"30 Rock" Subway Hero (2008)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Don Scardino

Writers:

Tina Fey (creator)
Jack Burditt (writer) ...

TV Series:

"30 Rock" (2006)

Original Air Date:

17 April 2008 (Season 2, Episode 12)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Jack asks Liz to get her ex-boyfriend Dennis for the show after he becomes a hero for saving someone at a subway station, and tries to get Tracy to become an African-American spokesman for the Republican party.

Plot Keywords:

Sitcom | Reference To Richard Nixon | Based On True Story | Title Spoken By Character | Boss

Cast

Tina Fey	...	Liz Lemon
Tracy Morgan	...	Tracy Jordan
Jane Krakowski	...	Jenna Maroney
Jack McBrayer	...	Kenneth Parcell
Scott Adsit	...	Pete Hornberger (credit only)
Judah Friedlander	...	Frank Rossitano
Alec Baldwin	...	Jack Donaghy
Katrina Bowden	...	Cerie
Keith Powell	...	Toofer
Lonny Ross	...	Josh Girard (credit only)
Dean Winters	...	Dennis Duffy
Maulik Pancholy	...	Jonathan
Tim Conway	...	Bucky Bright
Michael Bloomberg	...	Himself
Kevin Brown	...	Dot Com

Trivia:

How Dennis Duffy became the "Subway Hero" is based off of the actions of Wesley Autrey who saved a 19-year-old who was having a seizure in the same manner that Dennis Duffy did: throwing himself on top of the man.

Quotes:

Bucky Bright: Back then we didn't have pages, you know. We had what we called 'sandwich girls'.
Kenneth Parcell: Oh, because they got you sandwiches?
Bucky Bright: No, no, no, two guys 'd get... Hey, my old dressing room.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

We Didn't Start the Fire

Dennis and Nixon

Subway Hero deserves major plaudits for reintroducing one of the show's most entertaining guest stars: Dean Winters, who returns as the hapless beeper salesman Dennis Duffy. In addition, Tim Conway won an Emmy as best Guest Actor for his understated, hilarious appearance.

Dennis' comeback is caused by him being a local "subway hero" (meaning he saved someone's life at a subway station), which leads to Jack to asking Liz to get him on the show. Liz accepts because she doesn't really have a choice, and Dennis takes the opportunity to try winning her back, much to her horror. Jack also attempts to convince Tracy to become a spokesman for the Republican party, reminding him that Abraham Lincoln, who abolished slavery, was a member of the party, while Kenneth is given the assignment of showing former NBC star Bucky Bright (Conway) around the building, while the has-been recounts several anecdotes about his glorious period at the network.

Conway's guest spot is a more subdued version of Carrie Fisher's role earlier on in the season, and while he's not as outright hilarious as, say, Will Arnett (who was a more likely candidate for the Emmy win), he calmly steals every scene he's in with various jokes about famous programs and people (his description of Conan O' Brien is wonderful). Tracy gets to be outrageously funny with the Republican subplot, complete with a ghost appearance by Richard Nixon (still not a patch on Thomas Jefferson in Season One, though), but the highlight of the episode is any scene featuring Fey and Winters, especially when he sums up their relationship like this: "We're like Ross and Rachel, only not gay!". How come he didn't get a nomination just for saying that line?