The Collection (30 Rock)

Infobox Television episode
Title = The Collection
Series = 30 Rock


Caption = Jenna mistakes Kenneth's insults for sexual advances
Season = 2
Episode = 3
Airdate = Start date|2007|10|18
Production = 203
Writer = Don Scardino
Director = Matthew Hubbard
Music =
Photographer =
Guests = Steve Buscemi
Jackie Mason
Episode list = "30 Rock" (season 2)
List of "30 Rock" episodes
Prev = Jack Gets in the Game
Next = Rosemary's Baby (30 Rock)

"The Collection" is the second episode of NBC's second season of "30 Rock" and twenty-fourth episode overall. It was written by show producer, Don Scardino and directed by Matthew Hubbard. It first aired on October 18,2007 in the United States.

Plot

Tracy's wife Angie lets him back into his life with the condition that he stays by her side, and she enlists Liz to help her keep him supervised, but once Angie leaves, Tracy takes off. This causes his wife to keep him constantly by his side, and requires Liz to talk through to her for any ideas for TGS. When Liz offers Angie a consultant credit and she rejects it, Tracy breaks up the confrontation and stands up to his wife.

Jack hires a private detective (Steve Buscemi) to check up on himself to make sure he has no black marks for his promotion to GE CEO. Where it is uncovered he has a collection of cookie jars, which he is advised to get rid of, and realizes Kenneth has a similar enjoyment of cookie jars, and gives him the collection instead of destroying them.

Jenna is starting to lose the weight she has gained, and Jack has Kenneth make sure she keeps the weight on, but Jenna has lost her drive to eat, when he asks Liz for advice, she says if he insults her, it will cause her to stress eat, when he tries this, she is shocked, but turned on by his assertiveness.

Production

"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 denied.cite web |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/04/24/060424ta_talk_friend |title=Who's on First Dept: Shows about Shows |accessdate=2008-08-01 |author=Friend, Tad |date=2006-04-24|publisher="The New Yorker"] Despite this, Sorkin sent Fey flowers after NBC announced it would pick up both series, and wished her luck with "30 Rock". [cite web |url=http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/archives/105252.asp |title="Tina Fey's Weekend Update: Aaron Sorkin calls her out!" |accessdate=2008-07-31 |author=McFarland, Melanie |date=2006-07-22|publisher="Seattle Post-Intelligencer"] Fey wound up "winning" over Sorkin when "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" was cancelled after one season and "30 Rock" was renewed for a second. Though "30 Rock"'s first season ratings proved lackluster and were lower than those of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip",cite news |title=2006–07 primetime wrap |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ifbfdd1bcb53266ad8d9a71cad261604f?pn=2 |publisher="The Hollywood Reporter" |date=2007-05-25 |accessdate=2007-10-14] the latter was more expensive to produce. [cite web |url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/05012007/tv/studio_sinks__not_30_rock_tv_michael_starr.htm |title="Studio" Sinks, Not "30 Rock" |accessdate=2008-08-04 |author=Starr, Michael |date=2007-05-01 |publisher="New York Post"] [cite web |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271432,00.html |title=Lights Go Out on "Studio 60" |accessdate=2008-08-10 |author=Friedman, Roger|date=2007-05-11 |publisher=Fox News Channel] The first season episode "Jack the Writer" contained a self-referencing walk and talk sequence, which was commonly used on "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and Sorkin's previous series. [cite web |url=http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_4485128 |title=Memo to Sorkin: Lighten up |accessdate=2008-08-06 |author=Ostrow, Joanne |date=2006-10-14|publisher="The Denver Post"] In this episode, the walk and talk sequence is referenced when Liz asks Kenneth, "can you walk and talk?", to which Kenneth replies, "usually, but now you've got me thinking about it".cite web |url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/10/18/30-rock-the-collection/ |title="30 Rock": The Collection |accessdate=2008-09-20 |last=Sassone|first=Bob |date=October 18, 2007 |publisher=TV Squad]

Reception

Bob Sassone of TV Squad said that the lack of the writing staff in the second season was "disappointing". He "love [d] how this show is about NBC and really set at NBC", but was worried about the guest stars. Robert Canning of IGN said that for the first time, Jenna's storyline was the "most entertaining of the night". He felt that first half of the episode was "tightly written and very funny", but the second half "waned a bit, with less than stellar conclusions to the stories and far less funny bits". Canning said that Jack's storyline was the "most disappointing", and hoped that future guest stars were used properly, rather than for the sake of having a name guest star.cite web |url=http://au.tv.ign.com/articles/828/828670p1.html |title="30 Rock": "The Collection" Review |accessdate=2008-09-20 |last= Canning|first=Robert |date=October 19, 2007 |publisher=IGN] George Freitag of BuddyTV said that although Tracy was "not as strong as the previous two episodes", he was "still terrific and the nod to his old SNL skit was a nice touch". He felt that the lack of focus on the personal life of Liz seemed to give the series "a lack of focus". Freitag hoped that her private issues would be further explored, as "her approachable yet successful persona was one of the main draws to the series in the first place".cite web |url=http://www.buddytv.com/articles/30-rock/30-rock-episode-23-the-collect-12681.aspx |title="30 Rock": Episode 2.3 "The Collection" Recap|accessdate=2008-09-20 |last=Freitag|first=George |date=October 19, 2007 |publisher="BuddyTV"] Matt Webb Mitovich of "TV Guide" felt that the episode "fell a bit flat", and that the season lacked the other TGSers, Lonny, Frank, Twofersic and "director guy". He did not enjoy Jack's storyline, but said that Jenna's storyline "ultimately won a thumbs-up from me for her getting turned on by Kenneth's rudeness".cite web |url=http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TV-Show-Blog/30-Rock/Episode-Recap-Collection/800025040 |title=Episode Rec
TV Guide"]

References

External links