Blind Date (30 Rock episode)

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“Blind Date”
30 Rock episode
Jack playing poker.
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 3
Written by	John Riggi
Directed by	Adam Bernstein
Production no.	103
Original airdate	October 25, 2006
Episode chronology
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"The Aftermath"	"Jack the Writer"
Episode chronology

"Blind Date", the third episode of the situation comedy series 30 Rock, aired on October 25, 2006 in the U.S, attracting 6.01 million viewers. It was 73rd in Nielsen's prime-time television rankings.^[1]

This episode premiered a day earlier (October 24) on CTV.

1 Synopsis
2 Trivia
3 Guest starring
4 Featuring
5 References

[edit] Synopsis

Once again Liz finds herself dealing with another stressful day on the set of TGS with Tracy Jordan, and everyone is feeling the effects. Jack thinks he has the answer, so he tells Liz that he wants to set her up with a friend named Thomas. At first Liz balks at the idea, but after a series of chokings alone in her apartment, she changes her mind and takes up Jack's offer and agrees to meet Thomas, even though it falls on the staff's poker night.

At the poker party, Jack decides to sit in for Liz. Instead of the usual quarters they put on the table Jack changes the rules and raises the stakes. He is able to "read" everyone and cleans them out, from Pete's wedding ring to Tracy's diamond neckwear to Frank's rent money, which he has to pay to his mother, and even an Emmy Award, which actually belonged to Liz. However, Jack is unable to read Kenneth, and it's Jack who gets cleaned out.

Meanwhile, at the restaurant, a well-dressed Liz (well-dressed because Jack gave her money to buy more feminine attire) finally meets Thomas, only to discover that "Thomas" is a woman, her full name being Gretchen Thomas. Liz realizes that Jack erroneously thought she was lesbian. A series of flashbacks reveal he was not exactly the first person to make this mistake.

The next day, Liz confronts Jack about him setting her up with a woman. Jack, busy reading Kenneth's file to determine what weaknesses he might have, replies that he thought she was gay because of her shoes. Later Liz, still feeling lonely, calls Gretchen and talks to her, discovering they actually have a lot in common. Liz tries to pursue a platonic relationship with her, but Gretchen, who actually is a lesbian, finds this difficult. The other writers encourage Liz to "change" into a lesbian so they can be together, but she insists that she is straight.

Meanwhile, Jack figures out how to get Kenneth, so he holds a poker tournament on the set to see if he can beat him. He gets the opportunity when Jack asks Kenneth to put his NBC jacket (Kenneth assumed that he meant his job) on the table, then thanks to distraction and Jack revealing his life history, Kenneth finally loses. However, after walking away, Jack tells Kenneth that he wasn't firing him and gives Kenneth back his jacket, and as Kenneth grabs his bike, his dignity as well.

Gretchen, meanwhile, decides that she can't be around Liz anymore and that they'll have to part ways. Liz suggests they could meet again in twenty-five years and move in together if they're both still single, but Gretchen insists that she can't be around Liz and leaves. Having watched the scene, a man sitting next to Liz suggests she could get together with him, but she notices he has a wedding ring.

[edit] Trivia

This marks the first episode not to feature Jane Krakowski (Jenna Maroney).
NBC's former logos can be seen in one scene.
When Jack finally analyzes and intimidates Kenneth at poker, his lines are almost verbatim to Hannibal Lector's speech to Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs.
In one scene set in Liz's apartment, the sounds from the TV background is that of Deal or No Deal.
The Emmy award used in the episode was a real one.
When Pete and Liz are going over her past failed relationships, Pete mentions a "tall, gangly red-haired guy who played guitar all the time." Liz says his name was "Conan", an obvious reference to talk show host (and friend of Tina Fey) Conan O'Brien.
This episode was offered as a free download from iTunes in November of 2006.
Stephanie March is the first of many Law & Order: SVU stars to appear on the show.
On January 21, 2007, GLAAD announced the nomination of this episode in the 18th Annual GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular gay character)^[2]