"Murphy Brown Lied to Us" is the eighteenth episode of the sixth season of the American television comedy series ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...

'', and the 121st overall episode of the series. It was directed by

John Riggi John Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows. He is from Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended high school at Elder High School, in Cincinnati, OH. He has worked as a writer o ...

, and written by

Robert Carlock Robert Morgan Carlock (born September 21, 1972) is an American screenwriter and producer. He has worked as a writer for several NBC television comedies, and as a showrunner for ''30 Rock'', which was created by his recurring collaborator, comedia ...

and Vali Chandrasekaran. The episode originally aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

in the United States on April 19, 2012. In the episode, Liz (

Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...

) reconsiders her decision to not have a child; Jenna (

Jane Krakowski Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress, comedienne, and singer. She is best known for her starring role as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four ...

) stages a celebrity breakdown to bring Paul back to her; and Jack (

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nichol ...

) runs into production problems at his new couch factory.

Plot

While cleaning her apartment, Liz (

) and boyfriend

Criss Criss is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Criss Angel (born 1967), American magician *Criss Oliva (1963–1993), American musician Surname *Anthony Criss (born 1970), American rapper and actor *Charlie ...

stumble upon some of her old adoption materials. Liz dismisses the idea of having a child, but Criss seems cautiously open to it. Jack (

) sets her up on a blind date with his associate Kevin, which she accepts under protest. An encounter with Kevin's exceptional daughter re-inspires her to have children, which is revealed to be Jack's plan all along. Jack encourages Liz to procreate and Criss and Liz decide to try. Jack's new couch design is revealed to be extremely uncomfortable due to his insistence on inferior American engineering. After an unsuccessful attempt to market uncomfortable couches, Jack sells them to the CIA for use as interrogation devices. One of the couches is used to interrogate a man who is a North Korean spy. He reveals a way to recover Jack's wife, Avery Jessup. Jenna (

) schemes to win boyfriend Paul back by staging a celebrity breakdown, which involves erratic behavior on television. When running through a window lands her in the hospital, Jenna expresses her feelings for Paul to Tracy. Unbeknownst to Jenna, Paul is listening in while disguised as a nurse. They passionately kiss and reunite. Included in this episode are three KouchTown commercials featuring

Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fictiona ...

. He parodies

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

's ''Wake up America'' Super Bowl 2012 advertisements (which featured

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

Reception

The episode was very well received by critics. Andy Greenwald of ''Grantland'' was impressed with the show, saying it "saved the evening in an utterly unexpected way. It wasn’t only the funniest half-hour of the night by a considerable margin. It was also the sweetest." He called it "one of the best episodes 30 Rock’s ever produced." Alan Sepinwall of Hitfix.com called it "the funniest episode in ages... Not only is it the most I've laughed at an episode in a long time, it featured a fantastic Jack/Liz moment in the climax." He thought this fit in with a "terrific late-career renaissance" in the show's sixth season. Meredith Blake of the Onion A.V. Club gave the episode a B+: "It’s an episode that, while not quite as laugh-heavy as the very best of 30 Rock, deserves an above-average grade because it represents a fairly monumental moment in the history of the show: It’s the one where Liz finally decides to have a baby. It's a development that, frankly, fills me with joy. To quote L.L. herself, 'Life is happening!'"

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy Brown Lied to Us 30 Rock (season 6) episodes

Plot

Reception

See also

References

External links