Mrs. Donaghy
Encyclopedia
"Mrs. Donaghy" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
, and the 91st overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt
and directed by Tricia Brock
. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) network in the United States on January 20, 2011. Guest stars in this episode include Meng Ai, Jean Brassard, Todd Buonopane, Tituss Burgess
, Cheyenne Jackson
, Chris Parnell
and Sherri Shepherd
.
In the episode, the fictitious show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) staff are affected by budget cuts at NBC. Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) married his girlfriend Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
) but following the wedding he learns that the minister (Brassard) did not marry the two of them. At the same time, TGS star Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) shares a dressing room with her co-star Danny Baker (Jackson), and Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) has a health scare.
Before the airing, NBC moved the program to a new timeslot at 10:00 p.m., moving it from its 8:30 p.m. slot that began in the beginning of the fifth season. This episode of 30 Rock was generally, though not universally, well-received among television critics. According to Nielsen Media Research
, "Mrs. Donaghy" was watched by 5.338 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.7 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
(Alec Baldwin
) married his girlfriend Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
) over New Year's. However, when he returns to New York following the nuptials he discovers that he is instead married to his employee and friend Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
). At the wedding, Liz was Jack's best man and wore a white shirt with a head net while Avery wore a black dress. As a result of what Liz was wearing, the minister (Jean Brassard) instead married Jack and Liz. He informs Liz that the minister married the two of them instead of him and Avery. The two set out for a divorce, however, TGS with Tracy Jordan producer Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) tells Liz not to sign the divorce papers as she can use their marriage to her advantage as TGS—a show she is the head writer for—is affected by budget cuts at NBC as part of the merger with the fictional network company Kabletown. She demands that Jack, an executive at NBC, give the show its lost budget but he denies the request, as a result Liz will not sign the divorce papers unless her conditions are met.
Meanwhile, TGS star Jenna Maroney
's (Jane Krakowski
) dressing room is now a temporary room for a technician (Meng Ai) as Jack is renting space on the TGS floor in the 30 Rock building
to keep the budget down, as a result Jenna is forced to share a dressing room with her TGS co-star Danny Baker (Cheyenne Jackson
). Immediately, the two start behaving like an old married couple. NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) gets upset about Jenna and Danny fighting and decides to stop their bickering. Kenneth interrupts one of their arguments by showing them a childish picture he drew of the two. This works to no avail as Jenna and Danny continue arguing. To put a stop to this, Danny moves out from his dressing room and into the Y
.
At the same time, TGS star Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) is informed by Dr. Leo Spaceman (Chris Parnell
) that he has health problems as Tracy has a weakened system only found on dead people. Tracy and his wife Angie Jordan (Sherri Shepherd
) meet with Jack and Tracy reveals what Dr. Spaceman told him. Angie becomes concerned on whether or not their family will be taken care of after Tracy dies. Jack offers Angie a job in the entertainment business, and takes the opportunity to get even with Liz by assigning Angie as Liz's intern. Liz realizes that Angie's new job is Jack's way of messing with her, and explains to Angie that as her intern she is not getting paid and fires her. Angie gets upset with Jack and Liz but Jack offers her a reality show during TGSs time slot unless Liz signs the divorce papers. Liz, however, will not sign them. To get back at Jack, Liz holds a press conference and announces that she and Jack have decided to donate $5 million dollars to The Jack and Elizabeth Donaghy High School for Teen Drama, The Arts, and Feelings. The next day, Jack and Liz have a sit down meeting with NBC Human resource mediator Jeffrey Weinerslav (Todd Buonopane) to discuss their marriage as NBC has strict anti-nepotism guidelines. During the meeting, the two realize that they have had the longest and most meaningful relationship either of them has ever had, and apologize to each other with Liz agreeing to sign the divorce papers and Jack promising to restore TGSs budget.
, his second episode for the fifth season
, and his fourteenth writing credit after "Jack Meets Dennis
", "The Baby Show", "The Fighting Irish
", "Cleveland
", "Rosemary's Baby
", "Subway Hero
", "Sandwich Day
", "The One with the Cast of Night Court
", "St. Valentine's Day
", "The Ones
", "Kidney Now!
", "Don Geiss, America and Hope
", and "Let's Stay Together
". The episode was directed by Tricia Brock
, making it her second for the series after directing the March 19, 2009, episode "The Bubble
" from the show's third season
. "Mrs. Donaghy" originally aired in the United States on January 20, 2011, on NBC as the eleventh episode of the show's fifth season and the 91st overall episode of the series.
The episode featured several appearances by several frequent guest stars, including Todd Buonopane as NBC Human resource mediator Jeffrey Weinerslav, Cheyenne Jackson as TGS cast member Danny Baker, Chris Parnell as Dr. Leo Spaceman, and Sherri Shepherd as Angie Jordan the wife of Tracy Jordan. Buonopane, Jackson, Parnell, and Shepherd made their fifth, eighth, sixteenth, and sixth appearances on the show, respectively. In an interview with TV Guide
in November 2010, co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock
revealed that Shepherd's character "will be getting her own Real Housewives-type reality show. Having the cameras around forces Tracy to act on better behavior." This is evident in the following episode "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning
". Tina Fey, the series creator, executive producer and lead actress on 30 Rock, told Entertainment Weekly
, in regards to Angie's reality show, "We're hoping to, maybe, if we can get away with it, do an entire episode that's just an episode of Queen of Jordan. Now I'm just superimposing my own TV viewing habits onto 30 Rock." In the episode, Dr. Spaceman informs Tracy Jordan—played by Tracy Morgan—that he is dying, television columnist Meredith Blake from the Los Angeles Times
wondered if this subplot was written as a way to deal with Tracy Morgan's recent kidney transplant as he is expected to miss several episodes to recover from the procedure.
In the episode, it is revealed that Jack Donaghy accidentally married Liz Lemon instead of his girlfriend Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks). At the wedding, Liz was Jack's best man and wore a white shirt with a head net, while Avery wore a black cocktail dress. As a result of what Liz was wearing, the minister (Jean Brassard) instead married Jack and Liz. The two decide to get a divorce, however, they use their marriage to get the upper hand over one another. Ultimately, Jack and Liz decide to stop their feud and get a divorce. Since beginning, the series has occasionally hinted at a romantic relationship between the two characters. In one episode, Jack passes Liz off as his live-in girlfriend to his ex-wife Bianca (Isabella Rossellini
) to make her jealous. In another episode, Jack's mother Colleen Donaghy (Elaine Stritch
) tells him that Liz is a perfect match for him, and in the same episode he has Liz listed as his emergency contact. In an April 2010 Esquire
interview, Fey said that one of the plots that 30 Rock will never do is have Liz and Jack get together. "Let me put the Internet at ease: Liz and Jack will never be together." Alec Baldwin was asked if the two characters will ever hook-up, he responded "I sincerely doubt it, and I think the show is better off that way. Once they cross that line, all the tension goes out of those relationships. And I think the lesson we learned about both those characters is that they are married to their jobs and they are married to their work."
and says that she is a handful. Fromme is a member of the Manson Family
, and was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to assassinate United States President
Gerald Ford
in 1975. Jenna and Danny begin arguing after the two are forced to share a dressing room. She takes down Danny's poster of the Montreal Alouettes
, a Canadian Football League
team based in Montreal, Quebec, which was signed by Marc Trestman
, the head coach of the Alouettes. Jenna says that she took down the poster because it was tacky as well as his mother's chain e-mails
, the latter consists of a message that attempts to induce the recipient to make a number of copies of the letter and then pass them on to as many recipients as possible.
Later, Jack gives Angie a reality show that will feature her friends and family, the show is a parody to the reality show The Real Housewives of... which airs on the cable network
Bravo in which it follows the lives of relatively affluent, bourgeois housewives and professional women in the suburban or urban areas of several American cities. During the press conference, in which Liz announces that she and Jack have decided to donate $5 million dollars to "a high school for drama, the arts, and feelings", Liz spoke as socialite Edith Bouvier Beale
. Later, Jack asks Liz what that voice was with Liz responding that that was "Drew Barrymore's impression of that crazy lady", a reference to actress Drew Barrymore
who portrayed Beale in the 2009 HBO film Grey Gardens.
in May 2010 with the network moving 30 Rock from the 9:30 p.m. time to the 8:30 p.m. timeslot for the show's fifth season. In November 2010, it was announced that the program would move from 8:30 to the 10:00 timeslot. The network moved 30 Rock to the 10:00 time in order to "make room" for the return of the comedy show Parks and Recreation
and the debut of the new comedy Perfect Couples
. Many questioned whether or not it was a good decision to move the show to 10:00 as it is a low rated show. According to Nielsen Media Research
, "Mrs. Donaghy" was watched by 5.338 million households in its original American broadcast. According to New York
magazine the staff were most worried about how 30 Rock and Community
—another program that airs on NBC's Thursday lineup—would do in the new time change but said that both shows "did great." The episode earned a 2.7 rating/7 share in the 18–49 demographic. This means that it was seen by 2.7 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 7 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. "Mrs. Donaghy" was up nearly 30 percent against the previous episode, "Christmas Attack Zone
", that aired at 8:30 p.m. on December 9, 2010.
s Zack Handlen noted that the Jack and Liz being married plot "was strong enough to carry the episode overall, as watching Liz drive Jack crazy is almost always entertaining." Handlen did not enjoy the other two stories from the episode, citing that Jenna and Danny's "had some good lines" and that it was good to see these two characters play off each other but "this really needed to get a lot crazier, or else have some sort of character development", and that the third plot was only worth towards the opening credits to Angie's reality show. "This was hilarious ... but everything else was like watching echoes of old gags. [...] There wasn't a lot of connective tissue to hold any of this together, so it came across as haphazard." Juli Weiner of Vanity Fair
wrote that this was a "fine episode about marriage and mistranslation." Weiner, however, opined that the portrayal of Angie Jordan here, played by Sherri Shepherd, "was less than ideal." Alan Sepinwall from HitFix wrote that the show is having a strong season with its fifth season but wrote that this episode was not a particularly strong one nonetheless "the writers can almost always rely on the Jack/Liz relationship for both heart ... and comedy. It was the first part of the episode that made me consistently laugh, and it also worked because I like Jack and Liz – and like that the show remains committed to a complete lack of romantic tension between them". TV Guide
s Matt Roush was glad that Chris Parnell returned as his 30 Rock character in this episode. Ian McDonald of Zap2it
wrote that the Jeffrey character "made one of the best in-jokes of the episode, recapping (and misinterpreting) Liz and Jack's 'will they/won't they chemistry.' The kicker, though, was we're meant to realize that Liz and Jack are perfect for each other in a completely platonic way." McDonald was positive about Jane Krakowski and Cheyenne Jackson's subplot, saying it was nice to see them share a story, and that their characters "have great, toxic chemistry." Bob Sassone
of TV Squad said that the ending in which the Jeffrey character summarized Jack and Liz's friendship "was a perfect summation of the heart of 30 Rock itself."
IGN
contributor Matt Fowler commented that the Jenna and Danny story "felt weak" but that Angie getting her own show "more than made up for it." Fowler gave the episode an 8 out of 10 rating. Brad Sanders of the Indiana Daily Student
commented that "Mrs. Donaghy" had a "solid comeback", while Entertainment Weekly
s Breia Brissey was glad that the show returned. "The strength of ['Mrs. Donaghy'] was that, however silly, all of the illogical circumstances of the show can be explained with a bit of reason", reported Caitlin Smith of The Atlantic. Smith said her favorite scene was when Jack and Liz have a sit down meeting with Jeffrey, and "[h]e's counseling the newly married couple to avoid bringing their personal relationship into work and reads off a lengthy checklist of things to avoid." Meredith Blake from the Los Angeles Times
explained that the reason the series is having a strong season is due to it returning to the basics with the Jack and Liz friendship; "Somehow, Liz and Jack are such a perfect, if unexpected, pair that this theme manages not to wear thin. Their accidental marriage ... was almost inevitable, the logical end to which the writers could stretch the relationship. It does make you wonder what the writers can possibly do next, but I have faith." New York magazine's Willa Paskin enjoyed Tina Fey's impression of Edith Bouvier Beale
during her press conference. Elliott Hammer of The Collegian
wrote that Angie's tagline for her reality show "I'm Angie and I think elegance and attitude are the same thing" was brilliant.
Dan Forcella of TV Fanatic commented that "[t]here were moments when I laughed" but that "Mrs. Donaghy" did not come together to make a great episode. He noted that Jack and Liz discovering that they were married "didn't bring much new to the table. Jack and Liz arguing like this is standard for 30 Rock, and I got bored of their story rather quickly." Further in his recap, Forcella said that the ending scene, with Jeffrey explaining all of the things Jack and Liz have done together as close friends, "was almost as if they expected us to predict one of them was going to think it was something more than a friendship, and then flip it on the audience." Kelsea Stahler of the New York Post
noted that when it was revealed that Jack accidentally married Liz that it "fell a little flat", reasoning "I mean, Jack accidentally married [Liz], this scene could have reached so many levels of insanity, but instead they settled for Jonathan's (Maulik Pancholy
) piercing squeal before moving onto the rest of the show." Johnny Firecloud of CraveOnline
did not enjoy the Jenna, Danny, and Kenneth plot explaining that it unfolded "very strangely, and eventually saps a good deal of energy out of the show. It's a dead-end sub-plot that's simply useless." Firecloud gave this episode a 7 out of 10 rating.
30 Rock (season 5)
The fifth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series on the NBC network in the United States, began airing on September 23, 2010. NBC announced on March 5, 2010 that 30 Rock would be returning for a fifth season in the 2010–2011 television season...
of the American television comedy 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...
, and the 91st overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt
Jack Burditt
Jack Burditt is an American producer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...
and directed by Tricia Brock
Tricia Brock (director)
Tricia Brock is American film and television director.-Career:Brock began her career working in television commercials, she was then recruited to write two episodes of the television series, Twin Peaks...
. 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) network in the United States on January 20, 2011. Guest stars in this episode include Meng Ai, Jean Brassard, Todd Buonopane, Tituss Burgess
Tituss Burgess
Tituss Burgess is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in four Broadway musicals, and is known for his very high tenor voice.-Biography:...
, Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
, Chris Parnell
Chris Parnell
Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell also voices Cyril Figgis on the FX animated comedy...
and Sherri Shepherd
Sherri Shepherd
Sherri Evonne Shepherd is an American comedienne, actress, and television personality. She is one of five co-hosts on the ABC daytime talkshow, The View, as well as being the current host of the Newlywed Game and having a recurring role as Angie Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock...
.
In the episode, the fictitious show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) staff are affected by budget cuts at NBC. 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...
) married his girlfriend Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
) but following the wedding he learns that the minister (Brassard) did not marry the two of them. At the same time, TGS star 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...
) shares a dressing room with her co-star Danny Baker (Jackson), and 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:...
) has a health scare.
Before the airing, NBC moved the program to a new timeslot at 10:00 p.m., moving it from its 8:30 p.m. slot that began in the beginning of the fifth season. This episode of 30 Rock was generally, though not universally, well-received among television critics. According to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, "Mrs. Donaghy" was watched by 5.338 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.7 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
Plot
Jack DonaghyJack 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...
) married his girlfriend Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
) over New Year's. However, when he returns to New York following the nuptials he discovers that he is instead married to his employee and friend 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...
). At the wedding, Liz was Jack's best man and wore a white shirt with a head net while Avery wore a black dress. As a result of what Liz was wearing, the minister (Jean Brassard) instead married Jack and Liz. He informs Liz that the minister married the two of them instead of him and Avery. The two set out for a divorce, however, TGS with Tracy Jordan 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,...
) tells Liz not to sign the divorce papers as she can use their marriage to her advantage as TGS—a show she is the head writer for—is affected by budget cuts at NBC as part of the merger with the fictional network company Kabletown. She demands that Jack, an executive at NBC, give the show its lost budget but he denies the request, as a result Liz will not sign the divorce papers unless her conditions are met.
Meanwhile, TGS star 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...
) dressing room is now a temporary room for a technician (Meng Ai) as Jack is renting space on the TGS floor in the 30 Rock building
GE Building
The GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
to keep the budget down, as a result Jenna is forced to share a dressing room with her TGS co-star Danny Baker (Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
). Immediately, the two start behaving like an old married couple. 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"...
) gets upset about Jenna and Danny fighting and decides to stop their bickering. Kenneth interrupts one of their arguments by showing them a childish picture he drew of the two. This works to no avail as Jenna and Danny continue arguing. To put a stop to this, Danny moves out from his dressing room and into the Y
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
.
At the same time, TGS star 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:...
) is informed by Dr. Leo Spaceman (Chris Parnell
Chris Parnell
Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell also voices Cyril Figgis on the FX animated comedy...
) that he has health problems as Tracy has a weakened system only found on dead people. Tracy and his wife Angie Jordan (Sherri Shepherd
Sherri Shepherd
Sherri Evonne Shepherd is an American comedienne, actress, and television personality. She is one of five co-hosts on the ABC daytime talkshow, The View, as well as being the current host of the Newlywed Game and having a recurring role as Angie Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock...
) meet with Jack and Tracy reveals what Dr. Spaceman told him. Angie becomes concerned on whether or not their family will be taken care of after Tracy dies. Jack offers Angie a job in the entertainment business, and takes the opportunity to get even with Liz by assigning Angie as Liz's intern. Liz realizes that Angie's new job is Jack's way of messing with her, and explains to Angie that as her intern she is not getting paid and fires her. Angie gets upset with Jack and Liz but Jack offers her a reality show during TGSs time slot unless Liz signs the divorce papers. Liz, however, will not sign them. To get back at Jack, Liz holds a press conference and announces that she and Jack have decided to donate $5 million dollars to The Jack and Elizabeth Donaghy High School for Teen Drama, The Arts, and Feelings. The next day, Jack and Liz have a sit down meeting with NBC Human resource mediator Jeffrey Weinerslav (Todd Buonopane) to discuss their marriage as NBC has strict anti-nepotism guidelines. During the meeting, the two realize that they have had the longest and most meaningful relationship either of them has ever had, and apologize to each other with Liz agreeing to sign the divorce papers and Jack promising to restore TGSs budget.
Production
This episode of 30 Rock was written by co-executive producer Jack BurdittJack Burditt
Jack Burditt is an American producer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...
, his second episode for the fifth season
30 Rock (season 5)
The fifth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series on the NBC network in the United States, began airing on September 23, 2010. NBC announced on March 5, 2010 that 30 Rock would be returning for a fifth season in the 2010–2011 television season...
, and his fourteenth writing credit after "Jack Meets Dennis
Jack Meets Dennis
"Jack Meets Dennis" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt, and directed by Juan J. Campanella. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company in the United States on...
", "The Baby Show", "The Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish
"The Fighting Irish" is the seventeenth episode of NBC's first season of 30 Rock. It was written by one of the season's co-executive producers, Jack Burditt and it was directed by Dennie Gordon. It aired on March 8, 2007 in the United States...
", "Cleveland
Cleveland (30 Rock)
"Cleveland" is the twentieth episode of the first season of 30 Rock. It was written by one of the season's co-executive producers, Jack Burditt, and one of the season's executive producers, Robert Carlock. It was directed by Paul Feig. It first aired on April 19, 2007 on the NBC network in the...
", "Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby (30 Rock)
"Rosemary's Baby" is the fourth episode of the second season of 30 Rock, and the twenty-fifth episode overall. It was written by Jack Burditt and was directed by Michael Engler. The episode first aired on October 25, 2007 on the NBC network in the United States...
", "Subway Hero
Subway 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...
", "Sandwich Day
Sandwich Day
"Sandwich Day" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of 30 Rock and the thirty-fifth episode overall. It was written by one of the season's executive producers, Robert Carlock, and one of the season's co-executive producers, Jack Burditt. The episode was directed by one of the season's...
", "The One with the Cast of Night Court
The One with the Cast of Night Court
"The One with the Cast of Night Court" is the third episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt, and directed by Gail Mancuso. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company in the United...
", "St. Valentine's Day
St. Valentine's Day (30 Rock)
"St. Valentine's Day" is the eleventh episode of the third season, and forty-seventh episode overall, of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt and series' creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey. The director of this...
", "The Ones
The Ones (30 Rock)
"The Ones" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt, and directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode aired in the United States on April 23, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company . Guest...
", "Kidney Now!
Kidney Now!
"Kidney Now!" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 58th overall episode of the series. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by show producers Jack Burditt and Robert Carlock...
", "Don Geiss, America and Hope
Don Geiss, America and Hope
"Don Geiss, America and Hope" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 73rd overall episode of the series. It was directed by Stephen Lee Davis, and written by Jack Burditt and Tracey Wigfield. The episode originally aired on the...
", and "Let's Stay Together
Let's Stay Together (30 Rock)
"Let's Stay Together" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 83rd overall episode of the series. It was directed by co-executive producer John Riggi and written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt. The episode originally aired on the...
". The episode was directed by Tricia Brock
Tricia Brock (director)
Tricia Brock is American film and television director.-Career:Brock began her career working in television commercials, she was then recruited to write two episodes of the television series, Twin Peaks...
, making it her second for the series after directing the March 19, 2009, episode "The Bubble
The Bubble (30 Rock)
"The Bubble" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the American television series 30 Rock. It was written by series' creator Tina Fey and directed by Tricia Brock. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company in the United States on March 19, 2009. Jon Hamm and...
" from 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...
. "Mrs. Donaghy" originally aired in the United States on January 20, 2011, on NBC as the eleventh episode of the show's fifth season and the 91st overall episode of the series.
The episode featured several appearances by several frequent guest stars, including Todd Buonopane as NBC Human resource mediator Jeffrey Weinerslav, Cheyenne Jackson as TGS cast member Danny Baker, Chris Parnell as Dr. Leo Spaceman, and Sherri Shepherd as Angie Jordan the wife of Tracy Jordan. Buonopane, Jackson, Parnell, and Shepherd made their fifth, eighth, sixteenth, and sixth appearances on the show, respectively. In an interview with 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...
in November 2010, co-showrunner and 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:...
revealed that Shepherd's character "will be getting her own Real Housewives-type reality show. Having the cameras around forces Tracy to act on better behavior." This is evident in the following episode "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning
Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning
"Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by executive producer Robert Carlock. The director of this episode was Beth McCarthy-Miller. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company ...
". Tina Fey, the series creator, executive producer and lead actress on 30 Rock, told 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...
, in regards to Angie's reality show, "We're hoping to, maybe, if we can get away with it, do an entire episode that's just an episode of Queen of Jordan. Now I'm just superimposing my own TV viewing habits onto 30 Rock." In the episode, Dr. Spaceman informs Tracy Jordan—played by Tracy Morgan—that he is dying, television columnist Meredith Blake from the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
wondered if this subplot was written as a way to deal with Tracy Morgan's recent kidney transplant as he is expected to miss several episodes to recover from the procedure.
In the episode, it is revealed that Jack Donaghy accidentally married Liz Lemon instead of his girlfriend Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks). At the wedding, Liz was Jack's best man and wore a white shirt with a head net, while Avery wore a black cocktail dress. As a result of what Liz was wearing, the minister (Jean Brassard) instead married Jack and Liz. The two decide to get a divorce, however, they use their marriage to get the upper hand over one another. Ultimately, Jack and Liz decide to stop their feud and get a divorce. Since beginning, the series has occasionally hinted at a romantic relationship between the two characters. In one episode, Jack passes Liz off as his live-in girlfriend to his ex-wife Bianca (Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
) to make her jealous. In another episode, Jack's mother Colleen Donaghy (Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch is an American actress and vocalist. She has appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, feature films, and many television programs...
) tells him that Liz is a perfect match for him, and in the same episode he has Liz listed as his emergency contact. In an April 2010 Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
interview, Fey said that one of the plots that 30 Rock will never do is have Liz and Jack get together. "Let me put the Internet at ease: Liz and Jack will never be together." Alec Baldwin was asked if the two characters will ever hook-up, he responded "I sincerely doubt it, and I think the show is better off that way. Once they cross that line, all the tension goes out of those relationships. And I think the lesson we learned about both those characters is that they are married to their jobs and they are married to their work."
Cultural references
Dr. Spaceman tells Tracy that he is dating Squeaky FrommeLynette Fromme
Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme is an American member of the Manson Family. She was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1975...
and says that she is a handful. Fromme is a member of the Manson Family
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
, and was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to assassinate United States President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
in 1975. Jenna and Danny begin arguing after the two are forced to share a dressing room. She takes down Danny's poster of the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
, a Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
team based in Montreal, Quebec, which was signed by Marc Trestman
Marc Trestman
Marc Trestman is the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.-Early life:Trestman is Jewish. He graduated in 1974 from Saint Louis Park High School in Minnesota. He played quarterback for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team for three seasons...
, the head coach of the Alouettes. Jenna says that she took down the poster because it was tacky as well as his mother's chain e-mails
Chain letter
A typical chain letter consists of a message that attempts to the recipient to make a number of copies of the letter and then pass them on to as many recipients as possible...
, the latter consists of a message that attempts to induce the recipient to make a number of copies of the letter and then pass them on to as many recipients as possible.
Later, Jack gives Angie a reality show that will feature her friends and family, the show is a parody to the reality show The Real Housewives of... which airs on the cable network
Cable network
A cable channel is a television channel available via cable television. Such channels are usually also available via satellite television, including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network and BSkyB...
Bravo in which it follows the lives of relatively affluent, bourgeois housewives and professional women in the suburban or urban areas of several American cities. During the press conference, in which Liz announces that she and Jack have decided to donate $5 million dollars to "a high school for drama, the arts, and feelings", Liz spoke as socialite Edith Bouvier Beale
Edith Bouvier Beale
Edith Bouvier Beale was an American socialite, fashion model and cabaret performer. She was a first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill...
. Later, Jack asks Liz what that voice was with Liz responding that that was "Drew Barrymore's impression of that crazy lady", a reference to actress Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
who portrayed Beale in the 2009 HBO film Grey Gardens.
Ratings
Before the airing of this episode, NBC unveiled its 2010–11 primetime schedule2010–2011 United States network television schedule
The following is the 2010–2011 network television schedule for the five major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 2010 through May 2011. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new...
in May 2010 with the network moving 30 Rock from the 9:30 p.m. time to the 8:30 p.m. timeslot for the show's fifth season. In November 2010, it was announced that the program would move from 8:30 to the 10:00 timeslot. The network moved 30 Rock to the 10:00 time in order to "make room" for the return of the comedy show Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
and the debut of the new comedy Perfect Couples
Perfect Couples
Perfect Couples is an American comedy television series that was originally broadcast by NBC. The half-hour romantic comedy was co-created by Jon Pollack and Scott Silveri and produced by Universal Media Studios. A sneak preview of the series aired on December 20, 2010, and officially premiered on...
. Many questioned whether or not it was a good decision to move the show to 10:00 as it is a low rated show. According to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, "Mrs. Donaghy" was watched by 5.338 million households in its original American broadcast. According to New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine the staff were most worried about how 30 Rock and Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
—another program that airs on NBC's Thursday lineup—would do in the new time change but said that both shows "did great." The episode earned a 2.7 rating/7 share in the 18–49 demographic. This means that it was seen by 2.7 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 7 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. "Mrs. Donaghy" was up nearly 30 percent against the previous episode, "Christmas Attack Zone
Christmas Attack Zone
"Christmas Attack Zone" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 90th overall episode of the series. It was written by show story editor Tracey Wigfield and directed by co-executive producer John Riggi. It originally aired on the National...
", that aired at 8:30 p.m. on December 9, 2010.
Reviews
The A.V. ClubThe 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...
s Zack Handlen noted that the Jack and Liz being married plot "was strong enough to carry the episode overall, as watching Liz drive Jack crazy is almost always entertaining." Handlen did not enjoy the other two stories from the episode, citing that Jenna and Danny's "had some good lines" and that it was good to see these two characters play off each other but "this really needed to get a lot crazier, or else have some sort of character development", and that the third plot was only worth towards the opening credits to Angie's reality show. "This was hilarious ... but everything else was like watching echoes of old gags. [...] There wasn't a lot of connective tissue to hold any of this together, so it came across as haphazard." Juli Weiner of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
wrote that this was a "fine episode about marriage and mistranslation." Weiner, however, opined that the portrayal of Angie Jordan here, played by Sherri Shepherd, "was less than ideal." Alan Sepinwall from HitFix wrote that the show is having a strong season with its fifth season but wrote that this episode was not a particularly strong one nonetheless "the writers can almost always rely on the Jack/Liz relationship for both heart ... and comedy. It was the first part of the episode that made me consistently laugh, and it also worked because I like Jack and Liz – and like that the show remains committed to a complete lack of romantic tension between them". 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...
s Matt Roush was glad that Chris Parnell returned as his 30 Rock character in this episode. Ian McDonald 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...
wrote that the Jeffrey character "made one of the best in-jokes of the episode, recapping (and misinterpreting) Liz and Jack's 'will they/won't they chemistry.' The kicker, though, was we're meant to realize that Liz and Jack are perfect for each other in a completely platonic way." McDonald was positive about Jane Krakowski and Cheyenne Jackson's subplot, saying it was nice to see them share a story, and that their characters "have great, toxic chemistry." 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 TV Squad said that the ending in which the Jeffrey character summarized Jack and Liz's friendship "was a perfect summation of the heart of 30 Rock itself."
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...
contributor Matt Fowler commented that the Jenna and Danny story "felt weak" but that Angie getting her own show "more than made up for it." Fowler gave the episode an 8 out of 10 rating. Brad Sanders of the Indiana Daily Student
Indiana Daily Student
The Indiana Daily Student is an independent, student-run newspaper that has been published for the community of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana since 1867. The IDS is free and distributed throughout the campus and city.- Circulation :...
commented that "Mrs. Donaghy" had a "solid comeback", while 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...
s Breia Brissey was glad that the show returned. "The strength of ['Mrs. Donaghy'] was that, however silly, all of the illogical circumstances of the show can be explained with a bit of reason", reported Caitlin Smith of The Atlantic. Smith said her favorite scene was when Jack and Liz have a sit down meeting with Jeffrey, and "[h]e's counseling the newly married couple to avoid bringing their personal relationship into work and reads off a lengthy checklist of things to avoid." Meredith Blake from the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
explained that the reason the series is having a strong season is due to it returning to the basics with the Jack and Liz friendship; "Somehow, Liz and Jack are such a perfect, if unexpected, pair that this theme manages not to wear thin. Their accidental marriage ... was almost inevitable, the logical end to which the writers could stretch the relationship. It does make you wonder what the writers can possibly do next, but I have faith." New York magazine's Willa Paskin enjoyed Tina Fey's impression of Edith Bouvier Beale
Edith Bouvier Beale
Edith Bouvier Beale was an American socialite, fashion model and cabaret performer. She was a first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill...
during her press conference. Elliott Hammer of The Collegian
The Collegian (University of Richmond)
The Collegian is the student newspaper of the University of Richmond. Founded in 1914, the publication is staffed by members of the Richmond journalism undergraduate program, and is available in print format as well as online...
wrote that Angie's tagline for her reality show "I'm Angie and I think elegance and attitude are the same thing" was brilliant.
Dan Forcella of TV Fanatic commented that "[t]here were moments when I laughed" but that "Mrs. Donaghy" did not come together to make a great episode. He noted that Jack and Liz discovering that they were married "didn't bring much new to the table. Jack and Liz arguing like this is standard for 30 Rock, and I got bored of their story rather quickly." Further in his recap, Forcella said that the ending scene, with Jeffrey explaining all of the things Jack and Liz have done together as close friends, "was almost as if they expected us to predict one of them was going to think it was something more than a friendship, and then flip it on the audience." Kelsea Stahler of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
noted that when it was revealed that Jack accidentally married Liz that it "fell a little flat", reasoning "I mean, Jack accidentally married [Liz], this scene could have reached so many levels of insanity, but instead they settled for Jonathan's (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....
) piercing squeal before moving onto the rest of the show." Johnny Firecloud of CraveOnline
CraveOnline
CraveOnline is a male lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company AtomicOnline, the publishing division of Evolve Media Corp.- History :...
did not enjoy the Jenna, Danny, and Kenneth plot explaining that it unfolded "very strangely, and eventually saps a good deal of energy out of the show. It's a dead-end sub-plot that's simply useless." Firecloud gave this episode a 7 out of 10 rating.