30 Rock (TV Series) Jack Gets in the Game (2007) User Reviews

Excellent Episode!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 12 July 2014]

This is the second episode in the second season of 30 Rock and once again, it's a hilarious and extremely quotable episode. This episode manages to reference season one very well, namely with Jack's heart attack he had. Rip Torn is always a pleasure to be had as Don Geiss and of course Will Arnett is funny as Jack's longtime rival, Devon.

In this episode, "Jack Gets in the Game," Jack's rival Devon announces that he is not gay anymore and he dates Don Geiss's daughter in order to get close to Don. Devon also tries to use Jack's heart attack to his advantage. Meanwhile, Jenna is using her overweight status as an excuse for her fame. Kenneth has a plan to get Tracy jealous of his wife, which involves some very quotable lines.

Overall, this is an excellent episode full of one-liners and ensuing craziness. It seems like this season is going have a recurring theme of Jack's rivalry with Devon so it will be interesting to see how that pans out. I rate this episode 9/10.

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[safenoe · 8/10 · 15 June 2021]

Here Jenna Maroney contents with her weight-gain following her role in Mystic Pizza over the summer, where she devoured four pizzas per performance. I loved Liz's pointed reference to James Gandolfini and Fat Albert when it comes to double standards. Anyway, this was a crackling like that would have made Aaron Sorkin proud. Talking of which, it's a shame Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip wasn't renewed along with 30 Rock for season 2. Surely NBC could have accommodated both please.

"I'm gonna make your heart explode!"

[MaxBorg89 · 10/10 · 21 October 2008]

Jack Gets in the Game is an important episode of 30 Rock's second season for a number of reasons: first of all, it sets a key subplot in motion, namely the race Jack participates in to become Don Geiss's successor; and secondly, it justifies the always welcome return of Rip Torn as Geiss and, even more important, Will Arnett as Devon Banks.

The latter is really the center of the episode, as he shows up unexpected and tells Jack he's no longer gay. In fact, he's engaged to a certain Kathy Geiss (it's clear he's an opportunistic SOB: she's a pain to look at). It doesn't get any better when Banks learns of Jack's recent heart problems and tortures him psychologically during a lunch at Geiss's house. Meanwhile, Tracy needs Kenneth's help for some marital problems, and Jenna has to deal with her unfortunate weight gain.

Once more, 30 Rock proves to be a wonderful cocktail of intelligent silliness, with highlights including Kenneth's conversation with Mrs. Jordan ("I'm a really good sex person. I do it all the different ways"), the pregnancy metaphor regarding Jenna's weight (with yet another funny contribution from Chris Parnell as Dr. Spaceman) and the competition between Baldwin and Arnett as to who comes up with the best piece of idiocy. It's basically a tie when the two discuss Devon's recent conversion to some absurd religion which allegedly made him straight. "The cult invented by Stan Lee?" Jack wonders. "No, Jack, the religion founded by the alien who lives inside Stan Lee.". Priceless.

Jack Gets in the Game (#2.2)

[ComedyFan2010 · 10/10 · 19 November 2013]

Devon Banks comes back. He is about to marry Kathy Geiss to get to Jack's position. Great to see him back. Will Arnett and Alec Baldwin are great together on stage. The whole show was full of great moments involving them as well as high class acting.

And we continue with Jenna's weight gain situation. Liz wants to beat double standard and take Jenna's weight normally. But Jenna ends up using it as a joke written by Frank and makes a big line with "Me wants food!". So she thinks of staying the way she is.

And Kenneth tries to get Tracy and his wife back together. Hilarious story with fun characters. Sherri Shepherd is wonderful in this role

Jack Gets in the Game is another hilarious episode of "30 Rock"

[tavm · 10/10 · 13 October 2007]

Jack invites Liz to his office to eat his $52 steak in front of him since his surgery has made him health conscious. While she's eating, he mentions Guiess' retirement consideration and Jack wants his job. He then sees Liz finish the steak in two minutes. She says the dog ate some of it. Then quickly left. Jenna goes to Dr. Spaceman for weight reduction. He points to some clients on the wall which includes ALF and the unabomber. However, she changes her mind after a roller-disco fall on live television that results in her saying, "Me want food!", a writer's suggestion that was originally rejected by Liz, increases her popularity. Jack's rival for the chairman job, Devon, comes with Guiess' daughter and tells him he intends to marry her despite being gay. While tailing his crush Kenneth, Kenneth slips about Jack's condition just as Jack comes in. So at Guiess' dinner, Devon gives Jack his steak and lots of wine to goad him. Later at Guiess' yard, Devon chokes on a hot dog which makes Jack make him promise to not make any more insinuations about his condition. Tracy sees Kenneth and his wife Angie flirting with each other but it's all a ruse to get them back together. In fact, according to Angie, Kenneth threw up right after kissing her. So the plan worked. Guiess tells Jack he knows about his health and tells him he's on the list and that he wants to eventually know his "secret family in Canada." Liz moves on after using her wedding dress that she borrowed prop up a table that has two short legs on one side...Hope the synopsis I gave you was enough to tell you how hilarious this episode was. Everything was in fine form here and the guest turns by Rip Torn, Sherri Shepherd, Chris Parnell, and, especially, Will Arnett are welcome with the return of their recurring characters. Wish the ratings hadn't gone a little down after last weeks. Hopefully, NBC wasn't too worried about that...