The Fabian Strategy
Encyclopedia
"The Fabian Strategy" is the first episode of the fifth season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
, and the 81st overall episode of the series. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
, and written by series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey
. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) network in the United States on September 23, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include Mario Brassard, Matt Damon
, Jan Owen, Paula Pell, and Jeffrey Schara.
In the episode, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) interferes in Liz Lemon
's (Fey) relationship with Carol (Damon) as he is determined to help Liz have a relationship that lasts for once. At the same time, Jack struggles to compromise with his girlfriend Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
) as she redecorates his apartment. Meanwhile, Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) has trouble coming to terms with Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) getting fired as an NBC page
and Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) becomes a producer of the fictional sketch comedy show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS). This episode also continued a story arc involving Carol as a love interest for Liz, which began in the previous episode, the season finale of the show's fourth season
"I Do Do
".
Before the airing, NBC moved the program to a new timeslot at 8:30 p.m., moving it from its 9:30 p.m. slot. This episode of 30 Rock received generally positive reviews from television critics. According to Nielsen Media Research
, it was watched by 5.85 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.6 rating/8 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
(Tina Fey
), the head writer of the sketch show TGS with Tracy Jordan, goes back to work following the summer break and prepares for the show's fifth season. At the 30 Rock building
, where she works, Liz and TGS producer Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) meet their boss, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) to discuss cutting the show's expenses. During the meeting, Pete reveals that star Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) now has a producer credit because of changes in her contract that were not set to start until the fifth season of TGS (nobody thought that the show would last that long). Jenna takes this role seriously and takes on the job of firing people. Eventually, on reviewing the budget, she realizes that her producer credit is costly—and unnecessary—and asks Pete to fire her.
Later, Jack asks Liz about her relationship with her boyfriend Carol (Matt Damon
), an airline pilot. She tells him that during the summer break the two met twice a month in a hotel. Jack does not believe that the relationship is serious since Carol never stays at Liz's apartment. He decides to force Carol to stay with Liz and reserves all the rooms of the hotel that Liz and Carol stay in when he is in New York. During his stay with Liz, Carol breaks down and asks her where their relationship is heading as he believes that she is resisting him, which she denies. The next day, Carol decides to leave New York early, but tells Liz that they need to work on their relationship. The two go their separate ways and agree to meet again on October 14
.
During the summer break, Jack's girlfriend CNBC
host Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks
) moved in with him. Avery decides to redecorate Jack's apartment. He is not keen on the idea, but not wanting to say no or give into Avery's demands, decides to employ the Fabian strategy
—named after Fabius Maximus
, a Roman general who employed defensive tactics to win battles. Jack is successful in avoiding redecorating the apartment; he agrees to knock down a wall instead. At the end of the episode, however, he realizes that Avery has used the Fabian strategy on him, and that she had wanted the wall knocked down from the start.
Elsewhere, Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) is missing Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
), a former NBC page
who was fired in the previous episode, "I Do Do
". When Tracy returns to work for the new season of TGS, he begins to hallucinate Kenneth everywhere he goes, mistaking the new page (Jeffrey Schara) and Liz for him. Later, Tracy roams the city and sees Kenneth, who is now working as a page at CBS
. Tracy believes Kenneth is a hallucination. Later, the two run into each other again and Kenneth tries to talk to Tracy, but Tracy refuses to acknowledge him as he believes his mind is playing tricks on him. To prove he is real, Kenneth throws himself in front of a car, thus making Tracy believe him. He pleads with Kenneth to come back to NBC, but Kenneth says he is happy working at CBS. At the end of the credits, Kenneth admits to himself that he lied to Tracy, and misses everyone at TGS.
, a long-time television director who worked with Fey on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live
. This was Fey's twenty-second writing credit, and McCarthy-Miller's thirteenth helmed episode. "The Fabian Strategy" originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 23, 2010, as the season premiere episode of the show's fifth season
and the 81st overall episode of the series. This episode of 30 Rock was filmed on August 30, 2010.
In March 2010, it was announced that actor Matt Damon would guest star on 30 Rock. He made his debut in the fourth season
finale episode "I Do Do
" as Carol, an airline pilot and love interest for Fey's character, Liz Lemon, and reprised the role in "The Fabian Strategy". In December 2009, prior to the confirmation of his first guest appearance, Entertainment Weekly
informed Damon that he was at the top of Fey's guest star wish list for the show. A fan of the series, Damon replied "I would do [30 Rock] in a heartbeat if they asked me to come on. She should call my people—or even better me. Or I could call her. Let's make this happen." A day after the airing of "I Do Do" he was asked if he would reprise his role as Carol in the upcoming season and responded "If they'll have me, I would love to pop in and see the gang again. I had a great time doing it." In August 2010, Fey confirmed Damon's return saying that he would play her boyfriend once the new season began.
Jane Krakowski, who plays Jenna Maroney, revealed to Entertainment Weeklys Michael Ausiello
her character's plot in which Jenna becomes a television producer as part of her contract as TGS begins its fifth season. "[Jenna] has all these wacky things built into her contract [that kick in at this point], because nobody thought we'd still be on the air. So I get to be a producer." Series producer Paula Pell reprised her role as Paula Hornberger, the wife of Scott Adsit's character Pete Hornberger. The episode references the ongoing storyline of Liz's desire to become a mother when she tells Carol that she is on a waiting list to adopt a child. This story first began in the show's first season
, and continued in the third season
.
Two months after the airing of the fourth season finale episode, co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock
was asked if Jack McBrayer's character Kenneth Parcell would return in the upcoming season after he was fired as an NBC page in "I Do Do". Carlock said "We haven't cracked [how] he is getting [his job] back, but of course he will get back somehow. We wanted a fun thing to shuffle the deck a little bit and send him off into the world. Of course, he will miss it and he will be missed. Events will bring him back." In "The Fabian Strategy", Kenneth is now working at CBS as a page for the Late Show with David Letterman
. The scene in which Kenneth throws himself in front of a car to prove to Tracy Jordan that he is real and not Tracy's imagination was filmed on August 27, 2010, in front of the Ed Sullivan Theater
.
At the start of the episode, Liz says while sleeping, "No, Tom Jones
, no!" before waking up. This is a reference to a future plot in the episode "Reaganing
" in which Liz is having intimacy issues because of a traumatic incident from her childhood that involved a poster of singer Tom Jones. Throughout the episode, Jack refers to the Fabian strategy
, a strategy named after Roman general Fabius Maximus
, which avoids direct battle in favor of attrition warfare
. Jack uses the strategy as he does not want to say no to Avery or give in to her demands. In addition, Jack hails Fabius Maximus as his role model. When Carol surprises Liz at the TGS writers' room, staff writer J.D. Lutz (John Lutz
) asks Carol if he is on Facebook
, the latter being a social networking website. Later, Liz tells Jack not to interfere in her relationship with Carol, as she believes she has the perfect relationship with him. She reveals that she is modeling her life on that of chef Ina Garten
of the Food Network
show Barefoot Contessa
. Jack responds by saying that Liz will never be like Garten, including the "barefoot" part, referring to the fact that Liz has never let anyone see her feet, which is a real life trait of Fey's.
Liz and Carol discover that one of the things they have in common is that they both love to watch The Muppets
presenting award shows. Later, Liz reveals that she has a Life Alert Emergency Response necklace; this necklace helps the elderly contact emergency services in case of an accident. Carol wonders why Geico
—an auto insurance company—has multiple mascots, a reference to Geico's advertising campaigns. Jack plans to seduce the gay interior designer that Avery hired and hopes to get the designer to agree with him to leave the apartment the way it is, explaining to Liz "Do you know what a prize I am in the gay community
? There's a term for it. I'm a bear. And I'm a daddy
. I'm a daddy bear." Before parting ways, Liz says to Carol "See you October 14", a reference to the live episode of 30 Rock entitled "Live Show
" that aired on October 14, 2010.
30 Rock and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
—both of which debuted on 2006–07 NBC lineup—revolved around the off-camera happenings on a sketch comedy series. Evidence of the overlapping subject matter between the shows, as well as the conflict between them, arose when Aaron Sorkin
, the creator of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, asked Lorne Michaels
to allow him to observe Saturday Night Live
for a week, a request Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live and executive producer of 30 Rock, denied. Despite this, Sorkin sent Fey flowers after NBC announced it would pick up both programs, and wished her luck with 30 Rock. Fey succeeded where Sorkin did not when Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was canceled after one season and 30 Rock was renewed for a second
. Though 30 Rocks first season ratings proved lackluster and were lower than those of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the latter was more expensive to produce. In the ending sequence of "The Fabian Strategy", Kenneth watches the credits for TGS, which include Ricky Tahoe
and Ronnie Oswald
as writers, the two former head writers on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
in May 2010 with the network moving the program from the 9:30 p.m. time to the 8:30 p.m. timeslot. According to the Nielsen Media Research
, this episode of 30 Rock was watched by 5.85 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 2.6 rating/8 share in the 18–49 demographic. This means that it was seen by 2.6 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 8 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. A contributor from Variety
reported that Community
, an NBC show that airs at 8:00 p.m., and 30 Rock "held up nicely" in their respective timeslots and that the two programs "were up over last year's opening Thursday hour for NBC in premiere week."
The A.V. Club
s Nathan Rabin reported that past season premieres of 30 Rock had a solid track record as being the worst episodes of the season, nonetheless Rabin found "The Fabian Strategy" hilarious and breaking that barrier. He wrote that Matt Damon has been great on the show as Carol; however, his only complaint was Carol's character flaw as being too sensitive. Rabin, who has complained "extensively" about Jenna's character in the past, said the character was in "fine form" in her role as a TGS producer. Rabin gave the episode an A- grade rating. Bob Sassone
of TV Squad deemed this episode a "solid season-opener" that featured "lots of great lines and plot development". Meredith Blake, a contributor from the Los Angeles Times
, was thrilled that the Jack and Avery relationship "not only lasted the summer, but is thriving", and wrote that she was looking forward to the pregnancy storyline involving Avery. Blake noted that Damon's character was "darn-near perfect, by which I mean 'a male version of Liz.'" Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for HitFix said that "The Fabian Strategy" did not "live up to the good old days" of past episodes, nonetheless reported that he "laughed enough" and was pleased with the direction the show took Liz and Carol's relationship. Sepinwall did not like Tracy and Kenneth's story, calling it a complete miss, but was appreciative of the other storylines, choosing Pete and Jenna's as his favorite. Alessandra Stanley
from The New York Times
was positive about Damon's role on the show, noting that he has been a "hoot". Scott Eidler of The Cornell Daily Sun
commented that the episode was a "nice start to the [fifth] season" of 30 Rock as it was "perhaps more plot-driven than packed with the emotional and uproariously funny episodes that concluded last season." Eidler commented that "The Fabian Strategy" never did "[reach] the utter hilariousness of last season, but I hope that wasn't the climax ... and it can eventually return to its previous heights of hilarity". TV Guide
s Bruce Fretts was complimentary towards Damon's role as Tina Fey's love interest, writing that Damon "showed a refreshingly silly side in keeping with 30 Rocks anything-goes spirit." Matt Wilstein of The Huffington Post
called the premiere "a very solid first episode", enjoying Damon's part on the show and the Kenneth story of him still being fired by NBC.
Time
contributor James Poniewozik
reported that the Pete/Jenna and Tracy/Kenneth plots were a "hit-and-miss", however noted it was good to see the show giving the Jack and Liz characters "ongoing direction, not just in their personal lives". The Atlantics Caitlan Smith was skeptical about Liz and Carol's relationship lasting, saying that Damon "who commands more than $20 million per movie, won't stick around for long, leaving Liz Lemon Carol-less and in for another round of the entertaining self-loathing that we've all been coming back for for four seasons."
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 81st overall episode of the series. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy or Beth McCarthy-Miller was the director of NBCs Saturday Night Live starting in 1995. She left SNL in 2006 at the end of season 31, replaced as director by Don Roy King...
, and written by 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...
. 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 September 23, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include Mario Brassard, Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
, Jan Owen, Paula Pell, and Jeffrey Schara.
In the 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...
) interferes in 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:...
's (Fey) relationship with Carol (Damon) as he is determined to help Liz have a relationship that lasts for once. At the same time, Jack struggles to compromise with 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...
) as she redecorates his apartment. Meanwhile, 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 trouble coming to terms with 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"...
) getting fired as an 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...
and 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...
) becomes a producer of the fictional sketch comedy show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS). This episode also continued a story arc involving Carol as a love interest for Liz, which began in the previous episode, the season finale of the show's fourth season
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
"I Do Do
I Do Do
"I Do Do" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 80th overall episode of the series. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey...
".
Before the airing, NBC moved the program to a new timeslot at 8:30 p.m., moving it from its 9:30 p.m. slot. 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...
, it was watched by 5.85 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.6 rating/8 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
Plot
Liz LemonLiz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
), the head writer of the sketch show TGS with Tracy Jordan, goes back to work following the summer break and prepares for the show's fifth season. At 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...
, where she works, Liz and TGS producer Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
) meet their boss, 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 cutting the show's expenses. During the meeting, Pete reveals that 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...
) now has a producer credit because of changes in her contract that were not set to start until the fifth season of TGS (nobody thought that the show would last that long). Jenna takes this role seriously and takes on the job of firing people. Eventually, on reviewing the budget, she realizes that her producer credit is costly—and unnecessary—and asks Pete to fire her.
Later, Jack asks Liz about her relationship with her boyfriend Carol (Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
), an airline pilot. She tells him that during the summer break the two met twice a month in a hotel. Jack does not believe that the relationship is serious since Carol never stays at Liz's apartment. He decides to force Carol to stay with Liz and reserves all the rooms of the hotel that Liz and Carol stay in when he is in New York. During his stay with Liz, Carol breaks down and asks her where their relationship is heading as he believes that she is resisting him, which she denies. The next day, Carol decides to leave New York early, but tells Liz that they need to work on their relationship. The two go their separate ways and agree to meet again on October 14
Live Show
"Live Show" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 84th overall episode of the series. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller, and co-written by series creator Tina Fey and co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock...
.
During the summer break, Jack's girlfriend CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
host 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...
) moved in with him. Avery decides to redecorate Jack's apartment. He is not keen on the idea, but not wanting to say no or give into Avery's demands, decides to employ the Fabian strategy
Fabian strategy
The Fabian strategy is a military strategy where pitched battles and frontal assaults are avoided in favor of wearing down an opponent through a war of attrition and indirection. While avoiding decisive battles, the side employing this strategy harasses its enemy through skirmishes to cause...
—named after Fabius Maximus
Fabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus Cunctator was a Roman politician and general, born in Rome around 280 BC and died in Rome in 203 BC. He was Roman Consul five times and was twice Dictator in 221 and again in 217 BC. He reached the office of Roman Censor in 230 BC...
, a Roman general who employed defensive tactics to win battles. Jack is successful in avoiding redecorating the apartment; he agrees to knock down a wall instead. At the end of the episode, however, he realizes that Avery has used the Fabian strategy on him, and that she had wanted the wall knocked down from the start.
Elsewhere, 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 missing 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"...
), a former 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...
who was fired in the previous episode, "I Do Do
I Do Do
"I Do Do" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 80th overall episode of the series. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey...
". When Tracy returns to work for the new season of TGS, he begins to hallucinate Kenneth everywhere he goes, mistaking the new page (Jeffrey Schara) and Liz for him. Later, Tracy roams the city and sees Kenneth, who is now working as a page at CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. Tracy believes Kenneth is a hallucination. Later, the two run into each other again and Kenneth tries to talk to Tracy, but Tracy refuses to acknowledge him as he believes his mind is playing tricks on him. To prove he is real, Kenneth throws himself in front of a car, thus making Tracy believe him. He pleads with Kenneth to come back to NBC, but Kenneth says he is happy working at CBS. At the end of the credits, Kenneth admits to himself that he lied to Tracy, and misses everyone at TGS.
Production
"The Fabian Strategy" was written by series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey, and directed by Beth McCarthy-MillerBeth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy or Beth McCarthy-Miller was the director of NBCs Saturday Night Live starting in 1995. She left SNL in 2006 at the end of season 31, replaced as director by Don Roy King...
, a long-time television director who worked with Fey on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. This was Fey's twenty-second writing credit, and McCarthy-Miller's thirteenth helmed episode. "The Fabian Strategy" originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 23, 2010, as the season premiere episode of the show's 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 the 81st overall episode of the series. This episode of 30 Rock was filmed on August 30, 2010.
In March 2010, it was announced that actor Matt Damon would guest star on 30 Rock. He made his debut in the fourth season
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
finale episode "I Do Do
I Do Do
"I Do Do" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 80th overall episode of the series. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey...
" as Carol, an airline pilot and love interest for Fey's character, Liz Lemon, and reprised the role in "The Fabian Strategy". In December 2009, prior to the confirmation of his first guest appearance, 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...
informed Damon that he was at the top of Fey's guest star wish list for the show. A fan of the series, Damon replied "I would do [30 Rock] in a heartbeat if they asked me to come on. She should call my people—or even better me. Or I could call her. Let's make this happen." A day after the airing of "I Do Do" he was asked if he would reprise his role as Carol in the upcoming season and responded "If they'll have me, I would love to pop in and see the gang again. I had a great time doing it." In August 2010, Fey confirmed Damon's return saying that he would play her boyfriend once the new season began.
Jane Krakowski, who plays Jenna Maroney, revealed to Entertainment Weeklys Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
her character's plot in which Jenna becomes a television producer as part of her contract as TGS begins its fifth season. "[Jenna] has all these wacky things built into her contract [that kick in at this point], because nobody thought we'd still be on the air. So I get to be a producer." Series producer Paula Pell reprised her role as Paula Hornberger, the wife of Scott Adsit's character Pete Hornberger. The episode references the ongoing storyline of Liz's desire to become a mother when she tells Carol that she is on a waiting list to adopt a child. This story first began in the show's first season
30 Rock (season 1)
The first season of the television comedy series 30 Rock originally aired between October 11, 2006 and April 26, 2007 on NBC in the United States...
, and continued in the 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...
.
Two months after the airing of the fourth season finale episode, 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:...
was asked if Jack McBrayer's character Kenneth Parcell would return in the upcoming season after he was fired as an NBC page in "I Do Do". Carlock said "We haven't cracked [how] he is getting [his job] back, but of course he will get back somehow. We wanted a fun thing to shuffle the deck a little bit and send him off into the world. Of course, he will miss it and he will be missed. Events will bring him back." In "The Fabian Strategy", Kenneth is now working at CBS as a page for the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
. The scene in which Kenneth throws himself in front of a car to prove to Tracy Jordan that he is real and not Tracy's imagination was filmed on August 27, 2010, in front of the Ed Sullivan Theater
Ed Sullivan Theater
The Ed Sullivan Theater, located at 1697-1699 Broadway between West 53rd and West 54th, in Manhattan, is a venerable radio and television studio in New York City...
.
Cultural references
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, no!" before waking up. This is a reference to a future plot in the episode "Reaganing
Reaganing
"Reaganing" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 85th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Todd Holland. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company network in...
" in which Liz is having intimacy issues because of a traumatic incident from her childhood that involved a poster of singer Tom Jones. Throughout the episode, Jack refers to the Fabian strategy
Fabian strategy
The Fabian strategy is a military strategy where pitched battles and frontal assaults are avoided in favor of wearing down an opponent through a war of attrition and indirection. While avoiding decisive battles, the side employing this strategy harasses its enemy through skirmishes to cause...
, a strategy named after Roman general Fabius Maximus
Fabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus Cunctator was a Roman politician and general, born in Rome around 280 BC and died in Rome in 203 BC. He was Roman Consul five times and was twice Dictator in 221 and again in 217 BC. He reached the office of Roman Censor in 230 BC...
, which avoids direct battle in favor of attrition warfare
Attrition warfare
Attrition warfare is a military strategy in which a belligerent side attempts to win a war by wearing down its enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and matériel....
. Jack uses the strategy as he does not want to say no to Avery or give in to her demands. In addition, Jack hails Fabius Maximus as his role model. When Carol surprises Liz at the TGS writers' room, staff writer J.D. Lutz (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...
) asks Carol if he is on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, the latter being a social networking website. Later, Liz tells Jack not to interfere in her relationship with Carol, as she believes she has the perfect relationship with him. She reveals that she is modeling her life on that of chef Ina Garten
Ina Garten
Ina Rosenberg Garten is an American author, host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa, and former White House nuclear policy analyst...
of the Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
show Barefoot Contessa
Barefoot Contessa
Barefoot Contessa is a cooking show that premiered November 30, 2002 on Food Network. This popular show is hosted by celebrity chef Ina Garten. Each episode features Garten assembling dishes of varying complexity. Though her speciality is French cuisine, she occasionally prepares American, Asian,...
. Jack responds by saying that Liz will never be like Garten, including the "barefoot" part, referring to the fact that Liz has never let anyone see her feet, which is a real life trait of Fey's.
Liz and Carol discover that one of the things they have in common is that they both love to watch The Muppets
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
presenting award shows. Later, Liz reveals that she has a Life Alert Emergency Response necklace; this necklace helps the elderly contact emergency services in case of an accident. Carol wonders why Geico
GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company is an auto insurance company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that as of 2007 provided coverage for more than 10 million motor vehicles owned by more than 9 million policy holders. GEICO writes private passenger automobile insurance...
—an auto insurance company—has multiple mascots, a reference to Geico's advertising campaigns. Jack plans to seduce the gay interior designer that Avery hired and hopes to get the designer to agree with him to leave the apartment the way it is, explaining to Liz "Do you know what a prize I am in the gay community
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...
? There's a term for it. I'm a bear. And I'm a daddy
Daddy (gay culture)
A Daddy in gay culture is a slang term meaning an older man sexually involved in a relationship or having a sexual interest in a younger man. The age gap may differ, but the relationship involves the traditional parental hierarchy of father-son dynamics, the daddy providing emotional support and...
. I'm a daddy bear." Before parting ways, Liz says to Carol "See you October 14", a reference to the live episode of 30 Rock entitled "Live Show
Live Show
"Live Show" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 84th overall episode of the series. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller, and co-written by series creator Tina Fey and co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock...
" that aired on October 14, 2010.
30 Rock and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an American dramedy television series created and written by Aaron Sorkin. It ran for 22 episodes.The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show on the fictional television network NBS , whose format is similar to that of NBC's...
—both of which debuted on 2006–07 NBC lineup—revolved around the off-camera happenings on a sketch comedy series. Evidence of the overlapping subject matter between the shows, as well as the conflict between them, arose when Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
, the creator of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, asked Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels, CM is a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and comedian best known for creating and producing Saturday Night Live and producing the various film and TV projects that spun off from it.-Early life:...
to allow him to observe Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
for a week, a request Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live and executive producer of 30 Rock, denied. Despite this, Sorkin sent Fey flowers after NBC announced it would pick up both programs, and wished her luck with 30 Rock. Fey succeeded where Sorkin did not when Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was canceled after one season and 30 Rock was renewed for a second
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...
. Though 30 Rocks first season ratings proved lackluster and were lower than those of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the latter was more expensive to produce. In the ending sequence of "The Fabian Strategy", Kenneth watches the credits for TGS, which include Ricky Tahoe
Ricky Tahoe
Ricky Tahoe is a fictional character on the US TV series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, played by Evan Handler.-Personal history:Ricky came to Studio 60 in the late 90's with his writing partner Ron Oswald. Ricky's relationship with Matt Albie can be described as brittle. Matt has referred to the...
and Ronnie Oswald
Ron Oswald
Ron Oswald is a fictional character on the US TV series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, played by Carlos Jacott.-Personal history:Ron came to Studio 60 in the late 90's with his writing partner Ricky Tahoe. The duo have written many sketches together and have worked with each other all their careers...
as writers, the two former head writers on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Reception
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 the program from the 9:30 p.m. time to the 8:30 p.m. timeslot. According to the Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen 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 5.85 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 2.6 rating/8 share in the 18–49 demographic. This means that it was seen by 2.6 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 8 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. A contributor from Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that 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...
, an NBC show that airs at 8:00 p.m., and 30 Rock "held up nicely" in their respective timeslots and that the two programs "were up over last year's opening Thursday hour for NBC in premiere week."
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s Nathan Rabin reported that past season premieres of 30 Rock had a solid track record as being the worst episodes of the season, nonetheless Rabin found "The Fabian Strategy" hilarious and breaking that barrier. He wrote that Matt Damon has been great on the show as Carol; however, his only complaint was Carol's character flaw as being too sensitive. Rabin, who has complained "extensively" about Jenna's character in the past, said the character was in "fine form" in her role as a TGS producer. Rabin gave the episode an A- grade rating. 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 deemed this episode a "solid season-opener" that featured "lots of great lines and plot development". Meredith Blake, a contributor 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....
, was thrilled that the Jack and Avery relationship "not only lasted the summer, but is thriving", and wrote that she was looking forward to the pregnancy storyline involving Avery. Blake noted that Damon's character was "darn-near perfect, by which I mean 'a male version of Liz.'" Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for HitFix said that "The Fabian Strategy" did not "live up to the good old days" of past episodes, nonetheless reported that he "laughed enough" and was pleased with the direction the show took Liz and Carol's relationship. Sepinwall did not like Tracy and Kenneth's story, calling it a complete miss, but was appreciative of the other storylines, choosing Pete and Jenna's as his favorite. Alessandra Stanley
Alessandra Stanley
Alessandra Stanley is an American journalist. In 2003 she became the television critic for The New York Times. Stanley was previously co-chief of the paper's Moscow bureau, Rome bureau chief, and as a correspondent for Time. She is the daughter of defense expert Timothy W...
from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
was positive about Damon's role on the show, noting that he has been a "hoot". Scott Eidler of The Cornell Daily Sun
The Cornell Daily Sun
The Cornell Daily Sun is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University. It is the oldest independent college daily in the United States....
commented that the episode was a "nice start to the [fifth] season" of 30 Rock as it was "perhaps more plot-driven than packed with the emotional and uproariously funny episodes that concluded last season." Eidler commented that "The Fabian Strategy" never did "[reach] the utter hilariousness of last season, but I hope that wasn't the climax ... and it can eventually return to its previous heights of hilarity". 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 Bruce Fretts was complimentary towards Damon's role as Tina Fey's love interest, writing that Damon "showed a refreshingly silly side in keeping with 30 Rocks anything-goes spirit." Matt Wilstein of 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,...
called the premiere "a very solid first episode", enjoying Damon's part on the show and the Kenneth story of him still being fired by NBC.
Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
contributor James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik is an American journalist and television critic. He writes Times Tuned In column and has a blog with the same name.Originally from Monroe, MI, Poniewozik attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, graduating with a BA in English. He subsequently attended the graduate program...
reported that the Pete/Jenna and Tracy/Kenneth plots were a "hit-and-miss", however noted it was good to see the show giving the Jack and Liz characters "ongoing direction, not just in their personal lives". The Atlantics Caitlan Smith was skeptical about Liz and Carol's relationship lasting, saying that Damon "who commands more than $20 million per movie, won't stick around for long, leaving Liz Lemon Carol-less and in for another round of the entertaining self-loathing that we've all been coming back for for four seasons."