The Fabian Strategy

Plot

Liz Lemon returns to work after summer break and meets with Jack Donaghy and Pete Hornberger to discuss cutting TGS expenses. Pete reveals that Jenna Maroney now has a producer credit due to contract changes that were not expected to start until the fifth season. Jenna takes the role seriously and fires people, but eventually realizes her producer credit is costly and asks Pete to fire her. Jack asks Liz about her relationship with Carol, an airline pilot; she says they met twice a month in a hotel.

Jack believes the relationship is not serious and reserves all rooms at the hotel where they meet, forcing Carol to stay at Liz's apartment. During his stay, Carol becomes emotional and asks where their relationship is heading. He leaves early, and they agree to meet again on October 14. Meanwhile, Jack's girlfriend Avery Jessup has moved in and wants to redecorate his apartment.

Jack avoids direct confrontation by employing the Fabian strategy, named after Roman general Fabius Maximus, who avoided battles to wear down the enemy. Jack agrees to knock down a wall instead of redecorating, but at the end realizes Avery has outmaneuvered him, and he ecstatically sees they are a perfect match.

Production

Tina Fey wrote the episode, and Beth McCarthy-Miller directed it; this was Fey's twenty-second writing credit and McCarthy-Miller's thirteenth episode directed for the series. The episode was filmed on August 30, 2010. Matt Damon reprised his role as Carol, an airline pilot and love interest for Liz Lemon, after debuting in the fourth season finale "I Do Do". In March 2010, Damon's guest appearance was announced; he had previously expressed interest in appearing on the show, saying he would do it "in a heartbeat".

After the airing of "I Do Do", Damon said he would love to return. In August 2010, Fey confirmed his return. Jane Krakowski revealed that her character Jenna becomes a producer as part of her contract, because nobody thought TGS would still be on the air. Series producer Paula Pell reprised her role as Paula Hornberger.

The episode references Liz's desire to become a mother, a storyline that began in the first season and continued in the third season.

Cultural references

At the start of the episode, Liz says "No, Tom Jones, no!" while sleeping, referencing a future plot involving a traumatic childhood incident with a poster of singer Tom Jones. Jack repeatedly refers to the Fabian strategy, named after Roman general Fabius Maximus, which avoids direct battle in favor of attrition warfare; Jack uses it to avoid saying no to Avery or giving in to her demands. When Carol surprises Liz in the TGS writers' room, staff writer J.D. Lutz asks Carol if he is on Facebook.

Liz tells Jack she is modeling her life on chef Ina Garten of the Food Network show Barefoot Contessa; Jack responds that Liz will never be like Garten, including the "barefoot" part, referencing that Liz has never let anyone see her feet, a real-life trait of Tina Fey. Liz and Carol discover they both love watching The Muppets present award shows. Liz reveals she has a Life Alert Emergency Response necklace. Carol wonders why Geico has multiple mascots.

Jack plans to seduce the gay interior designer Avery hired, explaining to Liz that he is a "daddy bear" in the gay community. Before parting, Liz says "See you October 14", a reference to the live episode of 30 Rock titled "Live Show" that aired on that date.

Reception

Before airing, NBC moved 30 Rock from the 9:30 p.m. timeslot to 8:30 p.m. for the 2010–11 season. The episode was watched by 5.85 million households and earned a 2.6 rating/8 share in the 18–49 demographic. Variety reported that Community and 30 Rock "held up nicely" in their timeslots and were up over the previous year's opening Thursday hour for NBC. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club found the episode hilarious and breaking the barrier of past season premieres being the worst episodes; he gave it an A− grade, praising Matt Damon's performance but noting Carol's character flaw of being too sensitive.

Bob Sassone of TV Squad called it a "solid season-opener" with great lines and plot development. Meredith Blake of the Los Angeles Times was thrilled that Jack and Avery's relationship was thriving and noted Damon's character was "a male version of Liz." Alan Sepinwall of HitFix said the episode did not live up to past episodes but he laughed enough and was pleased with the direction of Liz and Carol's relationship; he did not like Tracy and Kenneth's story but appreciated the other storylines. Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times was positive about Damon's role, calling him a "hoot."