Do-Over
"Do-Over" | |
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30 Rock episode | |
Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Don Scardino |
Written by | Tina Fey |
Production code | 301 |
Original air date | October 30, 2008 |
Guest appearances | |
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"Do-Over" is the first episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the thirty-seventh episode overall. It was written by the series' creator, executive producer and lead actress, Tina Fey and directed by series producer Don Scardino. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 30, 2008. Guest stars in this episode include Will Arnett, Marceline Hugot, and Megan Mullally.
"Do-Over" has received generally positive reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen Media Research, the episode was watched by 8.7 million households during its original broadcast, becoming 30 Rock's highest-rated episode, until the December 2008 episode "Christmas Special". "Do-Over" was nominated for an Art Directors Guild Production Design Award for "Single-Camera Television Series".
Plot
As Liz Lemon is returning to studio 6H, the TGS with Tracy Jordan studio,[1] she meets Jack Donaghy returning from Washington. Jack tells her that he intends to get his old job back and Liz tells him of her upcoming adoption evaluation. When he confronts Devon Banks in his office, Devon offers Jack a position in the mail room, laughing, but Jack accepts. Jack later tells Liz of his plan to work his way back to his old job through honest means, though Kathy Geiss (Marceline Hugot) shows a sexual interest in Jack he could leverage into a quicker promotion. When he discovers that Devon is planning to shut down GE, Jack, with Liz's help, convinces Kathy to hire him as her business adviser. Devon, realizing that he has been beaten, decides on a new path to securing his financial future: hurling himself in front of a series of moving cars so that he can sue the drivers.
Tracy Jordan's pornographic video game, Gorgasm: The Legend of Dong Slayer, has been very successfully released since it was developed in the previous episode "
Following a home evaluation, Bev from the adoption agency comes to work with Liz where she checks the safety of the studio and interviews the TGS cast and crew including Jenna,
Production
"Do-Over" was written by series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey,[3] making it her thirteenth writing credit.[4] The episode was directed by series producer Don Scardino,[3] making it his fourteenth for the series.[5] "Do-Over" originally aired in the United States on October 30, 2008, on NBC as the season premiere episode of the show's third season and the 37th overall episode of the series.[6]
In September 2008, it was announced that actress
Four filmed scenes from "Do-Over" were cut out from the airing. Instead, the scenes were featured on 30 Rock's season three DVD as part of the deleted scenes in the Bonus features. In the first scene, Jack Donaghy plans to seduce Kathy so that he can get his old job back.[10] The next scene, after Jack tells Liz he plans on reclaiming his former job back, Liz asks him how he will be able to get inside the 30 Rock building, as he does not have his employee ID card. Jack tells her you can do anything if you walk with confidence, which he does, and is permitted inside. Liz tries to do the same, but the guard asks her for ID, which she shows.[10] In the third scene, Liz and Bev talk to NBC page Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer). Kenneth is fascinated with the adoption process, and says that his own mother worked two jobs as an animal control person for the state and selling meats door-to-door.[10] The final scene, Liz introduces Bev to Tracy in the "do over".[10]
Reception
According to the Nielsen Media Research, "Do-Over" was watched by 8.7 million households in its original American broadcast, and became the highest-rated episode of the series,[11] until the December 11, 2008, episode of 30 Rock "Christmas Special".[12] It earned a 4.1 rating/10 share in the 18–49 demographic.[11] This means that it was seen by 4.1 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 10 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. "Do-Over" was nominated for an Art Directors Guild Production Design Award for "Single-Camera Television Series".[13]
Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for The Star-Ledger felt that the element's towards Jack getting his old job back were "fairly labored", but noted that Liz's adoption plot was "more solid from start to finish". He was complimentary towards the Kathy Geiss character, observing that her actions in the episode were "all frighteningly funny", and enjoyed Mullally's guest spot. In conclusion, Sepinwall said that this was not the best from the 30 Rock staff, but "they had some things they felt obligated to deal with, and there was more than enough comedy genius that I can't really complain."[19]
References
- NBC Universal. NBC.
- NBC Universal. NBC.
- ^ a b "30 Rock: Episodes". London: Screenrush (AlloCiné). Retrieved 2010-05-11.
- Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "Don Scardino — Filmography by TV series". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "30 Rock — Do Over". Yahoo! TV. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ^ Goldstein, Andrew M. (2008-09-14). "'30 Rock' Snags Martin, Maybe Oprah". New York. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "Marceline Hugot — Filmography by TV series". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
- ^ "Will Arnett — Filmography by TV series". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 2009.
- ^ a b Kissell, Rick (2009-10-31). "'Rock' hits series high". Variety. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ "'30 Rock' ratings rise". Deseret News. Associated Press. 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2010-05-19. [dead link]
- ^ King, Susan (2009-01-10). "Art Directors Guild names its award nominees". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ^ Canning, Robert (2008-10-28). "Do-Over Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
- ^ Medina, Jeremy (2008-10-30). "30 Rock review. Season 3 Premiere—"Do-Over"". Paste. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
- TV Squad. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt (2008-10-30). "30 Rock Episode Recap: "Do-Over"". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2010-03-28. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (2008-10-30). "Do-Over". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ^ Sassone, Bob (2008-10-30). "30 Rock, "Do Over": Fancy boys and baby dolls". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
External links
- "Do-Over" at IMDb