Queen of Jordan (30 Rock)
Encyclopedia
"Queen of Jordan" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
, and the 97th overall episode of the series. It was "written" by Tracey Wigfield and directed by Ken Whittingham
. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) network in the United States on March 17, 2011. Guest stars in this episode include Sherri Shepherd
, Susan Sarandon
and Tituss Burgess
.
This episode aired as an episode of Queen of Jordan, a fictional reality series that started sometime during the events of "Mrs. Donaghy
". In this episode, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) convinces Liz to convince Angie to convince Tracy to come back from "Africa
". Meanwhile, Frank is found by his lost love. Throughout the episode, Jack gets into embarrassing situations and Jenna tries to be the focus of the reality show's cameras.
This episode of 30 Rock received generally positive reviews from television critics. According to Nielsen Media Research
, "Queen of Jordan" was watched by 4.192 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 1.7 rating/5 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
) headed for a meeting with Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) to discuss her new single entitled "My Single Is Dropping." Jack offers to throw a release party on the set of TGS, but during the conversation, he trips, which gets caught by the cameras. Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
), head writer of TGS, begs Angie to get Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) to come back from Africa
, but Angie doesn't want to.
Liz is worried, but Jack tells Liz to continue to try to convince Angie to get Tracy back from Africa. Liz uses several attempts, at first impersonating Tracy (to which Angie says, "Don't do impressions of other races"). Liz then shows her their wedding video, saying that she "mixed up" the DVDs of that and the backup dancers' audition for the release party of the song (which is revealed to be 15 seconds long). This, too, fails, when Liz sees that Tracy came to their wedding with handcuffs and police behind him, thus getting Angie to prove how "exhausting" Tracy is. Liz's third attempt, sending an e-mail from Angie's computer to Tracy, is the last straw for Angie. She then proceeds to pull out Liz's hair (thinking that it was a weave) and explains that she is contractually obliged to "pull out some bitches' weaves eight more times this season."
Throughout the episode, Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) tries to get more screen time and promotion for her website Jennas-Side.com (which, when said out loud, sounds like "genocide
") from the reality show cameras by throwing wine at several people. While drunk, Portia (Moya Angela) talks to Jenna about her alcoholism. Jenna pretends to not like the planned intervention, while actually loving it because it will get her more screen time. However, her plan backfires in the end when Pete, who led the intervention, sends Jenna to rehab
. But Jenna hits the driver unconscious and sneaks off to Angie's single release party.
Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy is being portrayed as a clumsy gay flatulent when he is talking to Grizz and Dot Com about his college days. He goes on to say that he "went both ways" and was "on the DL." It is then presumed that he is gay
because of his misconstrued statements. Angie's gay friend D'Fwan (Tituss Burgess
) talks to him about this. Jack, in a talking head
interview, says that he is not gay but further embarrasses himself when a fart
sound is heard when he stands up from the chair.
Meanwhile, news of Lynn Onkman's (guest star Susan Sarandon
) release from jail reveals to the TGS office that one of the writers, Frank Rossitano (Judah Friedlander
), was Lynn's lover when he was 14, leading to Lynn Onkman's arrest and status as a registered sex offender. Lynn meets Frank at the TGS office. Inspired by their love, Randi (Paula Leggett Chase) sets them up on a date at her pole-dancing studio and watches them while she dances on a pole. Frank and Lynn have an argument because she talks about how he has remained "stuck" as a boy who loves comic book
s and action figure
s. Frank storms out, but the next day, he brings all his toys to her workplace in a fast food restaurant and puts them in a deep fryer to prove that he is ready to become the man she loves. Lynn is fired, and Frank and Lynn rekindle their relationship.
At the release party, Liz finally confronts Angie about getting Tracy back and tells her that Tracy is a part of their family. Angie cries, but when Liz apologizes, she says that it is because of seeing how Frank and Lynn love each other. She goes on to say that she misses her "weird love" with Tracy. Angie confesses that she has been trying to get Tracy to go back since he left, but since he doesn't want to go back, she pretends to be happy about it.
, this episode of 30 Rock was watched by 4.192 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 1.7 rating/5 share in the 18–49 demographic. This means that it was seen by 1.7 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 5 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. The figure was a decrease from the previous episode, TGS Hates Women
, which was seen by 4.501 million households.
Alan Sepinwall of HitFix
was largely positive toward the episode, describing it as "a pretty thorough send-up of the cliches of the Real Housewives franchise" and opining that "Jack sinking deeper and deeper into the show's caricatured conception of him was hilarious". Sepinwall also noted that "Tracy Morgan's medical leave [had] forced the show to vamp a bit, and this was a particularly creative bit of vamping with some fine gags", however he commented that he looked forward to the show returning to normal the following week.
The A. V. Club critic Todd VanDerWerff commented on the improved quality that the fifth season of 30 Rock had demonstrated, attributing it to the show "rediscovering its sense of playfulness". He praised the primary plot, commenting that "the Liz storyline was unexpectedly moving, as Liz’s farcical attempts to get Tracy to come back [...] led to the revelation that Angie has been trying to get Tracy to come back to no avail". However, he also noted that the episode's format crowded out a number of storylines, including the one featuring Susan Sarandon.
Dan Forcella of TV Fanatic was also positive toward the episode, praising the character of Angie and saying that "everything about [the] spoof worked", whilst Ian McDonald of TVOverMind said that the humour in the episode "reads like a checklist for 'Housewife' reality shows to adhere to" and concluded that "including the minor hiccups, "Queen of Jordan" was the best episode of the season, if not the most memorable".
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 97th overall episode of the series. It was "written" by Tracey Wigfield and directed by Ken Whittingham
Ken Whittingham
Ken Whittingham is an American television director.His most notable directorial work includes a number of episodes from each of the television series 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Suburgatory, The Middle, Parenthood, The Bernie Mac Show, Scrubs, Everybody Hates Chris, The Office, My Name Is Earl,...
. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) network in the United States on March 17, 2011. Guest stars in this episode include 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...
, Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
and 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:...
.
This episode aired as an episode of Queen of Jordan, a fictional reality series that started sometime during the events of "Mrs. Donaghy
Mrs. Donaghy
"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...
". In this episode, 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...
) convinces Liz to convince Angie to convince Tracy to come back from "Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
". Meanwhile, Frank is found by his lost love. Throughout the episode, Jack gets into embarrassing situations and Jenna tries to be the focus of the reality show's cameras.
This episode of 30 Rock received generally positive reviews from 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...
, "Queen of Jordan" was watched by 4.192 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 1.7 rating/5 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
Plot
The episode begins with Angie Jordan (guest star Sherri ShepherdSherri 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...
) headed for a meeting with 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...
) to discuss her new single entitled "My Single Is Dropping." Jack offers to throw a release party on the set of TGS, but during the conversation, he trips, which gets caught by the cameras. 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...
), head writer of TGS, begs Angie to get 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:...
) to come back from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, but Angie doesn't want to.
Liz is worried, but Jack tells Liz to continue to try to convince Angie to get Tracy back from Africa. Liz uses several attempts, at first impersonating Tracy (to which Angie says, "Don't do impressions of other races"). Liz then shows her their wedding video, saying that she "mixed up" the DVDs of that and the backup dancers' audition for the release party of the song (which is revealed to be 15 seconds long). This, too, fails, when Liz sees that Tracy came to their wedding with handcuffs and police behind him, thus getting Angie to prove how "exhausting" Tracy is. Liz's third attempt, sending an e-mail from Angie's computer to Tracy, is the last straw for Angie. She then proceeds to pull out Liz's hair (thinking that it was a weave) and explains that she is contractually obliged to "pull out some bitches' weaves eight more times this season."
Throughout the episode, 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...
) tries to get more screen time and promotion for her website Jennas-Side.com (which, when said out loud, sounds like "genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
") from the reality show cameras by throwing wine at several people. While drunk, Portia (Moya Angela) talks to Jenna about her alcoholism. Jenna pretends to not like the planned intervention, while actually loving it because it will get her more screen time. However, her plan backfires in the end when Pete, who led the intervention, sends Jenna to rehab
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
. But Jenna hits the driver unconscious and sneaks off to Angie's single release party.
Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy is being portrayed as a clumsy gay flatulent when he is talking to Grizz and Dot Com about his college days. He goes on to say that he "went both ways" and was "on the DL." It is then presumed that he is gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
because of his misconstrued statements. Angie's gay friend D'Fwan (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:...
) talks to him about this. Jack, in a talking head
Talking head
Talking head may refer to:Computers and internet*Computer facial animation, area of computer graphics that animates images of the human head and face*Interactive online charactersFilm and television*Talking Head , 1992 film by Mamoru Oshii...
interview, says that he is not gay but further embarrasses himself when a fart
Fart
Fart is an English language vulgarism most commonly used in reference to flatulence. The word "fart" is generally considered unsuitable in a formal environment by modern English speakers, and it may be considered vulgar or offensive in some situations. Fart can be used as a noun or a verb...
sound is heard when he stands up from the chair.
Meanwhile, news of Lynn Onkman's (guest star Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
) release from jail reveals to the TGS office that one of the writers, Frank Rossitano (Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander is an American actor and comedian, known for his trademark trucker hats, oversized glasses and unkempt appearance, which he retains in many of his screen roles.-Early life:...
), was Lynn's lover when he was 14, leading to Lynn Onkman's arrest and status as a registered sex offender. Lynn meets Frank at the TGS office. Inspired by their love, Randi (Paula Leggett Chase) sets them up on a date at her pole-dancing studio and watches them while she dances on a pole. Frank and Lynn have an argument because she talks about how he has remained "stuck" as a boy who loves comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s and action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s. Frank storms out, but the next day, he brings all his toys to her workplace in a fast food restaurant and puts them in a deep fryer to prove that he is ready to become the man she loves. Lynn is fired, and Frank and Lynn rekindle their relationship.
At the release party, Liz finally confronts Angie about getting Tracy back and tells her that Tracy is a part of their family. Angie cries, but when Liz apologizes, she says that it is because of seeing how Frank and Lynn love each other. She goes on to say that she misses her "weird love" with Tracy. Angie confesses that she has been trying to get Tracy to go back since he left, but since he doesn't want to go back, she pretends to be happy about it.
Reception
According to the Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, this episode of 30 Rock was watched by 4.192 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 1.7 rating/5 share in the 18–49 demographic. This means that it was seen by 1.7 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 5 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. The figure was a decrease from the previous episode, TGS Hates Women
TGS Hates Women
"TGS Hates Women" is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 96th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. The episode originally aired on the National...
, which was seen by 4.501 million households.
Alan Sepinwall of HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
was largely positive toward the episode, describing it as "a pretty thorough send-up of the cliches of the Real Housewives franchise" and opining that "Jack sinking deeper and deeper into the show's caricatured conception of him was hilarious". Sepinwall also noted that "Tracy Morgan's medical leave [had] forced the show to vamp a bit, and this was a particularly creative bit of vamping with some fine gags", however he commented that he looked forward to the show returning to normal the following week.
The A. V. Club critic Todd VanDerWerff commented on the improved quality that the fifth season of 30 Rock had demonstrated, attributing it to the show "rediscovering its sense of playfulness". He praised the primary plot, commenting that "the Liz storyline was unexpectedly moving, as Liz’s farcical attempts to get Tracy to come back [...] led to the revelation that Angie has been trying to get Tracy to come back to no avail". However, he also noted that the episode's format crowded out a number of storylines, including the one featuring Susan Sarandon.
Dan Forcella of TV Fanatic was also positive toward the episode, praising the character of Angie and saying that "everything about [the] spoof worked", whilst Ian McDonald of TVOverMind said that the humour in the episode "reads like a checklist for 'Housewife' reality shows to adhere to" and concluded that "including the minor hiccups, "Queen of Jordan" was the best episode of the season, if not the most memorable".