kirschner's third appearance as the character Shawn, a film and television director. In the episode, Shawn is the director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America commercial and gets frustrated with Tracy Jordan when Tracy cannot remember his line during the shoot. Kirschner previously appeared in two season four
episodes "Into the Crevasse
" and "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land". Jen Ponton, who plays a Carvel employee who gets fired, said that the cast and crew of 30 Rock were "wonderful to work with. Everyone was absolutely top-notch. The whole crew was very professional. They treated me very well". Ponton auditioned for her role in September and got the job within a few days.
Ronald Reagan
—and that the only people to accomplish this have been businessman Lee Iacocca
, former General Electric
Chairman and CEO Jack Welch
, and former President of Iraq
Saddam Hussein
. Tracy tells Kenneth that he turned down the opportunity to host the MTV International Awards to film a commercial for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America instead. As a result of her participation in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
, Jenna is given a card from Carvel that entitles her to free ice cream cakes for life in which she and Kenneth decide to abuse the card which results in Jenna being banned from Carvel from life. This subplot was a reference to Dina Lohan
, the mother of actress Lindsay Lohan
, who abused her daughter's Carvel card and as a result she was banned from ever using the card.
Liz says that after her mother found her under a Tom Jones poster with her underpants around her ankles her mother removed all her posters from her room which included Grizzly Adams, Larry Wilcox
as his television character Officer Jon Baker from CHiPs
, Harrison Ford
as Han Solo
from Star Wars
, Philadelphia Phillies
players Tug McGraw
and Mike Schmidt
, Kermit the Frog
, and Gunther Gebel-Williams
.
After learning Jenna's scheme to con Carvel, Kenneth says that it is wrong and illegal, and says that if Cookie Puss
knew about this "he'd tear us apart with his fangs." This is a reference to Cookie Puss, an ice cream cake character created by Carvel in the 1970s. A television commentator opined that the Carvel storyline here referenced the 1973 caper film The Sting
that starred Paul Newman
and Robert Redford
, as two professional grifters, who decide to con a mob boss, played by Robert Shaw
. In addition, after ordering the cakes with mistakes on them at a Carvel location, Grammer touches his nose as a sign to Jenna and Kenneth, who are outside, that he has ordered them, a similar gesture that Newman did in the film.
, "Reaganing" was watched by 5.182 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 2.2 rating/7 share in the 18–49 demographic. This means that it was seen by 2.9 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 7 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. The episode constituted a 30 percent drop in viewership from the previous week's episode, "Live Show
", which was watched by 6.701 million American viewers. Matt Hubbard received a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
.
Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for HitFix reported that despite "Reaganing" not being a perfect episode it was still "a very good one in what's so far ... been a very strong rebound season for 30 Rock." Juli Weiner of Vanity Fair
wrote, "the episode was quick, sharp, and consistent". Meredith Blake of the Los Angeles Times
enjoyed Tracy's plot here, noting that his attempts to deliver a single line was highly entertaining. The Cornell Daily Sun
s Scott Eidler said that Jenna and Kenneth's subplot "wasn't laugh-out-loud funny", nonetheless "it was a nice realistic turn for characterization!" Johnny Firecloud of CraveOnline
deemed "Reaganing" an excellent episode from the series. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club
was positive about Jenna and Kenneth's story, noting it went from amusing to hilarious. He was not "overly blown away" with Liz's plot, but said it redeemed itself at the end "by providing another nice moment of connection" between the Jack and Liz characters. Rabin gave "Reaganing" a B+ grade. Samantha Urban of The Dallas Morning News
said that the best part of the episode was Jack McBrayer's Kenneth "actually [having] some funny lines for the first time in awhile." The Fordham Rams Celeste Kmiotek said that the episode was "perhaps more awkward than normal ... but it was nonetheless hilarious, and was tempered by its ability to throw cultural references into everything until you almost forget what is actually being discussed." Entertainment Weekly
contributor Annie Barrett liked Kelsey Grammer's appearance, but mostly enjoyed the fact that 30 Rock devoted an episode to Tina Fey's character as "the sexual equivalent of a million Hindenburgs" and was pleased with the numerous Liz flashbacks from past episodes that were featured here.
Not all reviews were positive. Bob Sassone
of AOL
's TV Squad reported that this episode was an odd one produced by the show. "I don't know if it was the off-balance tone the episode had because two of the three plots took place outside, but it just wasn't as good as most episodes." Brad Sanders of the Indiana Daily Student
called Jenna and Kenneth's plot a travesty, commenting that the two along with Grammer scamming Carvel was "diabolical, and definitely not funny enough to justify the horribleness". In regards to the episode, itself, Sanders wrote that it was "mostly awful".
30 Rock (season 5)
The fifth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series on the NBC network in the United States, began airing on September 23, 2010. NBC announced on March 5, 2010 that 30 Rock would be returning for a fifth season in the 2010–2011 television season...
of the American television comedy 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...
, and the 85th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard is an American television writer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows. He graduated from Beverly High School, in Beverly, Massachusetts in the class of 1996, where he excelled in the English Department. He later went on to attend Harvard University where he was an...
and directed by Todd Holland
Todd Holland
Todd Holland is an American television and film director and producer.-Personal life:Holland was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania and raised in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He was an honor student, graduating from Meadville Area Sr. High School. While there, he got his feet wet...
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
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...
(NBC) network in the United States on October 22, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
, Seth Kirschner, and Jen Ponton.
In the episode, 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....
(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...
) is succeeding at all of his tasks, and as a result of having a good day, as he is on a roll, he decides to help 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...
) figure out her relationship status with Carol (Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
). Meanwhile, 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...
(Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
) 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...
(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"...
) enlist the help of actor Kelsey Grammer to help them pull off a scam, and Tracy Jordan
Tracy 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:...
(Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
) tries to film a commercial for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
"Reaganing" was generally, though not universally, well-received among television critics. According to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, the episode was watched by 5.182 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.2 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic. For his work in this episode, Matt Hubbard received a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination in the category for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.
Plot
Jack DonaghyJack 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....
(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...
) agrees to give sketch show TGS with Tracy Jordan head writer 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...
) a ride to Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
to meet her boyfriend Carol (Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
). On the way, she tells him that she is having intimacy issues with Carol and wants to end the relationship. Jack, who is having a successful run of problem-solving, encourages Liz to confide in him so that he can help solve her problem. She tells him of a traumatic incident from her childhood when, preparing to use the bathroom whilst wearing roller skates, she pulled down her underpants and fell, pulling a Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
poster on top of her. Her mother (Anita Gillette
Anita Gillette
Anita Gillette is an American actress, most notable for her work on Broadway and as a celebrity guest on various game shows....
) discovered Liz under the poster and suspecting her of masturbating, took all her posters away. With their limousine stuck in traffic, Jack exits the vehicle to try to digest Liz's story.
At the same time, TGS star Tracy Jordan
Tracy 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:...
(Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
) tries to film a commercial for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America but has a difficult time remembering his line resulting in production holding traffic up as the commercial shoot is blocking off a street. Jack comes upon the scene and realizes the problem. To speed things up, he gives Tracy jelly beans to eat and while he is chewing, Jack imitates Tracy's voice and says the line Tracy was scheduled to say.
Back in the car, Jack begins to lose confidence in his problem-solving abilities because Liz still wants to break up with Carol. As they talk through Liz's past problems with sex, they realize that they are all connected to the incident with the Tom Jones poster and that each time she has had a problem, it is because she has been reminded of the singer. Liz is relieved that she has found the root of her problem and Jack convinces her to stay with Carol. When they finally reach Newark Airport, Liz realizes that she is supposed to meet him at John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
instead.
Meanwhile, TGS star 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...
(Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
) receives a card from Carvel that entitles her to free ice cream cakes for life. She gets a free cake with the card but it has a mistake in the decoration so NBC page
NBC page
An NBC page is a person usually in his or her early twenties working in various departments of the NBC television network during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television broadcasting and entertainment...
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...
(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"...
) returns it to the restaurant. When he gets a refund for the free cake, Jenna decides to scam
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
the restaurant. With Kenneth's help, she orders several more cakes and gets refunds for them. Eventually Jenna is banned from Carvel. The two then enlist actor Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
to assist them in a bigger scam. Jenna and Kenneth submit a sketch to TGS producer Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
) in Liz's name that requires dozens of cakes. Grammer orders the cakes and later gets refunds for all of them. The gang has now collected money from both TGS and Carvel for 21 free cakes, a windfall of nearly 800 dollars. Kenneth runs into one of the Carvel employees (Jen Ponton) and learns that she was fired because of the scam. Realizing the negative effect of their actions, Kenneth decides not to take part in the scams anymore.
Production
Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard is an American television writer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows. He graduated from Beverly High School, in Beverly, Massachusetts in the class of 1996, where he excelled in the English Department. He later went on to attend Harvard University where he was an...
, his first episode for the fifth season
30 Rock (season 5)
The fifth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series on the NBC network in the United States, began airing on September 23, 2010. NBC announced on March 5, 2010 that 30 Rock would be returning for a fifth season in the 2010–2011 television season...
, and his eleventh writing credit after "The Rural Juror
The Rural Juror
"The Rural Juror" is the tenth episode of the first season of 30 Rock and tenth episode of the series. It was written by Matt Hubbard and was directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode first aired on January 11, 2007, on the NBC network in the United States and December 13, 2007, on Five in the United...
", "Hard Ball", "The Collection
The Collection (30 Rock)
"The Collection" is the third episode of NBC's second season of 30 Rock, and the twenty-fourth episode overall. It was written by producer Matt Hubbard and directed by producer Don Scardino, and first aired on October 18, 2007 in the United States...
", "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...
", "Reunion
Reunion (30 Rock)
"Reunion" is the fifth episode of the third season of American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 41st episode of the series overall. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company network...
", "Larry King
Larry King (30 Rock)
"Larry King" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 48th overall episode of the series. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Constantine Makris. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting...
", "Cutbacks", "Audition Day
Audition Day
"Audition Day" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 62nd overall episode of the series. The episode was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting...
", "Anna Howard Shaw Day
Anna Howard Shaw Day
"Anna Howard Shaw Day" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 71st episode of the series overall. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Ken Whittingham. The episode originally aired on the National...
", and "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land
Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land
"Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land" is the twenty-first episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 79th overall episode of the series. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. The episode originally aired on...
". The episode was directed by Todd Holland
Todd Holland
Todd Holland is an American television and film director and producer.-Personal life:Holland was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania and raised in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He was an honor student, graduating from Meadville Area Sr. High School. While there, he got his feet wet...
, making it his second for the series after directing the February 5, 2009, episode "Generalissimo
Generalissimo (30 Rock)
"Generalissimo" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by executive producer Robert Carlock and directed by Todd Holland. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company in the United States on February 5, 2009...
" from the show's third season
30 Rock (season 3)
The third season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
. This episode of 30 Rock originally aired in the United States on October 21, 2010, on NBC as the fifth episode of the show's fifth season and the 85th overall episode of the series. "Reaganing" was filmed on September 14, and September 20, 2010.
Co-showrunner and 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:...
said that the upcoming season would address Liz Lemon's sexual problems, explaining that "[we] finally get to the bottom of where [her] sextual dysfunction comes from." In this episode, it is revealed that Liz's problem stems from an incident from her childhood involving a poster of singer Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
. Actor Kelsey Grammer played himself in "Reaganing" in which he helps Jenna Maroney and Kenneth Parcell scam Carvel, an ice cream franchise. Following the broadcast, Carvel thanked the show for referencing them in the episode despite making them "the butt of the joke." In addition, Carvel enjoyed the subplot scheme, noting it "was pretty funny stuff!"
This was actor Seth Kirschner's third appearance as the character Shawn, a film and television director. In the episode, Shawn is the director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America commercial and gets frustrated with Tracy Jordan when Tracy cannot remember his line during the shoot. Kirschner previously appeared in two season four
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
episodes "Into the Crevasse
Into the Crevasse
"Into the Crevasse" is the second episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 60th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. It originally aired on...
" and "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land". Jen Ponton, who plays a Carvel employee who gets fired, said that the cast and crew of 30 Rock were "wonderful to work with. Everyone was absolutely top-notch. The whole crew was very professional. They treated me very well". Ponton auditioned for her role in September and got the job within a few days.
Cultural references
In the beginning of the episode, Jack tells Liz that he has entered "a magic zone of error-free living" which he calls "Reaganing"—named after former United States PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
—and that the only people to accomplish this have been businessman Lee Iacocca
Lee Iacocca
Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca is an American businessman known for engineering the Mustang, the unsuccessful Ford Pinto, being fired from Ford Motor Company, and his revival of the Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s...
, former General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Chairman and CEO Jack Welch
Jack Welch
John Francis "Jack" Welch, Jr. is an American chemical engineer, business executive, and author. He was Chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001...
, and former President of Iraq
President of Iraq
The President of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of...
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. Tracy tells Kenneth that he turned down the opportunity to host the MTV International Awards to film a commercial for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America instead. As a result of her participation in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
, Jenna is given a card from Carvel that entitles her to free ice cream cakes for life in which she and Kenneth decide to abuse the card which results in Jenna being banned from Carvel from life. This subplot was a reference to Dina Lohan
Dina Lohan
Donata "Dina" Lohan is a television personality and occasional actress who rose to fame as the mother and manager of actress/pop singer Lindsay Lohan, and Lindsay's younger sister Ali Lohan, with whom Dina co-starred in the reality show Living Lohan.-Family and marriage:Lohan was born and raised...
, the mother of actress Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
, who abused her daughter's Carvel card and as a result she was banned from ever using the card.
Liz says that after her mother found her under a Tom Jones poster with her underpants around her ankles her mother removed all her posters from her room which included Grizzly Adams, Larry Wilcox
Larry Wilcox
Larry Wilcox is an American actor, best known for his role as Officer Jonathan "Jon" Baker in CHiPs, an American television series.-Military service:...
as his television character Officer Jon Baker from CHiPs
CHiPs
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
, Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
as Han Solo
Han Solo
Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise played by Harrison Ford. Introduced in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca , become involved in the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire...
from Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
players Tug McGraw
Tug McGraw
Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...
and Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
, Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
, and Gunther Gebel-Williams
Gunther Gebel-Williams
Gunther Gebel-Williams was an animal trainer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1968-1990.-Early life:...
.
After learning Jenna's scheme to con Carvel, Kenneth says that it is wrong and illegal, and says that if Cookie Puss
Cookie Puss
Cookie Puss is an ice cream cake character created by Carvel in the 1970s as an expansion of its line of freshly made products sold only in its stores, along with Hug-Me Bear and Fudgie the Whale...
knew about this "he'd tear us apart with his fangs." This is a reference to Cookie Puss, an ice cream cake character created by Carvel in the 1970s. A television commentator opined that the Carvel storyline here referenced the 1973 caper film The Sting
The Sting
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
that starred Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
and Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
, as two professional grifters, who decide to con a mob boss, played by Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw (actor)
Robert Archibald Shaw was an English actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting , From Russia with Love , A Man for All Seasons , the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , Black Sunday , The Deep and Jaws , where he played the shark hunter Quint.-Early life...
. In addition, after ordering the cakes with mistakes on them at a Carvel location, Grammer touches his nose as a sign to Jenna and Kenneth, who are outside, that he has ordered them, a similar gesture that Newman did in the film.
Reception
According to Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, "Reaganing" was watched by 5.182 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 2.2 rating/7 share in the 18–49 demographic. This means that it was seen by 2.9 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 7 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. The episode constituted a 30 percent drop in viewership from the previous week's episode, "Live Show
Live Show
"Live Show" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 84th overall episode of the series. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller, and co-written by series creator Tina Fey and co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock...
", which was watched by 6.701 million American viewers. Matt Hubbard received a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2010 until May 31, 2011, was held on September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the ceremony within the United States. Actress Jane Lynch hosted...
.
Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for HitFix reported that despite "Reaganing" not being a perfect episode it was still "a very good one in what's so far ... been a very strong rebound season for 30 Rock." Juli Weiner of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
wrote, "the episode was quick, sharp, and consistent". Meredith Blake of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
enjoyed Tracy's plot here, noting that his attempts to deliver a single line was highly entertaining. The Cornell Daily Sun
The Cornell Daily Sun
The Cornell Daily Sun is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University. It is the oldest independent college daily in the United States....
s Scott Eidler said that Jenna and Kenneth's subplot "wasn't laugh-out-loud funny", nonetheless "it was a nice realistic turn for characterization!" Johnny Firecloud of CraveOnline
CraveOnline
CraveOnline is a male lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company AtomicOnline, the publishing division of Evolve Media Corp.- History :...
deemed "Reaganing" an excellent episode from the series. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
was positive about Jenna and Kenneth's story, noting it went from amusing to hilarious. He was not "overly blown away" with Liz's plot, but said it redeemed itself at the end "by providing another nice moment of connection" between the Jack and Liz characters. Rabin gave "Reaganing" a B+ grade. Samantha Urban of The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
said that the best part of the episode was Jack McBrayer's Kenneth "actually [having] some funny lines for the first time in awhile." The Fordham Rams Celeste Kmiotek said that the episode was "perhaps more awkward than normal ... but it was nonetheless hilarious, and was tempered by its ability to throw cultural references into everything until you almost forget what is actually being discussed." 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...
contributor Annie Barrett liked Kelsey Grammer's appearance, but mostly enjoyed the fact that 30 Rock devoted an episode to Tina Fey's character as "the sexual equivalent of a million Hindenburgs" and was pleased with the numerous Liz flashbacks from past episodes that were featured here.
Not all reviews were positive. 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 reported that this episode was an odd one produced by the show. "I don't know if it was the off-balance tone the episode had because two of the three plots took place outside, but it just wasn't as good as most episodes." Brad Sanders of the Indiana Daily Student
Indiana Daily Student
The Indiana Daily Student is an independent, student-run newspaper that has been published for the community of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana since 1867. The IDS is free and distributed throughout the campus and city.- Circulation :...
called Jenna and Kenneth's plot a travesty, commenting that the two along with Grammer scamming Carvel was "diabolical, and definitely not funny enough to justify the horribleness". In regards to the episode, itself, Sanders wrote that it was "mostly awful".