After focusing on the behind-the-scenes aspect of its concept, 30 Rock hits another high by shifting towards Liz's private life and granting minor characters more space. In this specific case, the character in question is Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer), the ambivalent NBC page.
The personal life storyline is centered on Jack's proposal that Liz go out on a date with his friend Thomas. The friend turns out to be Gretchen Thomas (Stephanie March), a lesbian. Nonetheless, Liz enjoys the evening and starts hanging out with Gretchen regularly, if only to make sure her worst fear - choking to death in an empty apartment - doesn't come true. Jack, on the other hand, joins the writing staff in a poker game and turns what used to be a friendly tradition into a full-on competition, beating everyone but Kenneth, the only person working at NBC that he can't "read".
McBrayer does his best with his moment in the spotlight, although the best moments remain Baldwin's reactions to the new situation, culminating in a spot-on Hannibal Lecter impression and a smart reference to The Godfather ("Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"). As for the lesbian part of the plot, Tina Fey's interactions with March make it funny without being excessive (despite the Oprah jokes). Then again, that detail is effortlessly handled by Judah Friedlander's semi-depraved Frank: when Liz asks him what guys like, his deadpan answer is a plain and simple "Porn". Lovely.