"30 Rock" The Fighting Irish (2007)

Director:

Dennie Gordon

Writers:

Tina Fey (creator)
Jack Burditt (written by)

TV Series:

"30 Rock" (2006)

Original Air Date:

8 March 2007 (Season 1, Episode 17)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Eddie, Jack's brother, comes for a visit, who tells him that their father died. It turns out that Jack...

Plot Keywords:

Sitcom | Reference To Oprah Winfrey | Boss | Sketch | Writer

Cast

Tina Fey	...	Liz Lemon
Tracy Morgan	...	Tracy Jordan
Jane Krakowski	...	Jenna Maroney
Jack McBrayer	...	Kenneth Parcell
Scott Adsit	...	Pete Hornberger
Judah Friedlander	...	Frank Rossitano
Alec Baldwin	...	Jack Donaghy
Nathan Lane	...	Eddie Donaghy
Lonny Ross	...	Josh Girard
Katrina Bowden	...	Cerie
Maulik Pancholy	...	Jonathan
Brian Murray	...	Jack's Dad
Siobhan Fallon	...	Patricia (as Siobhan Fallon Hogan)
Boris McGiver	...	Patrick
Anna Chlumsky	...	Liz Lemler

Runtime:

22 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:

Frank's trucker hat reads "Liz Rocks".

Quotes:

Eddie Donaghy: I got a real job now: I talk homeless people into joining the army.
Jack Donaghy: Isn't there anything that you want?
Eddie Donaghy: One thing: I'd like my brother back. Look, I know I've been nothing but trouble to you your entire life. Juvie, Jonestown, that time I punched Goofy... Hell, I even blinded you with a bottle rocket!
Jack Donaghy: Ah, that was for a couple of lousy months; big deal. I had sex with your prom date.
Eddie Donaghy: I stole your identity.
Jack Donaghy: I threw you out of a window.
Eddie Donaghy: I convinced you you had lupus.
Jack Donaghy: I microwaved your parakeet!
Eddie Donaghy: I hated that bird.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References My Fair Lady (1964)

The Donaghys

The Fighting Irish is one of those adorable Jack-centric episodes of 30 Rock, which let Alec Baldwin do whatever the hell he wants with his character and get away with it superbly. And if you thought one Donaghy was funny, just wait and see.

Things heat up in the workplace when Jack tells Liz she has to fire 10% of her staff, although she does kind of enjoy that sort of power when it turns out Liz Lemler, whose boyfriend she has a crush on, is eligible for sacking. Pete is in trouble with his wife because he lied to her about getting a vasectomy, and now the plan appears to have backfired (awesome). Tracy has been advised to find a religion before his next lawsuit, and considers becoming Irish Catholic after a "heartfelt" discussion with Eddie Donaghy (Nathan Lane), Jack's brother, who has shown up to report the news of their father's recent death. Turns out Eddie is broke and might be exploiting the grief to get some cash out of Jack.

All plot strands are hilarious, as always, but for sheer vitality and cruel irony the crown goes to Baldwin and Lane's double act (later joined by former SNL star Molly Shannon and other as the rest of the Donaghys), which gives a lot of new meanings to the concept of "brotherly love". And if there has to be a contest between the two, then the absolute winner is Baldwin. Why? Just check out the episode's conclusion - Jack's the man.