MILF Island
Encyclopedia
"MILF Island" is the eleventh episode of NBC
's second season
of 30 Rock
and thirty-second episode overall. It was written by the series' creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey
and producer Matt Hubbard
. The director of the episode was Kevin Rodney Sullivan
. It aired on April 10, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States. Guest stars in this episode include Timothy Adams, Pierra Francesca, Deidre Goodwin, Rob Huebel
, Christina Ianelli, John Lutz
and Maulik Pancholy
.
The episode revolves around the season finale
of Jack Donaghy
's (Alec Baldwin
) reality television show hit, MILF Island, which parallels the "real world" incidents happening in the office. Someone tells a reporter for The New York Post that Jack is a "Class A Moron" and that he can "eat my poo
." The writers of TGS with Tracy Jordan argue as they suspect one of them made the comment.
(Jack McBrayer
) later recalls that he heard Liz, in an elevator, making the statement to the journalist. Liz makes a false promise that she will tell Jack that it was her to avoid him hearing the truth from Kenneth. Liz finally reveals the truth to Jack only to find out that he already knew it was she who said it, and he's not going to fire her—instead, she has to put together a new TV series for MILF Islands manipulative competitor Deborah.
Meanwhile, as he is planning to watch the season finale of MILF Island alone in his office, Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) gets stuck in a vending machine
while trying to steal a candy bar. Pete's many attempts to break free from the machine end in failure when the machine ends up falling on him.
," was originally expected to air on April 10, 2008 in place of this episode, but for unknown reasons "MILF Island" aired on that date instead. This marked the only time in the series' first four seasons that completed episodes were not broadcast in the same order as they were produced.
Confusion was caused prior to the broadcast of this episode when many critics speculated about how the episode would tackle the use of the word MILF without actually explaining that it is an acronym for "Mother I'd Like to Fuck", as that would have broken Federal Communications Commission
rules. The situation was compared to the episode of Seinfeld
called "The Contest
" which features the subject of masturbation
but the characters could never actually say the word "masturbation" and did so via metaphors.
"MILF Island" was the first episode of 30 Rock to be broadcast since "Episode 210
," on January 10, 2008, due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
. The Writers Guild of America
(WGA) went on strike at 12:01AM Eastern Standard Time
on November 5, 2007. Filming of 30 Rock's final written episode concluded on November 9, 2007. Members of Writers Guild of America, East
and Writers Guild of America, West
voted to end the 100-day strike on February 12, 2008. Writers were allowed to return to work on the same day. The WGA allowed for show runner
s to return to work on February 11, in preparation for the conclusion of the strike. The show runner for 30 Rock is executive producer Robert Carlock
. The writers returned to work on February 13. During the strike, executive producer, writer and star of 30 Rock Tina Fey had to balance her duties in order not to breach WGA strike rules. Fey took to the picket lines along with co-star Jack McBrayer, while Alec Baldwin also blogged on The Huffington Post
website in support of the WGA writers.
Jeff Labrecque of Entertainment Weekly
wrote that "after three months of strike-enforced exile, [this episode of] 30 Rock generated the expectations and excitement normally reserved for a season premiere," also saying that "the show [is] in midseason form." Matt Webb Mitovich of TV Guide
said that he would "be lying if [he] said this was a super-great episode." Webb Mitovich went on to say that "[He] did like, though — and thought they should have done a lot more with — the "parallels" between the MILF events and the strategizing staff." Bob Sassone
of AOL
's TV Squad thought that "It's almost as if this was the season opener" and that this episode was "ambitious." Michael N of Television Without Pity awarded the episode a grade of B. Robert Canning of IGN
said that "the overall story arc was less than what we had anticipated from this critical favorite making its post-writers-strike return, the episode was still pretty damn funny." Canning also said that this was "an episode that was divided between a less-than-average story and many hilarious moments." Canning criticized how "30 Rock has never really given [Pete Hornberger and Scott Adsit] (the character or the actor) the showcase that he deserves."
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...
's second season
30 Rock (season 2)
The second season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, originally aired between October 4, 2007 and May 8, 2008 on NBC in the United States. 30 Rock takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series depicted as airing on NBC; the name refers to 30 Rockefeller...
of 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...
and thirty-second episode overall. It was written by the series' creator, executive producer and lead actress 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...
and producer Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard is an American television writer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows. He graduated from Beverly High School, in Beverly, Massachusetts in the class of 1996, where he excelled in the English Department. He later went on to attend Harvard University where he was an...
. The director of the episode was Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Kevin Rodney Sullivan is an American film and television actor and film director. He is married to wife Nita Sullivan, and has a daughter, Nicole L. Sullivan.-Early Life and Acting Career:...
. It aired on April 10, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States. Guest stars in this episode include Timothy Adams, Pierra Francesca, Deidre Goodwin, Rob Huebel
Rob Huebel
Rob Huebel is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his sketch comedy work on the MTV series Human Giant. He currently co-stars on the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital.-Early life:...
, Christina Ianelli, John Lutz
John Lutz (television writer)
John Lutz is an American actor, writer and comedian.-Biography:The son of a Lutheran minister, Lutz grew up in suburban Chicago and Detroit. He attended Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, majoring in psychology and minoring in...
and Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Pancholy is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role as Sanjay on Weeds from 2005 to present, and his role as Jonathan on 30 Rock, which he has played since the show began in 2006....
.
The episode revolves around the season finale
Season finale
A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...
of 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....
's (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...
) reality television show hit, MILF Island, which parallels the "real world" incidents happening in the office. Someone tells a reporter for The New York Post that Jack is a "Class A Moron" and that he can "eat my poo
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
." The writers of TGS with Tracy Jordan argue as they suspect one of them made the comment.
Plot
The cast and crew of TGS with Tracy Jordan gather to watch the season finale of Jack's summer reality show hit MILF Island, a series the plot of which is described as "25 Super-Hot Moms, 50 eighth grade boys, no rules." The staff soon discover that one of them told a reporter for The New York Post that Jack was a "Class A Moron" and that "He can eat my poo." They then spiral into an argument as they try to find out who made the statement. Kenneth ParcellKenneth 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"...
) later recalls that he heard Liz, in an elevator, making the statement to the journalist. Liz makes a false promise that she will tell Jack that it was her to avoid him hearing the truth from Kenneth. Liz finally reveals the truth to Jack only to find out that he already knew it was she who said it, and he's not going to fire her—instead, she has to put together a new TV series for MILF Islands manipulative competitor Deborah.
Meanwhile, as he is planning to watch the season finale of MILF Island alone in his office, 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,...
) gets stuck in a vending machine
Vending machine
A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine....
while trying to steal a candy bar. Pete's many attempts to break free from the machine end in failure when the machine ends up falling on him.
Production
"MILF Island" was filmed in early March 2008. The episode of 30 Rock which aired the following week, "Subway HeroSubway Hero
"Subway Hero" is the twelfth episode of the second season of 30 Rock and thirty-third episode of the series. It was written by Jack Burditt, one of the series' co-executive producers, and executive producer Robert Carlock. It was directed by Don Scardino. It aired on April 17, 2008 on the NBC...
," was originally expected to air on April 10, 2008 in place of this episode, but for unknown reasons "MILF Island" aired on that date instead. This marked the only time in the series' first four seasons that completed episodes were not broadcast in the same order as they were produced.
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
rules. The situation was compared to the episode of Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
called "The Contest
The Contest
"The Contest" was the 51st episode of the NBC sitcom, Seinfeld. The eleventh episode of the fourth season, it aired on November 18, 1992. In the episode, George Costanza tells Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benes and Cosmo Kramer that his mother caught him unaware while he was masturbating...
" which features the subject of masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
but the characters could never actually say the word "masturbation" and did so via metaphors.
"MILF Island" was the first episode of 30 Rock to be broadcast since "Episode 210
Episode 210
The untitled tenth episode of the second season of the television series 30 Rock was first broadcast in the United States on January 10, 2008, on the NBC network. The episode was written by show runner Robert Carlock and Donald Glover, and was directed by Richard Shepard...
," on January 10, 2008, due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
. The Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
(WGA) went on strike at 12:01AM Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
on November 5, 2007. Filming of 30 Rock
Writers Guild of America, East
Writers Guild of America, East is a labor union representing writers of television and film and employees of television and radio news. The 2006 membership of the guild was 3,770....
and Writers Guild of America, West
Writers Guild of America, west
Writers Guild of America, West is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. The Guild was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, which include the Screen Writers Guild...
voted to end the 100-day strike on February 12, 2008. Writers were allowed to return to work on the same day. The WGA allowed for show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
s to return to work on February 11, in preparation for the conclusion of the strike. The show runner for 30 Rock is executive producer Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock is an American television producer and screenwriter most widely known for his work as a writer for several NBC television comedies, particularly his work with Tina Fey as show runners for 30 Rock.-Early years:...
. The writers returned to work on February 13. During the strike, executive producer, writer and star of 30 Rock Tina Fey had to balance her duties in order not to breach WGA strike rules. Fey took to the picket lines along with co-star Jack McBrayer, while Alec Baldwin also blogged on The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
website in support of the WGA writers.
Reception
"MILF Island" brought in an average of 5.7 million American viewers, performing similarly to previous episodes of the second season. This episode achieved a 2.7/7 in the key 18–49 demographic; the 2.7 refers to 2.7% of all 18–49 year olds in the U.S. while the 7 refers to 7% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast in the U.S.Jeff Labrecque of 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...
wrote that "after three months of strike-enforced exile, [this episode of] 30 Rock generated the expectations and excitement normally reserved for a season premiere," also saying that "the show [is] in midseason form." Matt Webb Mitovich of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
said that he would "be lying if [he] said this was a super-great episode." Webb Mitovich went on to say that "[He] did like, though — and thought they should have done a lot more with — the "parallels" between the MILF events and the strategizing staff." Bob Sassone
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 thought that "It's almost as if this was the season opener" and that this episode was "ambitious." Michael N of Television Without Pity awarded the episode a grade of B. Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said that "the overall story arc was less than what we had anticipated from this critical favorite making its post-writers-strike return, the episode was still pretty damn funny." Canning also said that this was "an episode that was divided between a less-than-average story and many hilarious moments." Canning criticized how "30 Rock has never really given [Pete Hornberger and Scott Adsit] (the character or the actor) the showcase that he deserves."
External links
- MILF Island," at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- recap clip, " at HuluHuluHulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
- MILF Island," at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...