Jackie Jormp-Jomp
Encyclopedia
"Jackie Jormp-Jomp" is the eighteenth episode of the third season
of the American television series 30 Rock
. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino
, and written by executive story editor Kay Cannon
and script co-coordinator Tracey Wigfield. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) in the United States on April 16, 2009. Guest stars in the episode include Todd Buonopane, Kerry Butler
, Danielle Flora, Mary Catherine Garrison, Christina Gausas, and Elizabeth Marvel.
In the episode, Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) meets a new group of friends (Butler, Garrison, Gausas, and Marvel) while on suspension from work. Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) is worried that Jenna Maroney
's (Jane Krakowski
) Janis Joplin
biographical film will not get released and tries to promote the movie at the Kids' Choice Awards. However, following a mix-up, the world believes Jenna is dead and Jack tries to use her death to further hype the film.
"Jackie Jormp-Jomp" received generally positive reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
system, the episode was watched by 7.324 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 3.5 rating/9 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
(Tina Fey
) in the previous episode, and she must take a sexual harassment training as a result. In addition, she cannot return to work until she is done with her training. Liz, however, cannot handle life without work, as she needs the stress. Her attitude changes when she meets one of her neighbors, Emily (Elizabeth Marvel). She understands how Liz feels because she was just like Liz and tells her there are better ways to live. Liz hangs out with Emily and her friends (Mary Catherine Garrison, Kerry Butler
, and Christina Gausas), who spend majority of their time getting spa treatments and going shopping. Liz gets so caught up in their lifestyle that she forgets to watch her show, The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS). Not wanting to come back to work—as she is intrigued by her new friends' lifestyle—Liz sexually harasses her counselor, Jeffrey Weinerslav (Todd Buonopane). She goes back to hanging out with Emily and her friends, but soon discovers that they are a Girl Fight Club, which disappoints Liz. In order for her to get out, Liz needs to fight them.
Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) informs Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) that her unlicensed Janis Joplin
biopic is hard to sell due to test audiences not liking it. They decide to up the PR
by going to the Kids Choice Awards where Jenna discovers that she is dead. She is accidentally put in the memorial montage at the show, which Jack decides to use as an advantage for the film. He tells her that all she has to do is stay out of the public eye until he sells the movie. At the same time, all employees from the 30 Rock building need to disclose any inter-office relationships. NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) discloses that he fantasizes about marrying a TGS dancer, named Daphne (Danielle Flora), but discovers that "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown
) is dating her. A minor conflict ensues between them, but ends when Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) decides to mediate this. As a result, Tracy fires Daphne, but this backfires when the other dancers refuse to work. This prompts Tracy to solve this problem by hiring new dancers.
Jack tells TGS producer, Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
), to do an on air tribute of Jenna on the show. On the TGS set, a huge poster of Jenna is hung with her real birthday and death date. When Jenna sees that her real birth date is displayed, she comes out of hiding and appears on stage to cover the poster. After witnessing this, Liz confronts Jenna and Tracy for their behavior, but is glad to be back at work.
, and written by executive story editor Kay Cannon
and script co-coordinator Tracey Wigfield. This was Cannon's fourth writing credit, having written the episodes "Black Tie
", "Somebody to Love
", and "Christmas Special
", and was Wigfield's first writing credit. This was Scardino's nineteenth directed episode. "Jackie Jormp-Jomp" originally aired on April 16, 2009, on NBC in the United States as the eighteenth episode of the show's third season
.
"Jackie Jormp-Jomp" was filmed on February 11, 2009. This was the last time the show referenced Jenna trying to play singer Janis Joplin
in a feature film. This plot first began in the January 8, 2009, episode "Señor Macho Solo
" in which Jenna auditions to play the singer in a biographical movie. This was actor Todd Buonopane's third appearance as the character Jeffrey Weinerslav, an NBC Human Resource mediator. Buonopane previously appeared in the season three episodes "Believe in the Stars
" and "Cutbacks". In this episode, Today show co-host Meredith Vieira
is referenced, in which Kenneth reveals that Vieira made him eat an unripe banana in front of her, to which Kenneth believes was sexual harassment. Vieira has played herself in the series numerous times. During the on air tribute for Jenna in "Jackie Jormp-Jomp", a 1980s Cling Free commercial featuring Jane Krakowski
aired as part of Jenna's youth as a child star.
system. It also achieved a 3.5 rating/9 share in the key 18-49 year-old demographic. This means that it was seen by 3.5 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 9 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This episode went up 7 percent from the previous episode, "Cutbacks", and was the sixth highest-rated show on the NBC network that week.
"Jackie Jormp-Jomp" was well-received among television critics. Entertainment Weekly
' s Aly Semingran thought that the episode "had the most laughs-per-minute than any other episode this season
". Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for The Star-Ledger
praised "Jackie Jormp-Jomp", describing it as "one of the better 30 Rock' s of late" and said that it featured "a good character arc" for Liz, "a too-rare pairing" between Jenna and Jack, and a "great tie-it-all-together climax" in which Liz "giddy and bruised" terrifies Jenna and Tracy upon her return. The A.V. Club
' s Nathan Rabin felt that it was "very solid" and gave it a B+. Bob Sassone
of AOL
's TV Squad said it was "great to see" the show carry its two plots, from previous episodes—Liz's sexual harassment and Jenna's movie—in "Jackie Jormp-Jomp". Rick Porter of Zap2it
was complimentary towards the episode, citing that it was a "pretty absurd episode of the show and [made] it all that much funnier." Porter enjoyed Jenna's story, including the pairing of her and Jack, writing that it "worked really well" and "played both to Jenna's endless well of vanity and her utter ignorance of how to work the PR machine". He opined that this episode "better showcased" Jane Krakowski in the season.
30 Rock (season 3)
The third season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
of the American television series 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino
Don Scardino
Don Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
, and written by executive story editor Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon is an American television writer and actress who is best known for her work as an Emmy nominated writer and producer for the NBC series 30 Rock.-Biography:...
and script co-coordinator Tracey Wigfield. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(NBC) in the United States on April 16, 2009. Guest stars in the episode include Todd Buonopane, Kerry Butler
Kerry Butler
Kerry Marie Butler is an American actress known primarily for her work in theatre.-Early life and career:...
, Danielle Flora, Mary Catherine Garrison, Christina Gausas, and Elizabeth Marvel.
In the episode, Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) meets a new group of friends (Butler, Garrison, Gausas, and Marvel) while on suspension from work. Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
) is worried that Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
's (Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
) Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
biographical film will not get released and tries to promote the movie at the Kids' Choice Awards. However, following a mix-up, the world believes Jenna is dead and Jack tries to use her death to further hype the film.
"Jackie Jormp-Jomp" received generally positive reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
system, the episode was watched by 7.324 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 3.5 rating/9 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
Plot
A sexual harassment lawsuit was filed against Liz LemonLiz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) in the previous episode, and she must take a sexual harassment training as a result. In addition, she cannot return to work until she is done with her training. Liz, however, cannot handle life without work, as she needs the stress. Her attitude changes when she meets one of her neighbors, Emily (Elizabeth Marvel). She understands how Liz feels because she was just like Liz and tells her there are better ways to live. Liz hangs out with Emily and her friends (Mary Catherine Garrison, Kerry Butler
Kerry Butler
Kerry Marie Butler is an American actress known primarily for her work in theatre.-Early life and career:...
, and Christina Gausas), who spend majority of their time getting spa treatments and going shopping. Liz gets so caught up in their lifestyle that she forgets to watch her show, The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS). Not wanting to come back to work—as she is intrigued by her new friends' lifestyle—Liz sexually harasses her counselor, Jeffrey Weinerslav (Todd Buonopane). She goes back to hanging out with Emily and her friends, but soon discovers that they are a Girl Fight Club, which disappoints Liz. In order for her to get out, Liz needs to fight them.
Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
) informs Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
(Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
) that her unlicensed Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
biopic is hard to sell due to test audiences not liking it. They decide to up the PR
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
by going to the Kids Choice Awards where Jenna discovers that she is dead. She is accidentally put in the memorial montage at the show, which Jack decides to use as an advantage for the film. He tells her that all she has to do is stay out of the public eye until he sells the movie. At the same time, all employees from the 30 Rock building need to disclose any inter-office relationships. NBC page
NBC page
An NBC page is a person usually in his or her early twenties working in various departments of the NBC television network during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television broadcasting and entertainment...
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
(Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
) discloses that he fantasizes about marrying a TGS dancer, named Daphne (Danielle Flora), but discovers that "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown (actor)
Kevin 'Dot Com' Brown is an American comedian, film and television actor, best known for his role on the series 30 Rock as "Dot Com".Brown also appeared as the lead in Marq Overton's one-man play Die Laughing in 2008 at the Diversity Players of Harlem and as an actor and executive producer of the...
) is dating her. A minor conflict ensues between them, but ends when Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
(Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
) decides to mediate this. As a result, Tracy fires Daphne, but this backfires when the other dancers refuse to work. This prompts Tracy to solve this problem by hiring new dancers.
Jack tells TGS producer, Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
), to do an on air tribute of Jenna on the show. On the TGS set, a huge poster of Jenna is hung with her real birthday and death date. When Jenna sees that her real birth date is displayed, she comes out of hiding and appears on stage to cover the poster. After witnessing this, Liz confronts Jenna and Tracy for their behavior, but is glad to be back at work.
Production
"Jackie Jormp-Jomp" was directed by series producer Don ScardinoDon Scardino
Don Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
, and written by executive story editor Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon is an American television writer and actress who is best known for her work as an Emmy nominated writer and producer for the NBC series 30 Rock.-Biography:...
and script co-coordinator Tracey Wigfield. This was Cannon's fourth writing credit, having written the episodes "Black Tie
Black Tie (30 Rock)
"Black Tie" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was directed by Don Scardino, and written by Kay Cannon and series creator Tina Fey. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company in the United States on February 1, 2007...
", "Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love (30 Rock)
"Somebody to Love" is the sixth episode of the second season of 30 Rock, and the twenty-seventh episode overall. It was written by Kay Cannon and the series' creator, Tina Fey, and was directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode first aired on November 15, 2007 on the NBC network in the United States...
", and "Christmas Special
Christmas Special (30 Rock)
"Christmas Special" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by executive story editor Kay Cannon, and series' creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey. The director of this episode was series producer Don Scardino...
", and was Wigfield's first writing credit. This was Scardino's nineteenth directed episode. "Jackie Jormp-Jomp" originally aired on April 16, 2009, on NBC in the United States as the eighteenth episode of the show's third season
30 Rock (season 3)
The third season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
.
"Jackie Jormp-Jomp" was filmed on February 11, 2009. This was the last time the show referenced Jenna trying to play singer Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
in a feature film. This plot first began in the January 8, 2009, episode "Señor Macho Solo
Señor Macho Solo
"Señor Macho Solo" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 43rd overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner and directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting...
" in which Jenna auditions to play the singer in a biographical movie. This was actor Todd Buonopane's third appearance as the character Jeffrey Weinerslav, an NBC Human Resource mediator. Buonopane previously appeared in the season three episodes "Believe in the Stars
Believe in the Stars
"Believe in the Stars" is the second episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 38th overall episode of the series. It was written by executive producer Robert Carlock and directed by series producer Don Scardino. The episode originally aired on the...
" and "Cutbacks". In this episode, Today show co-host Meredith Vieira
Meredith Vieira
Meredith Louise Vieira is an American journalist, television personality, and game show host. She is best known for her roles as the original moderator of the ABC talk program The View and co-host of the long-running NBC News morning news program, Today...
is referenced, in which Kenneth reveals that Vieira made him eat an unripe banana in front of her, to which Kenneth believes was sexual harassment. Vieira has played herself in the series numerous times. During the on air tribute for Jenna in "Jackie Jormp-Jomp", a 1980s Cling Free commercial featuring Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
aired as part of Jenna's youth as a child star.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Jackie Jormp-Jomp" was watched by 7.324 million households, according to the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
system. It also achieved a 3.5 rating/9 share in the key 18-49 year-old demographic. This means that it was seen by 3.5 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 9 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This episode went up 7 percent from the previous episode, "Cutbacks", and was the sixth highest-rated show on the NBC network that week.
"Jackie Jormp-Jomp" was well-received among television critics. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
30 Rock (season 3)
The third season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
". Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
praised "Jackie Jormp-Jomp", describing it as "one of the better 30 Rock
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone is an American writer. He was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to Italian and Portuguese parents. He is the youngest of seven children....
of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad said it was "great to see" the show carry its two plots, from previous episodes—Liz's sexual harassment and Jenna's movie—in "Jackie Jormp-Jomp". Rick Porter of Zap2it
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
was complimentary towards the episode, citing that it was a "pretty absurd episode of the show and [made] it all that much funnier." Porter enjoyed Jenna's story, including the pairing of her and Jack, writing that it "worked really well" and "played both to Jenna's endless well of vanity and her utter ignorance of how to work the PR machine". He opined that this episode "better showcased" Jane Krakowski in the season.