The Head and the Hair
Encyclopedia
"The Head and The Hair" is the eleventh episode of the first season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
. It was written by series creator Tina Fey
and co-executive producer John Riggi
. The director of this episode was Gail Mancuso
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) in the United States on January 18, 2007. Guest stars in this episode include Katrina Bowden
, Craig Castaldo
, Peter Hermann
, Brian McCann
, John McEnroe
, Maulik Pancholy
, Keith Powell
, and Lonny Ross
.
In the episode, two men, one a cerebral nerd (McCann) and the other a gorgeous hunk (Hermann), capture the attention of Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) and Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
). Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) and Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) trade places for "Bottom's Up Day" at the office and at the same time, Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) enlists Frank Rossitano (Judah Friedlander
) and James "Toofer" Spurlock (Powell) to write his autobiography in one day.
"The Head and the Hair" received generally positive reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
system, the episode was watched by 5.0 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.4 rating/6 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
(Tina Fey
) and Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) keep running into the same two men in the elevator at the 30 Rock building, and find themselves interested in them. Not knowing their names, Liz and Jenna refer to them as "The Head" (Brian McCann
) and "The Hair" (Peter Hermann
). After talking with Jenna, Liz decides she is going to ask "The Head" out on a date. However, on her way to find him, she runs into "The Hair", who asks her out, and discovers his name is Gray. She agrees to attend a restaurant opening with him. Feeling uncomfortable with Gray, as she believes that she does not date someone like Gray as it feels wrong, Liz tries to go home, but he convinces her to hang out for a while longer. The next day, things end abruptly when Liz finds a picture of her great-aunt in his apartment and they learn that they are related.
Meanwhile, Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) panics in the TGS with Tracy Jordan staff office, as his autobiography is due to a publisher the next day but he has not yet begun to write it. He begs Frank Rossitano (Judah Friedlander
) and James "Toofer" Spurlock (Keith Powell
) to help him get it done in time, and they agree. They run into a problem when Tracy cannot remember much about his own life, and turn to Wikipedia
for the answers. They work non-stop on the project, until Tracy remembers that there never was an actual publisher for the book, thus shutting the project down.
Finally, Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric
Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) and NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) are participating in "Bottoms Up" day at the office. Jack must work in Kenneth's job for a day, to help him be a better manager. During their time together, Kenneth tells Jack about an idea he has for a game show called Gold Case, in which contestants must correctly guess which briefcase being modeled contains gold bricks. Jack helps him sell the idea to NBC. The pilot episode of Gold Case is in production, with host John McEnroe
. But, due to the weight of the gold, contestants can quickly spot which model is straining with the weight of the case. Every contestant wins almost immediately, which results in the show being shut down.
: "More than jazz, more than musical theater and morbid obesity, television is the true American art."
Josh Girard (Lonny Ross
) to Jack Donaghy
: "You either get me a new salad or a time machine so I can go back in time and smack your mom's head for smoking crack while pregnant."
) always appears wearing a trucker hat with a humorous phrase written on it, which is Friedlander's routine trademark in real life, in this episode it reads, "Smells".
"The Head and the Hair" was written by series' creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey
and co-executive producer John Riggi
. The director of this episode was Don Scardino
. This was Fey and Riggi's first script collaboration, and they later co-wrote the season three
episode "The Natural Order
". "The Head and the Hair" originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 18, 2007 as the eleventh episode of the show's first season
and overall of the series.
This episode featured guest appearances from actors Brian McCann
and Peter Hermann
, in which McCann played "The Head" and Hermann "The Hair". Former professional tennis player John McEnroe
played himself in the episode, in which he hosts the game show Gold Case. McEnroe would later guest star as himself in the November 20, 2008, 30 Rock episode "Gavin Volure
". In one scene of this episode, Kenneth runs into a man named "Moonvest", and tells him that he got an idea for a television game show, but Moonvest tells him "Give me your fingernails". Moonvest was played by Craig Castaldo, or known as Radio Man
.
One filmed scene from "The Head and the Hair" was cut out from the airing. Instead, the scene was featured on 30 Rock' s season 1 DVD as part of the deleted scenes in the Bonus feature. In the scene, Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) is visibly upset that someone added paper in the regular garbage and demands to know who did it, as NBC recycles. Jack and Kenneth show up. Jack apologizes for throwing the paper in the regular garbage, which results in Pete telling him to go through the garbage by hand and "fish out anything that's recyclable", as Jack is dressed as a page, in which he is participating on "Bottoms Up" day.
's dressing room. There, Kenneth is seeing cleaning out a half-cleaned graffiti that reads "Kat Cou Suc", a reference to fellow news host Katie Couric
. Williams' has been on the series, having appeared in the season three
episode "The Ones
", in which Tracy has been giving out Williams's phone number instead of his. He next appeared in the season four episode "Audition Day
", as he is auditioning to become a cast member on TGS. Williams appeared in "Future Husband
" in which he tells the CNBC
staff that his news program Nightly News
"rules".
There are frequent references to Star Wars
in 30 Rock, beginning with the pilot episode
in 2006 where Tracy is seen shouting that he is a Jedi
. Liz admits to being a huge fan of Star Wars, saying that she had watched it many times with Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
), and dressed up as the Star Wars character Princess Leia
during four recent Halloweens. There is also reference to Star Wars when Tracy takes on the identity of the character Chewbacca
. In "The Head and the Hair", Liz tells Jenna that "The Head" asked her out and says "I had to say yes. I mean he looked at me with those handsome guys eyes. It was like the Death Star
tractor beam when the Falcon
was...", until Jenna interrupts her and says "No Liz, do not talk about that stuff on your date. Guys like that do not like Star Trek
", to which Liz corrects "Wars!". Fey, a fan of Star Wars herself, said that the weekly Star Wars joke or reference "started happening organically" when the crew realized that they had a Star Wars reference "in almost every show". Fey said that from then on "it became a thing where [they] tried to keep it going", and that even though they could not include one in every episode, they still had a "pretty high batting average
". Fey attributed most of the references to executive producer and writer Robert Carlock
, whom she described as "the resident expert".
system. It earned a 2.4 rating/6 share in the 18–49 demographic, meaning that 2.4 percent of all people in that group, and 6 percent of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. This was a decrease from the previous episode, "The Rural Juror
", which was watched by 6.1 million American viewers. Since airing, the episode has received generally good reception from television critics.
Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for The Star-Ledger
said that 30 Rock "feels like a show that's already made The Leap midway through season one." He reported that Tracy's story was "largely a dud", but said that the two other plots were "so funny" that it would not matter much. Sepinwall said "The Head and the Hair" was "splendid". Julia Ward of AOL
's TV Squad was complimentary towards Alec Baldwin's Jack in this episode, citing that he knows "how to squeeze some serious funny out of a simple gesture and a pause." She added that his "lingering stare" at both Jenna and Liz after taking their drink order "was the funniest moment in a very funny episode". Ward also enjoyed that it "brought us maximum Kenneth, which is great. He's turning out to be one of the show's most endearing characters." IGN
contributor Robert Canning wrote that the pairing of Jack and Kenneth was a "great idea and gave Kenneth his best episode" since "Blind Date
". In regards to Liz's story, he commented it was "her strongest episodes to date", and said that it "felt good" to see her "have a little luck for a change" with "The Head". In conclusion, Canning gave the episode an 8.0 out of 10 rating. TV Guide
' s Matt Mitovich disliked that NBC "utterly ruined" the outcome of Liz's plot in the promos, though, said that it was a "very funny resolution to the relationship that was too good, and too well coiffed, to be true." Mitovich said that it was "fun" to see Liz successfully date "while it lasted".
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...
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...
. It was written by series creator Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
and co-executive producer John Riggi
John Riggi
John Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...
. The director of this episode was Gail Mancuso
Gail Mancuso
Gail Mancuso is an American television director.- Select TV work :* Modern Family * $h*! My Dad Says * 30 Rock * Scrubs...
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(NBC) in the United States on January 18, 2007. Guest stars in this episode include Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden is an American actress. She is known for her short role as Britney Jennings on One Life to Live and for her role as Cerie in 30 Rock .- Education :...
, Craig Castaldo
Radio Man
Radioman is the nickname of a former homeless man in New York City who has gained notoriety from making cameo appearances in a number of films and TV shows....
, Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann is a German-American actor and writer. He is married to actress Mariska Hargitay, with whom he has three children.-Career:Hermann had brief stints on a variety of television shows that include the soap opera, Guiding Light , the ABC Family show, Beautiful People and the Lifetime...
, Brian McCann
Brian McCann (actor)
Brian McCann is an American Emmy and WGA award-winning writer/actor/comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on the late night talk show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and more recently on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Conan.-Biography:McCann was born and raised in Wheaton,...
, John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
, 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....
, Keith Powell
Keith Powell
Keith Powell is an American television actor who is best known for his role as James "Toofer" Spurlock on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.-Career:Powell was the Producing Artistic Director of Contemporary Stage Company, a summer theater in Wilmington, Delaware...
, and Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross is a comedy actor and writer. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work as Josh Girard on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock...
.
In the episode, two men, one a cerebral nerd (McCann) and the other a gorgeous hunk (Hermann), capture the attention of 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...
) 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...
). 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...
) and 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"...
) trade places for "Bottom's Up Day" at the office and at the same time, 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:...
) enlists 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:...
) and James "Toofer" Spurlock (Powell) to write his autobiography in one day.
"The Head and the Hair" received generally positive reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
system, the episode was watched by 5.0 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.4 rating/6 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...
) 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...
) keep running into the same two men in the elevator at the 30 Rock building, and find themselves interested in them. Not knowing their names, Liz and Jenna refer to them as "The Head" (Brian McCann
Brian McCann (actor)
Brian McCann is an American Emmy and WGA award-winning writer/actor/comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on the late night talk show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and more recently on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Conan.-Biography:McCann was born and raised in Wheaton,...
) and "The Hair" (Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann is a German-American actor and writer. He is married to actress Mariska Hargitay, with whom he has three children.-Career:Hermann had brief stints on a variety of television shows that include the soap opera, Guiding Light , the ABC Family show, Beautiful People and the Lifetime...
). After talking with Jenna, Liz decides she is going to ask "The Head" out on a date. However, on her way to find him, she runs into "The Hair", who asks her out, and discovers his name is Gray. She agrees to attend a restaurant opening with him. Feeling uncomfortable with Gray, as she believes that she does not date someone like Gray as it feels wrong, Liz tries to go home, but he convinces her to hang out for a while longer. The next day, things end abruptly when Liz finds a picture of her great-aunt in his apartment and they learn that they are related.
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:...
) panics in the TGS with Tracy Jordan staff office, as his autobiography is due to a publisher the next day but he has not yet begun to write it. He begs 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:...
) and James "Toofer" Spurlock (Keith Powell
Keith Powell
Keith Powell is an American television actor who is best known for his role as James "Toofer" Spurlock on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.-Career:Powell was the Producing Artistic Director of Contemporary Stage Company, a summer theater in Wilmington, Delaware...
) to help him get it done in time, and they agree. They run into a problem when Tracy cannot remember much about his own life, and turn to Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
for the answers. They work non-stop on the project, until Tracy remembers that there never was an actual publisher for the book, thus shutting the project down.
Finally, Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
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...
) and 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"...
) are participating in "Bottoms Up" day at the office. Jack must work in Kenneth's job for a day, to help him be a better manager. During their time together, Kenneth tells Jack about an idea he has for a game show called Gold Case, in which contestants must correctly guess which briefcase being modeled contains gold bricks. Jack helps him sell the idea to NBC. The pilot episode of Gold Case is in production, with host John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
. But, due to the weight of the gold, contestants can quickly spot which model is straining with the weight of the case. Every contestant wins almost immediately, which results in the show being shut down.
Memorable Quotes
Kenneth ParcellKenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
: "More than jazz, more than musical theater and morbid obesity, television is the true American art."
Josh Girard (Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross is a comedy actor and writer. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work as Josh Girard on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock...
) to 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....
: "You either get me a new salad or a time machine so I can go back in time and smack your mom's head for smoking crack while pregnant."
Trivia
Frank Rossitano (Judah FriedlanderJudah 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:...
) always appears wearing a trucker hat with a humorous phrase written on it, which is Friedlander's routine trademark in real life, in this episode it reads, "Smells".
Production
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
and co-executive producer John Riggi
John Riggi
John Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...
. The director of this episode was Don Scardino
Don Scardino
Don Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
. This was Fey and Riggi's first script collaboration, and they later co-wrote the season three
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...
episode "The Natural Order
The Natural Order
"The Natural Order" is the twentieth episode of the third season of the American television comedy show 30 Rock. It was written by series creator Tina Fey with co-executive producer John Riggi and directed by Scott Ellis. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company network in...
". "The Head and the Hair" originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 18, 2007 as the eleventh episode of 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 overall of the series.
This episode featured guest appearances from actors Brian McCann
Brian McCann (actor)
Brian McCann is an American Emmy and WGA award-winning writer/actor/comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on the late night talk show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and more recently on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Conan.-Biography:McCann was born and raised in Wheaton,...
and Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann is a German-American actor and writer. He is married to actress Mariska Hargitay, with whom he has three children.-Career:Hermann had brief stints on a variety of television shows that include the soap opera, Guiding Light , the ABC Family show, Beautiful People and the Lifetime...
, in which McCann played "The Head" and Hermann "The Hair". Former professional tennis player John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
played himself in the episode, in which he hosts the game show Gold Case. McEnroe would later guest star as himself in the November 20, 2008, 30 Rock episode "Gavin Volure
Gavin Volure
"Gavin Volure" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 40th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer John Riggi and directed by Gail Mancuso. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company ...
". In one scene of this episode, Kenneth runs into a man named "Moonvest", and tells him that he got an idea for a television game show, but Moonvest tells him "Give me your fingernails". Moonvest was played by Craig Castaldo, or known as Radio Man
Radio Man
Radioman is the nickname of a former homeless man in New York City who has gained notoriety from making cameo appearances in a number of films and TV shows....
.
One filmed scene from "The Head and the Hair" was cut out from the airing. Instead, the scene was featured on 30 Rock
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,...
) is visibly upset that someone added paper in the regular garbage and demands to know who did it, as NBC recycles. Jack and Kenneth show up. Jack apologizes for throwing the paper in the regular garbage, which results in Pete telling him to go through the garbage by hand and "fish out anything that's recyclable", as Jack is dressed as a page, in which he is participating on "Bottoms Up" day.
Cultural references
In one of the scenes of the episode, Kenneth is in news anchor Brian WilliamsBrian Williams
Brian Douglas Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed in 2004...
's dressing room. There, Kenneth is seeing cleaning out a half-cleaned graffiti that reads "Kat Cou Suc", a reference to fellow news host Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist and author. She serves as Special Correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week and primetime news specials...
. Williams' has been on the series, having appeared in the season three
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...
episode "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...
", in which Tracy has been giving out Williams's phone number instead of his. He next appeared in the season four episode "Audition Day
Audition Day
"Audition Day" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 62nd overall episode of the series. The episode was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting...
", as he is auditioning to become a cast member on TGS. Williams appeared in "Future Husband
Future Husband
"Future Husband" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by Jon Haller and Tracey Wigfield. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United...
" in which he tells the 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...
staff that his news program Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
"rules".
There are frequent references to Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
in 30 Rock, beginning with the pilot episode
Pilot (30 Rock)
The pilot episode of the American situation comedy series 30 Rock premiered on October 10, 2006 on the CTV Television Network in Canada, and October 11, 2006 on NBC in the United States...
in 2006 where Tracy is seen shouting that he is a Jedi
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
. Liz admits to being a huge fan of Star Wars, saying that she had watched it many times with 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,...
), and dressed up as the Star Wars character Princess Leia
Princess Leia Organa
Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe...
during four recent Halloweens. There is also reference to Star Wars when Tracy takes on the identity of the character Chewbacca
Chewbacca
Chewbacca, also known as Chewie, is a character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Peter Mayhew. In the series' narrative chronology, he appears in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
. In "The Head and the Hair", Liz tells Jenna that "The Head" asked her out and says "I had to say yes. I mean he looked at me with those handsome guys eyes. It was like the Death Star
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
tractor beam when the Falcon
Millennium Falcon
The Millennium Falcon is a spacecraft in the Star Wars universe commanded by smuggler Han Solo and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca...
was...", until Jenna interrupts her and says "No Liz, do not talk about that stuff on your date. Guys like that do not like Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
", to which Liz corrects "Wars!". Fey, a fan of Star Wars herself, said that the weekly Star Wars joke or reference "started happening organically" when the crew realized that they had a Star Wars reference "in almost every show". Fey said that from then on "it became a thing where [they] tried to keep it going", and that even though they could not include one in every episode, they still had a "pretty high batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
". Fey attributed most of the references to executive producer and writer 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:...
, whom she described as "the resident expert".
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "The Head and the Hair" was watched by 5.0 million households, according to the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
system. It earned a 2.4 rating/6 share in the 18–49 demographic, meaning that 2.4 percent of all people in that group, and 6 percent of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. This was a decrease from the previous episode, "The Rural Juror
The Rural Juror
"The Rural Juror" is the tenth episode of the first season of 30 Rock and tenth episode of the series. It was written by Matt Hubbard and was directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode first aired on January 11, 2007, on the NBC network in the United States and December 13, 2007, on Five in the United...
", which was watched by 6.1 million American viewers. Since airing, the episode has received generally good reception from television critics.
Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
said that 30 Rock "feels like a show that's already made The Leap midway through season one." He reported that Tracy's story was "largely a dud", but said that the two other plots were "so funny" that it would not matter much. Sepinwall said "The Head and the Hair" was "splendid". Julia Ward of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad was complimentary towards Alec Baldwin's Jack in this episode, citing that he knows "how to squeeze some serious funny out of a simple gesture and a pause." She added that his "lingering stare" at both Jenna and Liz after taking their drink order "was the funniest moment in a very funny episode". Ward also enjoyed that it "brought us maximum Kenneth, which is great. He's turning out to be one of the show's most endearing characters." 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 Robert Canning wrote that the pairing of Jack and Kenneth was a "great idea and gave Kenneth his best episode" since "Blind Date
Blind Date (30 Rock)
"Blind Date" is the third episode of the first season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by co-executive producer John Riggi and directed by Adam Bernstein. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company in the United States on October 25, 2006...
". In regards to Liz's story, he commented it was "her strongest episodes to date", and said that it "felt good" to see her "have a little luck for a change" with "The Head". In conclusion, Canning gave the episode an 8.0 out of 10 rating. 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...
Liz and Gray's familial relationship
Toward the end of the episode, Liz sees a picture of Gray's grandmother's cousin, Dolly Harlan, who is also Liz's great aunt. Because of this Liz and Gray believe they are cousins, and their romantic relationship ends. But while the implication within the episode is that Liz and Gray actually are third cousins, sharing a great-great-grandparent, that is not necessarily true. It is only true if Dolly is Liz's grandmother's sister. If Dolly is Liz's grandfather's sister or sister-in-law, or if Dolly is Liz's grandmother's sister-in-law, they would have no great-great-grandparents in common, and therefore would not be third cousins.External links
- "The Head and the Hair," at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...