To what lengths will Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy go for love? In this week’s episode, titled “Generalissimo”, both Liz and Jack become find themselves turning into charming manipulators to create illusions of romance.

For Liz, love comes in the form of Dr. Andrew Baird (guest star Jon Hamm). She accidentally receives his mail and, after Jenna scans its contents, sees potential.

Jenna: He’s a pediatrician, so you know he likes kids. Or feet. No, no, kids. He has a bill from a divorce lawyer so you know he’s single. And he has a golf magazine so you know he’s not gay or poor. (opening the Netflix envelope) Muppets Take Manhattan, Caddyshack, and a documentary about how pies are made!

For Jack, his affair with Elisa hits a major road bump in the form of her grandmother, Concepcion Padreira. Jack senses she does not like him (“Is it because I am white?”), and he needs her approval. After all, she is the grand matriarch of the family and in Puerto Rico, elderly women are held in very high esteem.

In an effort to make nice, Jack gives Elisa and Concepcion a tour of 30 Rock. “Wasn’t that a treat? Only the special tours get to see Conan without a wig.” At the end of their visit, they wind up at Jack’s office, just in time for Concepcion to watch her favorite Mexican telenovela: “Los Amantes Clandestinos.” As they watch the program, Jack makes a startling discovery. The villain, Isel Generalissimo, has an uncanny resemblance to Jack! (El Generalissimo is brilliantly played by Alec Baldwin.)

Meanwhile, Tracy is threatened by the arrival of four new interns. “You know it Lady Broseph!” They are former investment bankers laid off during the economic crisis caused by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. As such, they approach their new tasks at TGS with crushing enthusiasm and macho determination: “They have zero real-world skills but, God, they work hard.” The interns are in awe of Tracy and want to hang with him:

Intern: Hey, look, we’re all going out after work and I know you like to party, we’d be honored if you come with.

Tracy: You shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition at. Yeah, I’m in.

Jack’s frustrations with Elisa’s abuela are mounting. He is disinvited from Elisa’s brother’s graduation from the police academy, and the celebration of her other brother’s release on parole. “Boy, I hope those two don’t eventually have a showdown. That pits family against justice.” Elisa feels that this is for the best for now.

Later that evening, Liz arrives at Apt. 13B. She’s returning Dr. Baird’s mail. It turns out, he’s just as dreamy as his mail led Liz to believe. We hear Liz whisper, “I want to go to there.”  The next day, she admits to Jenna that she’s opened up more of his mail. Liz’s behavior is very un-Liz Lemon-like, but she’s beginning to feel desperate from being so far out of Drew’s league.  At the studio, Tracy arrives terribly hung-over. His night out with the Wall Street interns turned into a regrettable lesson in debauchery. But Tracy needs to maintain his rep, and he agrees to another night out:

Intern: “There he is! Tonight, shooters at Blockheads, lay a base, meet up with my bro-hams at the Cornell Club?”

Tracy: “You know it Bri-man! (To Liz) I have no idea what either one of us just said.”

Liz arrives at Jack’s office while he and Elisa are watching a scene from “Los Amantes Clandestinos.”  Jack’s mood has improved because he’s found a solution to his problem with Elisa’s grandmother: he has arranged for NBC’s Spanish-language property Telemundo to acquire the show, which means that he now runs it. Liz is being pulled in to write a new script that kills off El Generalissimo. Elisa brings Liz up to speed on the story. The latest plot twist is that Generalissimo has stolen a young lady’s love letters to learn about her most intimate secrets. He then turned himself into that which the young lady desired.

A light bulb appears over Liz’s head. If it works for the Generalissimo, it could work for Liz, too, right? In the next scene, we see Liz knocking on Drew’s door and asking for his help to find her fake lost dog, Buster. Oh, Liz Lemon. Liz and Drew walk the streets and post fliers around the neighborhood, but Buster is nowhere to be found. In a moment of confidence, Liz makes a pass.

Liz: “Well, Buster is probably dead. Do you want to go to the wine bar around the corner, deal with these emotions, get some dinner?”

Drew: “Uh, I would love to Liz, I really would. But I just got divorced not that long ago. I’m really not ready for this kind of thing just yet. Plus, I have not given up on that dog. He’s a fighter. Buster!”

As Liz and Drew continue their search for Buster, the latest episode of “Los Amantes Clandestinos” is about to air. Jack and Elisa are on the phone, and she gives him the play-by-play of Concepcion’s reaction to the latest plot development.

Generalissimo: “Ha! Fallaste!”

But wait, that line wasn’t in the approved script. It seems that the assassination was rewritten so that the Generalissimo not only survives, but he also drinks a potion that makes him immortal. Jack’s plan has failed! So he confronts Hector Moreda, the actor portraying El Generalissimo, in his dressing room.

Generalissimo: “Welcome, Jack. Cigar? Brandy?”

Jack: “What happened, Hector? The General was supposed to die.”

Generalissimo: “Do not try to out-Generalissimo me, my friend. This role has made me rich, famous and respected. I get to cut the line at Disneyland, if I come mid-week. I have a lucrative endorsement deal with Sabor de Soledad. I am not going to let you take that all away from me.”

In a moment of clarity, Hector and Jack realize they share many things in common, and Jack reveals the real reason he tried to have Generalissimo killed off the show. He shows Hector a photo of Elisa on his iPhone.

Generalissimo: “Wow, I am super gay and I would totally switch for her.”

Jack: “She’s amazing, but her grandmother hates me because she hates the Generalissimo. So he’s got to go!”

But the Generalissimo disagrees. He believes things can change for Jack and the grandmother by making her love the character: “I will become everything that all Hispanic women desire. I will make her love me! It will be the performance of a lifetime, like Julie Harris in The Belle of Amherst.”

While Jack and Generalissimo confer, Elisa arrives at Liz’s office with script changes for the next episode of the telenovela. Elisa gives Liz some background on a scene, giving Liz new ideas on wooing Drew.

Liz: “I’m going to tell Drew that I’m having a little ‘Welcome to he building party’ for him, but there is no party. And then when he shows up, I’ll laugh and say ‘It’s the wrong night.’ And then he’ll laugh and say, ‘One glass couldn’t hurt,’ and then (Liz getting crazier) I’ll put my mouth on his mouth!”

Later we see that Liz has put her plan into action. Drew arrives at Apt. 3B and Liz is in a slinky dress, and is beautifully lit by candles and soft lighting: “Tonight, I’m just hanging out, eating fondue by candlelight. But come in! I was just opening up a bottle of wine to drink alone.”  As Drew steps in for just one glass, their neighbor arrives with Buster! He’s been found! But he doesn’t seem happy about it, and neither is Liz.  Back at the “Clandestinos” set, Jack and Hector have put their own plan into motion. In Spanish, Generalissimo is wooing an older Puerto Rican woman:

Generalissimo: “I look forward to your wonderful cooking. Later, I will fulfill my dream of making love to an older Puerto Rican woman. But first, let me compliment pictures of your grandchildren. After you scratch off these lottery tickets, can we go to McDonald’s and only order coffee?”

Liz and Drew are hitting it off, but the dog’s incessant barking is giving him a headache. Thinking it’s aspirin, Drew mistakenly pops a Rohyphenol from a bottle Liz took away from Tracy. As Drew starts feeling woozy, he discovers his opened mail and the truth about Buster. He shrinks back into a corner in fear. Liz shouts, “I am not the Generalissimo!” confusing Drew even more.

The night doesn’t end well for Liz, but for Jack it’s a huge success. Elisa’s abuela arrives with a homemade batch of breaded calf’s brain. Yum. She is pleased that her granddaughter is dating such an important television man. Just one more request, though. Can Jack do anything about the NBC News?

The next day, Drew appears at Liz’s door. This time he’s returning the mail that was accidentally delivered to him: a Netflix DVD of Monty Python’s Life at the Hollywood Bowl,  memberships in the Cheese of the Month Club and the Steak of the Month Club and a copy of Vegetarian Times. (“I’m a flip-flopper.”)

Can this romance between Liz and Drew work? As Matt Lauer announces upcoming “Today Show” segments on adorable Latin babies and the music of Tito Puente, both agree that stranger things have happened and, yes, they should try again.

This article was posted on Friday, February 6th, 2009 at 1:48 pm by Sakura and is filed under the category Episodes, Quotes. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS 2.0 feed.