Blind Date (25 Oct. 2006)

Jack convinces Liz to go on a date with his friend Thomas. Since she hadn't had a date for a year, Liz gets quite nervous about the Blind Date. When her date turns out to be a woman, Liz is... See full summary »

Director:

Adam Bernstein

Writers:

Tina Fey (creator), John Riggi

Stars:

Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Tina Fey	...	Liz Lemon
Tracy Morgan	...	Tracy Jordan
Jane Krakowski	...	Jenna Maroney (credit only)
Jack McBrayer	...	Kenneth Parcell
Scott Adsit	...	Pete Hornberger
Judah Friedlander	...	Frank Rossitano
Alec Baldwin	...	Jack Donaghy
Keith Powell	...	Toofer
Lonny Ross	...	Josh Girard
Katrina Bowden	...	Cerie
Maulik Pancholy	...	Jonathan
Stephanie March	...	Gretchen Thomas
Kevin Brown	...	Dot Com
Grizz Chapman	...	Grizz
Brett Baer	...	Guy at Bar

Storyline

Jack convinces Liz to go on a date with his friend Thomas. Since she hadn't had a date for a year, Liz gets quite nervous about the Blind Date. When her date turns out to be a woman, Liz is quite confused about how other people see her. Meanwhile the writing staff have a poker night with Tracy and Jack. The later one turns the usually friendly game into a tough competition, when he convinces everyone to play for real money. The only one, who gives Jack a hard time winning is Kenneth.

---

Plot Keywords:

sitcom | lesbian

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Silvercup Studios - 4222 22nd Street, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Broadway Video, Little Stranger, NBC Universal Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Liz makes reference to the "grape lady falls" video when she falls in her apartment and makes similar sounds of pain on the ground off camera.

---

Goofs

During the final poker game chips are visible in front of Kenneth despite him telling Jack Donaghy that he had no more chips left to go "all in."

---

Quotes

Jack: [implying that mood affects the performance of his employees and that Liz always seems to be unhappy] Human contact is important, Lemon. I can tell from your stress level that you've not been touched in any way for quite some time. Not caressed. Not massaged. Not even groped on the subway. Do you agree that you need someone in your life, Lemon?
Liz Lemon: No. I have bigger things to worry about than my personal life.
Jack: I would think that the single woman's biggest worry would be choking to death in her ...

---

Connections

References Rain Man (1988)

User Reviews

"Those shoes are definitely bi-curious"

After focusing on the behind-the-scenes aspect of its concept, 30 Rock hits another high by shifting towards Liz's private life and granting minor characters more space. In this specific case, the character in question is Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer), the ambivalent NBC page.

The personal life storyline is centered on Jack's proposal that Liz go out on a date with his friend Thomas. The friend turns out to be Gretchen Thomas (Stephanie March), a lesbian. Nonetheless, Liz enjoys the evening and starts hanging out with Gretchen regularly, if only to make sure her worst fear - choking to death in an empty apartment - doesn't come true. Jack, on the other hand, joins the writing staff in a poker game and turns what used to be a friendly tradition into a full-on competition, beating everyone but Kenneth, the only person working at NBC that he can't "read".

McBrayer does his best with his moment in the spotlight, although the best moments remain Baldwin's reactions to the new situation, culminating in a spot-on Hannibal Lecter impression and a smart reference to The Godfather ("Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"). As for the lesbian part of the plot, Tina Fey's interactions with March make it funny without being excessive (despite the Oprah jokes). Then again, that detail is effortlessly handled by Judah Friedlander's semi-depraved Frank: when Liz asks him what guys like, his deadpan answer is a plain and simple "Porn". Lovely.