Anna Howard Shaw Day

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"Anna Howard Shaw Day"
30 Rock episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 13
Directed byKen Whittingham
Written byMatt Hubbard
Production code413
Original air dateFebruary 11, 2010 (2010-02-11)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Future Husband"
30 Rock season 4
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"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 NBC in the United States on February 11, 2010. Elizabeth Banks, Jon Hamm, Shinnerrie Jackson, Douglas Rees, Horatio Sanz, Jason Sudeikis, and Dean Winters guest star in this episode, and there is a cameo appearance by musician Jon Bon Jovi.

In the episode, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) schedules a dentist appointment on Valentine's Day to avoid feeling lonely on the holiday. Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) meets a successful and attractive CNBC host (Banks). Elsewhere, Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) is frustrated when her stalker (Sanz) finally loses interest.

"Anna Howard Shaw Day" was generally, though not universally, well received among television critics. According to the

Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the category for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
.

Plot

TGS with Tracy Jordan head writer Liz Lemon is due for a root canal. To avoid feeling lonely on Valentine's Day, she schedules her surgery for that day, but soon realizes she will need someone to escort her home from the dentist's office due to the aftereffects of anesthesia. She asks her colleagues at the 30 Rock building for a ride home, but all of them have Valentine's Day plans and cannot help. When Liz calls the dentist's office to say she does not have anyone to pick her up, the receptionist (Shinnerrie Jackson) informs her that after her procedure she can only leave alone if she signs a liability waiver. Liz initially intends to sign the document, but is dissuaded at a party by musician Jon Bon Jovi, and instead decides to claim to the receptionist that she has a ride home after all.

Jon Bon Jovi, a caucasian male in his mid-40s with dark blond hair, wears a black suit and white shirt with a black bow-tie. He is seen with a black acoustic guitar strapped across his stomach.
Jon Bon Jovi appeared as himself in this episode as NBC's Artist in residence.

Jack Donaghy, who is Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for

Artist in Residence
—to come over and talk to them, in an effort to impress the successful Avery. When Bon Jovi approaches them, though, Jack disregards him due to his own intriguing conversation with Avery, which impresses her even more. After the TGS party, the two go back to Jack's apartment and end up sleeping together.

Elsewhere Jenna begins to worry that her stalker, Maynard Roger Hoynes (Horatio Sanz), has lost interest in her. Jenna tracks down Maynard and her suspicions are confirmed, after he tells her that his therapist encouraged him to stop his obsession with her and move forward. Later, in the 30 Rock building, NBC page Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer) finds Jenna upset in her dressing room. She tells him why she is in that state and shows him letters that Maynard sent to her in the past. Kenneth, however, is confused as to why Jenna misses her stalker, leading her to reveal that Maynard has been the longest relationship she has ever had. The next day, Jenna enters her dressing room and sees that her picture is inscribed with the words "I want to eat your boogers." Jenna is touched to find that Kenneth is responsible for the graffito, and thanks him for his thoughtfulness.

On Valentine's Day, Liz goes to her dentist appointment and tells the receptionist that she did not sign the waiver. After her surgery, Liz reassures the dental staff that the anesthesia is having no effect on her and can take herself home. In the lobby, Liz sees her former boyfriends Drew Baird (Jon Hamm), Dennis Duffy (Dean Winters), and Floyd DeBarber (Jason Sudeikis), and is moved that they came back so that she not be alone on Valentine's Day. Liz is hallucinating, however, and the people she sees as Drew, Dennis, and Floyd are actually the three Jamaican women who are dental assistants at the oral surgeon's office. One of them calls Jack, Liz's boss, asking if he could come pick up Liz and take her home. Jack had just spent the night with Avery, who thinks that the phone call was made up by Jack as an excuse to end the date, but when he invites her to come along, she is impressed by his kindness to Liz.

Production

"Anna Howard Shaw Day" was written by 30 Rock supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Ken Whittingham. This episode was Hubbard's ninth writing credit,[1] and the second episode for Whittingham who had directed the March 12, 2009, season three episode "The Funcooker".[2] "Anna Howard Shaw Day" originally aired in the United States on February 11, 2010, on NBC as the thirteenth episode of the show's fourth season and the 71st overall episode of the series.[3] This episode was filmed on December 9, 2009,[4] and January 27, 2010.[5]

Elizabeth Banks, a blonde-haired caucasian woman in her early 40s, wears a white dress. She wears her blonde hair up in a ponytail.
Elizabeth Banks made her 30 Rock debut as CNBC anchor Avery Jessup in this episode.

In December 2009, it was confirmed that actress Elizabeth Banks would guest star on the show, and in this episode, she played right-wing CNBC anchor Avery Jessup, and love interest to Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy.[6] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, Banks revealed that she approached the show's staff about making an appearance on the show. "I definitely put feelers out, like, 'I would love to be on your show.' And they did it. They made it happen! I'm a huge fan, so this is a dream come true."[7] She said that on her first day on set she "begged" producers if she could use a teleprompter—in which she is first introduced in the episode on the set of her show The Hot Box, with her interviewing Jack and another guest (Douglas Rees)—so that she could deliver her lines quickly, explaining that her fast delivery would help "sell" the comedy and her 30 Rock character. They agreed to it, though, a problem ensued when they could not figure the prompter out, which resulted in Banks "throwing fastballs at [Baldwin] and him battling them back as fast as possible and hoping they could cut it together faster than we were doing it."[8] Banks revealed to Ausiello that she had no intention on becoming a series regular, explaining that she has been having "too much fun" making movies to commit to a television show full-time.[7]

In October 2009, it was reported that musician Jon Bon Jovi would serve as the first artist in NBC's brand new "

Bravo cooking reality television series Top Chef, and is later shown strumming the NBC Nightly News theme.[3]

Actors Jon Hamm, Jason Sudeikis, and Dean Winters reprised their roles, respectively, as Drew Baird, Floyd DeBarber, and Dennis Duffy; former boyfriends of Liz Lemon (Fey).[11] In the final scene of "Anna Howard Shaw Day", in which she is still under the after effects of anesthesia, Liz "sees" Drew, Floyd, and Dennis speak in Jamaican accents, however, the three men are really three Jamaican dental assistants.[3] In regards to the accent, Hamm said in an interview "That was given to me literally the day before we shot it. They were like, 'We wrote some more stuff, so we'll see you tomorrow.' I was like, 'Okay, how much more can it be? Oh great, it's a completely different take, awesome.'"[12]

Comedic actor Jason Sudeikis, who appeared in this episode as Floyd DeBarber, was at the time a main cast member of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Additionally in this episode, Horatio Sanz, who played Maynard Roger Hoynes—Jenna Maroney's stalker—has also appeared in the main cast of SNL.[13] Fey was the head writer on SNL from 1999 until 2006.[14]

Cultural references

The name of "Anna Howard Shaw Day" is based on Liz's hatred of Valentine's Day, for which she substitutes "Anna Howard Shaw Day", a fictional holiday celebrating the real February 14 birthday of Woman's Civil Rights leader

PBS.[16][17] While confronting him, Jenna asks Maynard if the dog who gives him his orders has died, a reference to the Son of Sam killer allegedly being commanded to kill by a neighbor's possessed dog. As he does not stalk her anymore, Jenna asks Maynard if he is stalking "one of those kids from Glee", the latter being a Fox program that focuses on a high school show choir.[3] During his appearance on The Hot Box, Avery asks Jack what his favorite movie is with him responding that it is a tie with The Fountainhead (1949) and Uncle Buck (1989).[3] During her hallucination, in which she sees Drew, Dennis, and Floyd, Liz confesses to Dennis that watching the period drama The Color Purple with him drunk "was one of the funnest nights of my life."[18]

The character Astronaut Mike Dexter was referenced in this episode, in which Liz tells the dental receptionist that she did not sign the liability waiver as her "boyfriend" Mike Dexter would come and take her home.

Dealbreakers Talk Show", Liz's imagination of Mike Dexter was played by actor John Anderson,[21] in a scene where Liz fantasizes about what her life would be like following the success of her talk show, and is then notified by Mike Dexter that he has to go back to outer space.[22] Astronaut Mike Dexter would be mentioned further in the season, but near its end Liz decides her infatuation with him is pathetic and "breaks up" with him in a dream; along with her S4 finale meeting of a pilot played by Matt Damon and her brusque breakup with and dismissal of an annoying anti-love interest played by Michael Sheen
; this sets the stage for Liz Lemon to be portrayed as much less of a loser from Season 5 through the series finale.

Reception

Matt Hubbard, a caucasian male with curly blond hair, wears a black sweater with a white shirt under. He smiles and looks to his right.
Matt Hubbard (pictured) received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.

In its original American broadcast, "Anna Howard Shaw Day" was seen by 6.004 million households, according to the

Writers Guild of America Award nomination for "Anna Howard Shaw Day".[27] In reviewing the best television programs of 2010, The A.V. Club named 30 Rock number 18 and cited this episode as amongst the best of the year.[28]

The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin enjoyed Elizabeth Banks' appearance, writing that she played her character "perfectly" and hoped she returned to the series. Rabin was "delighted" to see the show "get back some of its blinding speed", regarding some episodes of the show's fourth season not getting well-received reception, as it was Jack and Avery's courtship here that "was a refreshing reminder of just how fucking sharp 30 Rock can be."[29] Sean Gandert of Paste was appreciative towards Banks' role, noted that Jon Bon Jovi's appearance was "completely unnecessary but pretty awesome nonetheless", and concluded that Liz and Jack's plotlines were "particularly strong" and that despite not anything "new" occurring here "it was largely just some fun, top-form 30 Rock."[30] Meredith Blake, a contributor of the Los Angeles Times, opined that the three plots featured were "equally strong", and added that Jenna's stalker plot "could easily have fallen flat" but it turned out to be very funny. In conclusion, Blake deemed this a "stellar episode, and it was especially enjoyable" than last week's episode, "Verna".[31] Adam Mersel of TV Guide reported that the Valentine's Day theme in the episode was "hilarious", as it was "full of the usual belly-laughs and spit-takes."[19] Entertainment Weekly contributor Margaret Lyons commented that it was "one of the loopiest, silliest episodes in a while, but it worked." Lyons enjoyed Tina Fey's performance here, writing that it provided Fey with her "most interesting acting showcase all season".[18]

TV Squad enjoyed Liz's story here, but noted that he disliked Jenna's stalker story, concluding "...there were a few really funny lines ... but overall I found her missing-her-stalker-on-Valentine's-Day plot to be rather ... icky [...] Honestly, I want to see more of the human, normal side of Jenna".[16] Nick Catucci of New York magazine felt that Liz's plot here was "one of the worst story lines in recent memory".[34]

References

  1. Internet Movie Database
    . Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  2. ^ "Ken Whittingham". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "30 Rock –"Anna Howard Shaw Day". Yahoo! TV. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  4. NBC Universal Media Village. 2009-12-09. Archived from the original
    on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2010-07-14. Save Picture as → Right click file → Properties → Summary → Advanced → Date Picture Taken
  5. NBC Universal Media Village. 2010-01-27. Archived from the original
    on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2010-07-14. Save Picture as → Right click file → Properties → Summary → Advanced → Date Picture Taken
  6. ^ "The Bullseye: December 18, 2009". Entertainment Weekly. 2009-12-18. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  7. ^ a b Ausiello, Michael (2010-01-04). "'30 Rock' scoop: Elizabeth Banks channels Sean Hannity, romances Alec Baldwin". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  8. ^ Lisotta, Christopher (2010-06-09). "Elizabeth Banks, Kristin Chenoweth talk guest starring". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  9. ^ Carter, Bill (2009-10-15). "NBC Names Jon Bon Jovi 'Artist in Residence'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  10. ^ Gillette, Felix (2009-11-03). "30 Rock's Hard Rocker". The New York Observer. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2009-11-05. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  11. ^ Barshad, Amos (2010-01-26). "Jon Bon Jovi Once Loved Liz Lemon". New York. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  12. ^ Hochberg, Mina (2010-03-11). "Jon Hamm on Stolen and Playing a Single Don Draper: 'He Has a Monkey Off His Back'". New York. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  13. ^ Nguyen, Hanh (2010-04-16). "'SNL' alum Horatio Sanz lost a whopping 100 pounds". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  14. ^ Goodwin, Christopher (2008-05-11). "And funny with it". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  15. ^ "Dr. Anna H. Shaw, Suffragist, Dies". The New York Times. 1919-07-03. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  16. ^
    TV Squad. Archived from the original
    on February 15, 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  17. ^ Poniewozik, James (2010-02-12). "NBC Comedies Watch: Four of Hearts". Time. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
  18. ^ a b Lyons, Margaret. "'30 Rock' 10 best lines: Happy Valentine's Day, no one!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
  19. ^ a b Mersel, Adam (2010-02-12). "30 Rock Episode Recap: "Anna Howard Shaw Day"". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  20. ^ a b Lady Lola. "30 Rock — Sun Tea". Yahoo! TV. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  21. ^ Abrams, Natalie (2010-04-07). "NBC Creates Sendup Website Kabletown". TV Guide. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  22. NBC Universal. NBC
    .
  23. ^ Seidman, Robert (2010-02-12). "Thursday Broadcast Finals: Grey's Anatomy, The Mentalist Tick Up, Private Practice, 30 Rock Tick Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2011-05-23. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  24. ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-02-05). "TV Ratings: ABC Edges CBS, Fox; Mentalist, Community, Parks, Office, 30 Rock Rise". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2010-02-08. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  25. ^ Porter, Rick (2010-07-08). "Emmy nominations: The complete list". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
  26. ^ Stelter, Brian (2010-08-30). "'Modern Family' and 'Mad Men' Win at Emmys". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  27. ^ Hibberd, James (2010-12-08). "'Dead,' 'Boardwalk,' 'Justified' Land WGA Noms". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  28. ^ Alston, Joshua; Bowman, Donna; Handlen, Zack; Heisler, Steve; McNutt, Myles; Murray, Noel; Phipps, Keith; Rabin, Nathan; Sims, David; Teti, John; Tobias, Scott; VanDerWerff, Todd; Zulkey, Claire (2010-12-20). "The 25 best television series of 2010". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  29. ^ Rabin, Nathan (2010-02-11). "Anna Howard Shaw Day". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
  30. ^ Gandert, Sean (2010-02-12). "30 Rock Review: "Anna Howard Shaw Day" (4.13)". Paste. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
  31. ^ Blake, Meredith (2010-02-12). "'30 Rock': It's Anna Howard Shaw Day!". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
  32. ^ Canning, Robert (2010-02-12). "30 Rock: "Anna Howard Shaw Day" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  33. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (2010-02-12). "30 Rock, 'Anna Howard Shaw Day': Liz makes a trip to the dentist". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  34. ^ Catucci, Nick (2010-02-12). "30 Rock Recap: I, the Alone ..." New York. Retrieved 2010-07-09.

External links

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