Episode 10
Title: “Christmas Attack Zone”
Original Airdate: December 9, 2010
After Jack’s mother berates him for getting Avery pregnant, he decides to ambush her on Christmas Eve with both his real father, Milton (Alan Alda), and Avery herself. Jack’s mother fakes a heart attack to get attention back on herself. Jenna is depressed over her break-up with Paul, but they reconnect by coming up with ridiculous costumes for a gay New Year’s Eve party. Since he’s been nominated for a Golden Globe, Tracy decides he’s now a serious actor, but when he realizes that comedy can make people feel good, he shows his latest ridiculous comedy movie to a group of battered women, instead of the downbeat drama.
Episode 11
Title: “Mrs. Donaghy”
Original Airdate: January 20, 2011
Thanks to a clerical error at Jack’s quickie French wedding to Avery, Jack and Liz accidentally end up married. They plan to get a speedy divorce, but Liz holds out, demanding that Jack reverse the cutbacks to the TGS budget before she will agree to sign the papers. They try to sabotage each other, but eventually both apologize and agree to the divorce and the budget restoration. Jenna and Danny fight like an old married couple when they are forced to share a dressing room. Tracy’s wife decides she needs to make her own money, and Jack offers her a reality show.
Episode 12
Title: “Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning”
Original Airdate: January 27, 2011
Jack decides to pre-record a benefit special to get the jump on the next natural disaster. When that turns out to be a storm on Mel Gibson’s private island, he’s worried his new Kabletown bosses will be upset, but they are actually delighted. Tracy doesn’t want to do anything bad while he’s being followed around by cameras for his wife’s reality show, so Liz tricks him into agreeing to do work by asking while the cameras are rolling. The writers compete for Lutz’s attention when he tells them that he has a car.
Episode 13
Title: “Que Sorpresa!”
Original Airdate: February 3, 2011
Hank Hooper, head of Kabletown, comes to 30 Rock, and Jack is worried about impressing him. Jack is put off by Hank’s open and friendly management style (which includes soliciting ideas from all employees), and isn’t sure he’ll fit in at the new company. Jack asks Liz to help Avery cover up her pregnancy so that Avery can get a promotion, and Liz ends up having to pretend to be pregnant herself. Jenna and Tracy fight over a free Kabletown sweatshirt.
Episode 14
Title: “Double-Edged Sword”
Original Airdate: February 10, 2011
Liz and Carol plan to take a trip together on a plane piloted by Carol. Liz gets furious when Carol delays the flight for hours, and they have a huge fight and eventually break up. Avery goes into labor while she and Jack are in Canada. They are desperate to get back to the U.S. so that their baby is born an American, but finally have to give up and let the baby be born in Canada. Now that he’s won an Oscar, Tracy is stuck with a bunch of responsibilities he doesn’t want. He tells everyone he’s going to Africa to help the needy, but really just hides out on a sound stage.
Episode 15
Title: “It’s Never Too Late for Now”
Original Airdate: February 17, 2011
After breaking up with Carol, Liz decides to completely give up and accept being single forever. Jenna insists on taking her out for a good time, and Liz has a one-night stand with a guy who seems perfect for her. She decides it’s too good to be true and discovers the staff’s elaborate set-up to help make her feel better. When Avery’s maternity leave ends early, Jack is stuck dealing with his daughter’s nanny, which teaches him a new technique for negotiating with Kabletown. Pete and Frank start a band.
Episode 16
Title: “TGS Hates Women”
Original Airdate: February 24, 2011
A feminist entertainment website accuses TGS of hating women, so Liz decides to hire hot up-and-coming female comedian Abby Flynn as a guest writer. But Abby turns out to be a bubble-headed bimbo, so Liz exposes her past as a mousy comedian, only to discover that she had changed her appearance to hide from an abusive ex. Jack is determined to be next in line to succeed Hank Hooper as the CEO of Kabletown, so he tries to steer Hank’s granddaughter Kaylie (Chloe Moretz) away from an interest in television. Kaylie, however, is on to him, and turns his plan back on him.
Episode 17
Title: “Queen of Jordan”
Original Airdate: March 17, 2011
With Tracy away, TGS is on hiatus, and Liz has to produce a release party for Tracy’s wife Angie to celebrate her new single. Liz tries to get Angie to convince Tracy to come home, but Angie is happy getting all the attention on her new reality show Queen of Jordan. When Liz cracks and confronts Angie about getting Tracy back, Angie admits that she has tried but can’t convince him to return. Frank’s former teacher (Susan Sarandon) who went to prison for having sex with him when he was 14 gets out, and they rekindle their romance.
Episode 18
Title: “Plan B”
Original Airdate: March 24, 2011
Jack puts TGS on a forced hiatus since Tracy still refuses to return, and everyone on the staff freaks out and assumes that the show is canceled. Liz realizes that she’s the only one who doesn’t have a back-up plan. Just as she’s about to give up, Liz discovers that Tracy isn’t really in Africa at all. Jack is in over his head after buying a gay-focused network called Twinks, and he decides to hire Devon Banks to help him, but Devon undercuts Jack’s authority and bonds with Hank Hooper. Hank wants to promote Devon, but Devon can’t bear to leave his newborn triplets to return to full-time work.
Episode 19
Title: “I Heart Connecticut”
Original Airdate: April 14, 2011
Liz is determined to locate Tracy so that TGS doesn’t get canceled. She and Kenneth follow clues to track him down, and they finally find him upstairs at Liz’s apartment. Liz convinces Tracy to let loose and behave badly so people won’t expect him to be responsible anymore, and he can return to the show. Jenna signs on to star in a Saw-style horror movie, which she and Jack end up rewriting beyond all recognition in pursuit of new sources of financing.
