30 Rock: Blind Date

30 Rock: Blind Date
NBC
October 25, 2006
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Jack interferes with Liz's personal life, not for the last time, by fixing her up with his friend "Thomas," as in Gretchen Thomas, a lesbian.  Liz does hit it off with Gretchen and keeps seeing her platonically.  Of course the irony is that we'll later find out that Liz has a lot of hang-ups about sex with men.  Note that her ex-boyfriend Dennis is referred to but not yet seen.  The other plot thread is that Jack beats everyone at poker, until he faces the unreadable Kenneth.  And it's funny to hear Kenneth referred to as "a kid," when we'll gradually find out he's much, much older than he seems.

Teddy Coluca is again the Stage Manager.  Bartender Marcus Collins would later play The Hair.  Jenna is absent this episode, but it would've been interesting to see her reaction to the lesbian plot.  This episode was written by John Riggi, who played a Manager on Ellen and who would write nine more episodes, as well as direct some.