"30 Rock" Fireworks (2007)

Director:

Beth McCarthy-Miller

Writers:

Tina Fey (creator)
Dave Finkel (written by) ...

TV Series:

"30 Rock" (2006)

Original Air Date:

5 April 2007 (Season 1, Episode 18)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Jack uses Kenneth to scout a young gay competitor, Liz poses as an alcoholic to impress a guy she has a crush on, and Dr. Spaceman tells Tracy that he is a descendant of Thomas Jefferson.

Plot Keywords:

Gay Bait | Sitcom | Boss | Sketch | Writer

Cast

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
Will Arnett	...	Devon Banks
Chris Parnell	...	Dr. Leo Spaceman
Keith Powell	...	Toofer
Maulik Pancholy	...	Jonathan
Jason Sudeikis	...	Floyd
Al Roker	...	Himself
Maury Povich	...	Himself
Kay Cannon	...	Wife

Runtime:

27 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Broadway Video

Trivia:

In the 10-second Internet sitcom clip produced by Will Arnett's character, the credits that flash by list Arnett as a guest star.

Quotes:

Jack Donaghy: I want you on this, Lemon. Those jokes you wrote for my Mitt Romney fundraiser, they were top-notch.
Liz Lemon: Those weren't jokes! That was an appeal for a return to common sense and decency.
Jack Donaghy: Well, they got big laughs.

Movie Connections:

References Tootsie (1982)

The one with Thomas Jefferson and Will Arnett

Like Arrested Development before it, 30 Rock manages to find ways to stay fresh lesser sitcoms can only dream of. A good example is this episode, Fireworks, which cements the Development comparisons by having Will Arnett, aka Gob Bluth, as a guest star.

Arnett plays Devon Banks, the pioneer of ten-second sitcoms, a sleazy, opportunistic SOB who's after Jack's job. After finding out his competitor is gay and has a crush on Kenneth, Jack decides to use this to his advantage and figure out what Banks is planning, since no one is convinced his major idea (fireworks) will impress Don Geiss. Liz, on the other hand, is startled when she sees Floyd (Jason Sudeikis) go to church, since in her opinion it's weird to do so on a Tuesday. As for Tracy, his world is turned upside down when a DNA test he took for a paternity dispute reveals he's a direct descendant of none other than Thomas Jefferson.

Yes, most (actually, all) of these ideas are silly, but as Seinfeld brilliantly taught, silliness is often the key to clever comedy. And as usual, the witty script is supported by perfectly timed comedic acting: Rip Torn returns as Geiss to great effect, and Arnett, deservedly praised for his shamelessly shallow and moronic Arrested Development character, comes very close to stealing the show, Banks being essentially a more intelligent, but equally malevolent, version of Gob. However, his effort is beaten to the top spot by the most unexpected of cameos: a ghostly appearance by Thomas Jefferson, played with unrelenting, over-the-top glee by... No, I can't reveal that detail. It's just too funny to spoil. Where do they come up with this stuff?