Argus (30 Rock)
Encyclopedia
"Argus" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
, and the 77th overall episode of the series. It was written by 30 Rock producers Dylan Morgan, Paula Pell, and Josh Siegal. The episode was directed by co-executive producer and show composer Jeff Richmond
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) network in the United States on April 29, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include Will Forte
, Marceline Hugot, and Burke Moses
.
In the episode, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) receives a peculiar gift from the late Don Geiss (Rip Torn
). Meanwhile, Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) and Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) get suspicious of Jenna Maroney
's (Jane Krakowski
) new boyfriend (Forte). At the same time, Liz tries to sort out Grizz Griswold's (Grizz Chapman
) problem when both Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) and "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown
) want to be Grizz's best man.
"Argus" has received generally positive reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen Media Research
, the episode was watched by 5.93 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.7 rating/8 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
(Tracy Morgan
) announces to The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) staff that Grizz Griswold (Grizz Chapman
) will be getting married at the end of the month. A problem immediately ensues after Grizz cannot decide between Tracy and "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown
) to be his best man. Grizz then asks Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) to help him convince Tracy that Dot Com should be his best man. The two suggest another task Tracy can do at the wedding, but Tracy insists on being the best man. Later, Liz learns that Dot Com is in love with Grizz's fiancée, Feyoncé, Grizz is not aware of this, and that the only reason Tracy wanted to be the best man was to protect Dot Com. Finally, after changing Grizz's mind about Dot Com as his best man, Grizz appoints Liz as his woman of honor at his wedding instead.
Meanwhile, Liz and Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) are suspicious that Jenna Maroney
's (Jane Krakowski
) new boyfriend Paul L'Astname (Will Forte
) is using her. The two follow Paul to a bar and find out that Paul is a Jenna impersonator. The next day, Liz asks Jenna if she knows what Paul does, though, Jenna is aware that Paul is a Jenna impersonator, having met him at a Jenna Maroney impersonator contest. Liz does not approve of the relationship, and so she confronts Paul on what his intentions are with Jenna. Paul tells her that he is not using Jenna to further his career, but that he is with her because she accepts him for who he is. Liz is convinced and approves of their relationship.
At the same time, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) is informed by Don Geiss's (Rip Torn
) estate lawyer Thomas (Burke Moses
) that he is in Don Geiss's will
. Jack is excited at the idea of owning a piece of Geiss's legacy as Jack considered Geiss his mentor. At the will reading, Jack inherits Geiss's beloved pet peacock
named Argus. When Argus begins acting peculiar, Jack enlists the help of NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
). Kenneth—who knows all the peafowl calls—tells Jack that Argus muttered senpai and kōhai—master and pupil—nicknames that Geiss and Jack had for each other. Immediately, Jack is convinced that Geiss's soul has inhabited Argus, prompting Jack to release his grief to Argus and finally accepting Geiss's death.
. Richmand is married to series creator Tina Fey. This was Morgan, Pell and Siegal's second writing credit, after Morgan and Siegal penned "Sun Tea
", and Pell who developed the "Floyd
" script. Richmond made his directorial debut in the show with "Argus". This episode of 30 Rock originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 29, 2010, as the nineteenth episode of the show's fourth season
and the 77th overall episode of the series. "Argus" was filmed on March 1, 2010.
Comedian actor Will Forte made a second appearance on the show, having guest starred as a different character in the February 1, 2007, episode "Black Tie
" from the show's first season
. In this episode, Forte played Jenna Maroney's boyfriend and Jenna impersonator. At the end of this episode, Paul, dressed as Jenna, and Jenna sing the song "All by Myself". Forte has appeared in the main cast of Saturday Night Live
(SNL), a weekly sketch comedy
series which airs on NBC in the United States. Tina Fey was the head writer
on SNL from 1999 until 2006. Forte would appear in the season finale episode "I Do Do
" that aired on May 20, 2010. Actress Marceline Hugot guest starred as Kathy Geiss, the daughter of former General Electric
CEO Don Geiss, played by Rip Torn, for the tenth time. During the reading of her father's will here, Kathy receives a pocket watch with the instructions not to get it wet, though, Kathy puts the watch in her mouth. Actor Burke Moses guest starred as Don Geiss's estate lawyer named Thomas.
During the episode Jack Donaghy inherits Argus, Don Geiss's beloved pet peacock. Throughout the episode, Argus can be seen at Jack's office in the 30 Rock building. An actual peacock was featured here. In one scene, Liz Lemon sees Argus and is frightened of him. While talking to Jack, Argus hits Liz across the face with its feathers, thus marking her as his mate. To accommodate this, puppeteers—Peter Linz
, Noel MacNeal
, and Carmen Osbahr
—were brought in to hit Liz in the face with feathers instead of using the peacock itself.
Throughout the episode, Grizz Griswold alludes that he and Liz had a romantic relationship in the past. In order to choose between Tracy Jordan and Dot Com Slattery as his best man, Grizz turns to Liz for help. After agreeing to help him out, Grizz wonders whether or not it was awkward for Liz that Tracy brought up his wedding, but she asks "Why would it be awkward?", he responds "Because of our sexual past." Afterwards, Grizz says that he and Liz were the "Sam
and Diane
of this place [TGS]", a reference to the Sam and Diane characters from the television show Cheers
. In "Greenzo
", that aired in the second season
of the series, Liz sexually harasses Grizz at Kenneth Parcell's out of control party, and Kenneth tells Liz off the next day, stating that before that party, he had "never seen Grizz or Dot Com cry." In addition, the Dot Com storyline of him being in love with Grizz's fiancée, Feyoncé, began in the season three
episode "St. Valentine's Day
".
, "Argus" was watched by 5.439 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 2.7 rating/8 share in the 18–49 demographic, meaning that it was seen by 2.7 percent of all 18–49 year olds, and 8 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This was an increase from the previous episode, "Khonani
", which was watched by 5.182 million American viewers. "Argus" won its timeslot in the 18–34 male demographic winning with a 3.2 rating beating the competition by a 1.3 rating.
The A.V. Club
' s Nathan Rabin enjoyed "Argus", noting that it was "entertaining, funny and had some killer one-liners" and that it featured "all kinds of silly but in a very winning way." Rabin enjoyed all the plots featured here, and praised Will Forte's role as Jenna's boyfriend and impersonator. Emily Exton from Entertainment Weekly
wrote that the peacock storyline "felt too silly", and that Forte "was too underused as Paul", nonetheless said that despite not being the greatest 30 Rock episode of all time "there were still some hilarious lines." IGN
contributor Robert Canning liked Grizz's dilemma plot, commenting that Grizz not trying to hurt Tracy's feelings while Tracy tried to keep Dot Com away from Grizz's bride-to-be "offered up some inspired lunacy." His only complaint about "Argus" was Jack's plot as he deemed it disappointing. A review in TV Guide
by Adam Mersel said "...Fey and the gang live up to the challenge, and produce ['Argus'] a hilarious, quite snotty episode that holds up to any comedy around." Meredith Blake, writing for the Los Angeles Times
, was positive towards the episode, reasoning that the writing "is just so deliciously absurd that I can't help but giggle the whole way through", and that the plots featured here were "sublimely inconsequential. Not a whole lot happened, but it was all very funny." Nick Catucci from New York
magazine, who did not enjoy the two other stories, appreciated Jenna's, explaining that by having the character date one of her own impersonator was "outrageous and funny without relying on any cheap insults to trannies." Sean Gandert from Paste
magazine reported that "Argus" was an episode that "[took] us back to the show's roots", explaining that recapturing the "old tone" also worked to "recapture the old joke-writing expertise. It wasn't 100% consistent, but there were so many good one-liners to counterbalance the misfires that it didn't even matter. This is 30 Rock the way it should be." The Houston Press
' Daniel Carlson wrote that Grizz's wedding story was "pure filler, but everything on the show's kind of filler for the wackiness, so it mostly worked." Carlson wrote that the best part from "Argus" came with Forte's Paul as Jenna's boyfriend and impersonator.
Bob Sassone
of AOL
's TV Squad did not respond well to the episode, observing that "Argus" would go down 30 Rock history as "one of the worst episodes of the series." One of the problems he had was that the Jack character bonded with the peacock for the entire episode. "As I've said before, I hate the episodes where Jack is out of control or acting goofy or involved in some lame pursuit, and this one of the more lame pursuits."
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, and the 77th overall episode of the series. It was written by 30 Rock producers Dylan Morgan, Paula Pell, and Josh Siegal. The episode was directed by co-executive producer and show composer Jeff Richmond
Jeff Richmond
Jeffrey "Jeff" Wayne Richmond is an American composer, actor and television producer. Richmond currently produces and composes the music for 30 Rock, a sitcom created by and starring his wife Tina Fey.-Career:...
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(NBC) network in the United States on April 29, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
, Marceline Hugot, and Burke Moses
Burke Moses
Burke William Moses is an American film and television actor. His brother is actor Mark Moses.Burke Moses first appeared on Broadway as a replacement in the role of Sky Masterson in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls...
.
In the episode, Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
) receives a peculiar gift from the late Don Geiss (Rip Torn
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
). Meanwhile, Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) and Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
) get suspicious of Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
's (Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
) new boyfriend (Forte). At the same time, Liz tries to sort out Grizz Griswold's (Grizz Chapman
Grizz Chapman
Grizzwald "Grizz" Chapman is an American television actor best known for his recurring role as Grizz on the NBC series 30 Rock. A June 2007 interview with rollingout.com lists Chapman's height as 6'10". In his commentary for the episode "Tracy Does Conan," Tracy Morgan revealed that they met when...
) problem when both Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
(Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
) and "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown (actor)
Kevin 'Dot Com' Brown is an American comedian, film and television actor, best known for his role on the series 30 Rock as "Dot Com".Brown also appeared as the lead in Marq Overton's one-man play Die Laughing in 2008 at the Diversity Players of Harlem and as an actor and executive producer of the...
) want to be Grizz's best man.
"Argus" has received generally positive reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, the episode was watched by 5.93 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.7 rating/8 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
Plot
Tracy JordanTracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
(Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
) announces to The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) staff that Grizz Griswold (Grizz Chapman
Grizz Chapman
Grizzwald "Grizz" Chapman is an American television actor best known for his recurring role as Grizz on the NBC series 30 Rock. A June 2007 interview with rollingout.com lists Chapman's height as 6'10". In his commentary for the episode "Tracy Does Conan," Tracy Morgan revealed that they met when...
) will be getting married at the end of the month. A problem immediately ensues after Grizz cannot decide between Tracy and "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown (actor)
Kevin 'Dot Com' Brown is an American comedian, film and television actor, best known for his role on the series 30 Rock as "Dot Com".Brown also appeared as the lead in Marq Overton's one-man play Die Laughing in 2008 at the Diversity Players of Harlem and as an actor and executive producer of the...
) to be his best man. Grizz then asks Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) to help him convince Tracy that Dot Com should be his best man. The two suggest another task Tracy can do at the wedding, but Tracy insists on being the best man. Later, Liz learns that Dot Com is in love with Grizz's fiancée, Feyoncé, Grizz is not aware of this, and that the only reason Tracy wanted to be the best man was to protect Dot Com. Finally, after changing Grizz's mind about Dot Com as his best man, Grizz appoints Liz as his woman of honor at his wedding instead.
Meanwhile, Liz and Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
) are suspicious that Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
's (Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
) new boyfriend Paul L'Astname (Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
) is using her. The two follow Paul to a bar and find out that Paul is a Jenna impersonator. The next day, Liz asks Jenna if she knows what Paul does, though, Jenna is aware that Paul is a Jenna impersonator, having met him at a Jenna Maroney impersonator contest. Liz does not approve of the relationship, and so she confronts Paul on what his intentions are with Jenna. Paul tells her that he is not using Jenna to further his career, but that he is with her because she accepts him for who he is. Liz is convinced and approves of their relationship.
At the same time, Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
) is informed by Don Geiss's (Rip Torn
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
) estate lawyer Thomas (Burke Moses
Burke Moses
Burke William Moses is an American film and television actor. His brother is actor Mark Moses.Burke Moses first appeared on Broadway as a replacement in the role of Sky Masterson in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls...
) that he is in Don Geiss's will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
. Jack is excited at the idea of owning a piece of Geiss's legacy as Jack considered Geiss his mentor. At the will reading, Jack inherits Geiss's beloved pet peacock
Peafowl
Peafowl are two Asiatic species of flying birds in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae, best known for the male's extravagant eye-spotted tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. The adult female...
named Argus. When Argus begins acting peculiar, Jack enlists the help of NBC page
NBC page
An NBC page is a person usually in his or her early twenties working in various departments of the NBC television network during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television broadcasting and entertainment...
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
(Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
). Kenneth—who knows all the peafowl calls—tells Jack that Argus muttered senpai and kōhai—master and pupil—nicknames that Geiss and Jack had for each other. Immediately, Jack is convinced that Geiss's soul has inhabited Argus, prompting Jack to release his grief to Argus and finally accepting Geiss's death.
Production
"Argus" was written by show producers Dylan Morgan, Paula Pell, and Josh Siegal. The director of this episode was co-executive producer and show composer Jeff RichmondJeff Richmond
Jeffrey "Jeff" Wayne Richmond is an American composer, actor and television producer. Richmond currently produces and composes the music for 30 Rock, a sitcom created by and starring his wife Tina Fey.-Career:...
. Richmand is married to series creator Tina Fey. This was Morgan, Pell and Siegal's second writing credit, after Morgan and Siegal penned "Sun Tea
Sun Tea (30 Rock)
"Sun Tea" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by show co-producers Dylan Morgan and Josh Siegal, and directed by Gail Mancuso. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States on November...
", and Pell who developed the "Floyd
Floyd (30 Rock)
"Floyd" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 74th overall episode of the series. It was written by series producer Paula Pell, and directed by Millicent Shelton. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company ...
" script. Richmond made his directorial debut in the show with "Argus". This episode of 30 Rock originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 29, 2010, as the nineteenth episode of the show's fourth season
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
and the 77th overall episode of the series. "Argus" was filmed on March 1, 2010.
Comedian actor Will Forte made a second appearance on the show, having guest starred as a different character in the February 1, 2007, episode "Black Tie
Black Tie (30 Rock)
"Black Tie" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was directed by Don Scardino, and written by Kay Cannon and series creator Tina Fey. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company in the United States on February 1, 2007...
" from the show's first season
30 Rock (season 1)
The first season of the television comedy series 30 Rock originally aired between October 11, 2006 and April 26, 2007 on NBC in the United States...
. In this episode, Forte played Jenna Maroney's boyfriend and Jenna impersonator. At the end of this episode, Paul, dressed as Jenna, and Jenna sing the song "All by Myself". Forte has appeared in the main cast of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
(SNL), a weekly sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
series which airs on NBC in the United States. Tina Fey was the head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
on SNL from 1999 until 2006. Forte would appear in the season finale episode "I Do Do
I Do Do
"I Do Do" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 80th overall episode of the series. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by series creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey...
" that aired on May 20, 2010. Actress Marceline Hugot guest starred as Kathy Geiss, the daughter of former General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
CEO Don Geiss, played by Rip Torn, for the tenth time. During the reading of her father's will here, Kathy receives a pocket watch with the instructions not to get it wet, though, Kathy puts the watch in her mouth. Actor Burke Moses guest starred as Don Geiss's estate lawyer named Thomas.
During the episode Jack Donaghy inherits Argus, Don Geiss's beloved pet peacock. Throughout the episode, Argus can be seen at Jack's office in the 30 Rock building. An actual peacock was featured here. In one scene, Liz Lemon sees Argus and is frightened of him. While talking to Jack, Argus hits Liz across the face with its feathers, thus marking her as his mate. To accommodate this, puppeteers—Peter Linz
Peter Linz
Peter Linz is an American puppeteer. He is perhaps best known as the voice of Snook in It's a Big Big World and Theo Lion in Between the Lions....
, Noel MacNeal
Noel MacNeal
Noel MacNeal is a puppeteer, writer, and director of children's television, best known as the voice and puppeteer of Bear in Bear in the Big Blue House and Breakfast with Bear...
, and Carmen Osbahr
Carmen Osbahr
Carmen Osbahr is an American actress who has puppeteered Rosita in the popular US children's series Sesame Street, since 1991. Osbahr has also puppeteered Kiki Flores in The Puzzle Place...
—were brought in to hit Liz in the face with feathers instead of using the peacock itself.
Throughout the episode, Grizz Griswold alludes that he and Liz had a romantic relationship in the past. In order to choose between Tracy Jordan and Dot Com Slattery as his best man, Grizz turns to Liz for help. After agreeing to help him out, Grizz wonders whether or not it was awkward for Liz that Tracy brought up his wedding, but she asks "Why would it be awkward?", he responds "Because of our sexual past." Afterwards, Grizz says that he and Liz were the "Sam
Sam Malone
Sam "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Ted Danson. The central character of the series, Sam is a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team who owns Cheers and tends bar there. He is a recovering alcoholic and...
and Diane
Diane Chambers
Diane Chambers is a fictional character portrayed by Shelley Long on the American television show Cheers , and on several episodes of the subsequent Cheers spin-off Frasier...
of this place [TGS]", a reference to the Sam and Diane characters from the television show Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
. In "Greenzo
Greenzo
"Greenzo" is the fifth episode of NBC's second season of 30 Rock and twenty-sixth episode overall. It was written by Jon Pollack and directed by series producer Don Scardino. It aired on November 8, 2007 in the United States...
", that aired in the second season
30 Rock (season 2)
The second season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, originally aired between October 4, 2007 and May 8, 2008 on NBC in the United States. 30 Rock takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series depicted as airing on NBC; the name refers to 30 Rockefeller...
of the series, Liz sexually harasses Grizz at Kenneth Parcell's out of control party, and Kenneth tells Liz off the next day, stating that before that party, he had "never seen Grizz or Dot Com cry." In addition, the Dot Com storyline of him being in love with Grizz's fiancée, Feyoncé, began in the season three
30 Rock (season 3)
The third season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
episode "St. Valentine's Day
St. Valentine's Day (30 Rock)
"St. Valentine's Day" is the eleventh episode of the third season, and forty-seventh episode overall, of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt and series' creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey. The director of this...
".
Reception
According to the Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, "Argus" was watched by 5.439 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 2.7 rating/8 share in the 18–49 demographic, meaning that it was seen by 2.7 percent of all 18–49 year olds, and 8 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This was an increase from the previous episode, "Khonani
Khonani
"Khonani" is the eighteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 76th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Vali Chandrasekaran and directed by Beth McCarthy Miller...
", which was watched by 5.182 million American viewers. "Argus" won its timeslot in the 18–34 male demographic winning with a 3.2 rating beating the competition by a 1.3 rating.
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote that the peacock storyline "felt too silly", and that Forte "was too underused as Paul", nonetheless said that despite not being the greatest 30 Rock episode of all time "there were still some hilarious lines." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
contributor Robert Canning liked Grizz's dilemma plot, commenting that Grizz not trying to hurt Tracy's feelings while Tracy tried to keep Dot Com away from Grizz's bride-to-be "offered up some inspired lunacy." His only complaint about "Argus" was Jack's plot as he deemed it disappointing. A review in TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
by Adam Mersel said "...Fey and the gang live up to the challenge, and produce ['Argus'] a hilarious, quite snotty episode that holds up to any comedy around." Meredith Blake, writing for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, was positive towards the episode, reasoning that the writing "is just so deliciously absurd that I can't help but giggle the whole way through", and that the plots featured here were "sublimely inconsequential. Not a whole lot happened, but it was all very funny." Nick Catucci from New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine, who did not enjoy the two other stories, appreciated Jenna's, explaining that by having the character date one of her own impersonator was "outrageous and funny without relying on any cheap insults to trannies." Sean Gandert from Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
magazine reported that "Argus" was an episode that "[took] us back to the show's roots", explaining that recapturing the "old tone" also worked to "recapture the old joke-writing expertise. It wasn't 100% consistent, but there were so many good one-liners to counterbalance the misfires that it didn't even matter. This is 30 Rock the way it should be." The Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone is an American writer. He was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to Italian and Portuguese parents. He is the youngest of seven children....
of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad did not respond well to the episode, observing that "Argus" would go down 30 Rock history as "one of the worst episodes of the series." One of the problems he had was that the Jack character bonded with the peacock for the entire episode. "As I've said before, I hate the episodes where Jack is out of control or acting goofy or involved in some lame pursuit, and this one of the more lame pursuits."