Aunt Phatso vs. Jack Donaghy
"Aunt Phatso vs. Jack Donaghy" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 131st overall episode of the series. It was directed by Don Scardino and written by Luke Del Tredici. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) network in the United States on November 15, 2012.
| "Aunt Phatso vs. Jack Donaghy" | |
|---|---|
| 30 Rock episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Don Scardino |
| Written by | Luke Del Tredici |
| Featured music | Jeff Richmond |
| Production code | 706 |
| Original air date | November 15, 2012 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
Alan Gilbert as himself | |
The episode received a positive reception from critics and was watched by 3.34 million viewers.
Plot
Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) suddenly becomes the laughing stock of New York City and he doesn't know why. He finally realizes that people are laughing at him because Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) has made him a villain in his new "Aunt Phatso" movie. Jack confronts Tracy about the movie, and Tracy is furious because Jack doesn't give him enough respect. Tracy then donates a large amount of money to the New York Philharmonic to have them play the Sanford and Son theme ("The Streetbeater") for four hours straight, ruining the concert for Jack, who attends the concert that night. The next morning, Jack threatens to sue Tracy, but Tracy shows him that every action and line Jack is portrayed as performing in the movie has been done in real life by Jack himself, except for the scene where Jack closes an orphanage. Jack finally realizes that he can't shut down the movie without shutting down a real orphanage, because the movie's funding is linked to that of a real orphanage. Jack gives up and Tracy wins.
Meanwhile, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) needs foot surgery, but she can't take time off, because without her in charge everything will fall apart. Hazel (Kristen Schaal) offers to become Liz's personal assistant, to which Liz agrees so she can have the surgery. Unbeknownst to Liz, Hazel is using this position to get a spot on TV. Jenna (Jane Krakowski), who knows of Hazel's manipulative nature, asks Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) why he is still attached to Hazel. Kenneth answers her question, but Jenna is too self-absorbed and doesn't pay attention to Kenneth's answer.
Hazel tells Liz to just relax in her office while she helps Pete (Scott Adsit) prepare the show. To make sure that nothing goes wrong, Hazel sets up a video feed in Liz's office so that she can monitor the show from there. Liz realizes something is wrong when she sees herself in the video feed, and it turns out that the "feed" was a recording of a previous show. Hazel tricks Pete into giving her a spot on the show. Liz rushes to the set (ruining her carefully protected post-surgery foot in the process) and fires Hazel on the spot. Kenneth is mad because Jenna didn't listen to him and Liz fired his girlfriend, which prompts him to tell them that from now on he is no longer friends with any of them.
Reception
"Aunt Phatso vs. Jack Donaghy" was watched by 3.34 million viewers and earned a 1.2 rating/4 share in the 18–49 demographic.[1] This means that it was seen by 1.2 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 4 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This was a decrease from the previous episode "There's No I in America" (3.38 million).[2]
"Aunt Phatso vs. Jack Donaghy" received a positive response from critics. Pilot Viruet of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" and praised the Hazel elements of the story, despite having been critical of the character's execution in past episodes.[3] IGN's Roth Cornet also gave the episode a positive review, stating "... though this wasn't my favorite episode, as it approaches its swan song, 30 Rock feels something like a cross between a human-Muppet caper, the irreverent and rapid fire free-association of Family Guy and the hilarious social commentary of Eddie Izzard's stand-up. In a word: awesome."[4]
References
- Bibel, Sara (November 16, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Vampire Diaries', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'The Office' Adjusted Up; 'Last Resort & 'Scandal' Adjusted Down". Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- Bibel, Sara (November 1, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Survivor', 'The Neighbors', 'Modern Family', 'CSI' & 'Chicago Fire' Adjusted Up; '30 Rock', 'Guys With Kids', & 'Supernatural' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- Viruet, Pilot (15 November 2012). "30 Rock: 'Aunt Phatso Vs. Jack Donaghy' Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- Cornet, Roth (16 November 2012). "'I'll Give You Something To Laugh About.' - 30 Rock: 'Aunt Phatso Vs. Jack Donaghy' Review". IGN. Retrieved 26 November 2012.