Cutbacks

Season 3, Episode 17, Aired
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Episode Summary

What should be excitement over the 50th episode of TGS turns to fear when Jack announces budget cuts and layoffs. Liz realizes she needs to do some special negotiating to save jobs, while a request from Kenneth leads to Tracey and Jenna concluding he must be a serial killer.moreless
8.7
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Fan Episode Reviews (3)

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  • Your filler episode.

    6.9
    "Fair"
    By thefanof, Apr 02, 2011 Report Abuse
    If one is a 30 Rock fan they cannot feel good about tonight's episode. An endless array of failed jokes made me feel like I was watching a taping of Late Night with David Letterman. Honestly, Liz becomes a prostitute and Tracy and Jenna think Kenneth is a murderer? This is not the kind of episode that deserves to make it out of the writing room and onto my TV screen.

    I also cringed at various points when they had people being fired. The economic crisis is good for a few laughs, but I don't think people being put out of work should be a driving point of an episode.moreless

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    2 7

  • Liz has to deal with cutbacks

    6.5
    "Fair"
    By sequoa84, Apr 10, 2009 Report Abuse
    This episode can best be described as a halfhearted effort in all departments. Well obviously, the writers have tried some weird storylines to come up with what can only be termed as lackluster comedy. I am not saying this was a painful episode to watch, but a very weak episode by 30 Rock standards.

    Liz bartering sex with a consultant to negotiate budget cutbacks in TGS definitely jumps the shark. Jenna and Tracy falling to believe that Kenneth is a serial killer was so stupid. There were a few funny moments which included pretty much all of Alec Baldwin's scenes. I also found the small sequence of the guy who was struck by a lightning also funny.

    It had its moments, but for sure not a worthy episode from an emmy winning show.moreless

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    0 2

  • Seems to remind me of a season 1 episode.

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By Water78, Apr 10, 2009 Report Abuse
    30 Rock,
    Cut Backs,
    - To celebrate for the 50th episode of the TGS with Tracy Jordan, the parent company plans to make huge cut backs. Some funny points come out when Jack fires half of head people working at 30 Rock such as the people who makes radios. Liz is forced to cut part of her staff, but finds it hard to because they are important to the show. Such as the announcer who cant speak well anymore. Or straws, which they might need because nobody is around to kill the mice. People are sent in to fire people on the show which angers Liz because nobody told her. She then sets herself up with the advisor to get all of the people to say. Which backfires because the advisors wife died and he thought that Liz was trying to get him out of the fog. In the end Jack takes over the firing. Jack in the mid of all of this is firing everyone, he even fires Jonathon, and replaces him with Kenneth who also still works as a page. He asks Tracy to feed his pet bird since he is never going to go home. However Ken tells Tracy he cant go into his bedroom. Tracy thinks Ken is actually a serial killer,and gets Jenna in the mix because she knows the three signs of it. However when they back to Ken's house to become heroes and save the people, it turns out that in the bedroom is actually a bug killer spray. Which goes all over the house. Killing Ken's bird. In the end Tracy and Jenna buy Ken millions of birds. As the credits begin he calls one Pat one Lorne one Micheals and such. Overall the plot for this episode reminded me of a season 1 episode were Jack makes Liz cut some of her staff. But in stead she goes crazy and fires everyone.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • Frank's trucker hat reads, "Game Changer", as well as wearing a blank hat. Edit

  • Notes

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    • The German episode title is "Sparmaßnahmen", and the Spanish title is "Recortes", both exact translations. The French title is "Compression de personnel", meaning "Layoffs". Edit
    • Similar to his character, Sid, Don Pardo is the announcer of Saturday Night Live. Edit
    • Roger Bart can also be seen with Scott Adsit in the 2006 movie, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Liz: OK, guys, I just want to say congratulations on our 50th show! (everyone cheers) Liz: That's 50 hours of comedy, over 300 sketches, one unsolved crew death, and an Emmy... Magazine cover story. Edit
    • Jack: Uh, Lemon, I heard a rumor that you went out with one of the consultants last night. Liz: Well, I had no choice. I had to give him a little taste of the Lemon. And it was not sour, my friend—not sour. Edit
    • Tracy: Jenna, I just want you to know that if we find any human remains in there, I'm gonna throw up all over your face. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • When Liz says, "Jack, I put on a live show every week, unless there's wrestling", she is referring to WWE's Saturday Night Main Event, which occasionally runs in Saturday Night Live's time slot, the show on which 30 Rock is based. Edit
    • Upon triggering the bug bomb in Kenneth's room, Tracy screams, "Oh, no, Kenneth's a murderer and the Riddler's coming!" referencing the 1995 film, Batman Forever, in which the Riddler would appear following what the movie has made his signature: green gas spouting from a can. Edit
    • Liz vows, "They may take my dignity, but they will never take OUR STRAWS!", to which the rest of the crew cheers voraciously, playing on a similar scene in Mel Gibson's 1995 film, Braveheart. Edit

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