Blind Date

One way to debunk a myth or stereotype is to make it look absolutely ridiculous. The third episode of 30 Rock, "Blind Date," is built on gender stereotypes that, through the course of the episode, reveal an interesting way to look at same-sex relationships.

The basic premise of the episode is that Jack sets Liz up on a blind date with his friend Thomas. At first, Liz refuses, but after Jack's question, "don't you live in constant terror of choking to death alone in your apartment?", hits a little too close to home, she concedes. When Liz gets to the restaurant, she discovers that "Thomas" is in fact Gretchen Thomas, a female, lesbian ex-coworker of Jack's.  Although the two women get along well, Gretchen tells Liz that "she's not interested in chasing a straight girl." The next day, though, as Liz cuts her food into almost-miniscule pieces for fear of choking alone in her apartment, Liz decides to start a friendship with Gretchen. Like Oprah and Gayle, right?

The conversations between Liz and Gretchen are riddled with awkward moments that stem from Liz's stereotypes about lesbian relationships. Liz wants to take cooking classes, buy furniture at IKEA, sign up as a team for the Amazing Race, and "make flower beds out of old rail road ties." The reaction from Gretchen is certainly effient in exposing how ridiculous some of these impressions are. 

There's also a running theme of men's stereotypes throughout the episode. When Liz asks writer Frank "what [men] like," his response is "porn." Then how should a woman act on a date? "Like she was in a porn." Later, Jack tells the writers as he ups the ante in their weekly poker game from quarters to $20s that "[they'd] better put on your daddy's shoes, because this s a man's game." Subsequently, producer Pete bets and loses his wedding ring. At the end of the episode, Gretchen tells Liz that they need to stop spending so much time together because their relationship is turning into her "chasing a straight girl." The two part ways on decent terms, even after a very awkward comment from Liz. This mature good-bye is directly followed by the middle-aged guy next to Liz responding to her "but who'll go with me to cooking class next week?" question with "if by next week you mean tonight and by cooking class you mean..." Liz cuts him off, but you can imagine where he was going with that. 

Liz's friend Pete asks her at one point if she's sure she's not gay, because Gretchen is much nicer and Liz is "more comfortable around Gretchen than she was around any of the men [she's] dated" since he'd known her. Liz assures him that she's "100% straight," but the question is still a good one. If men and women are so drastically different, why is it so shocking that two people of the same gender could be attracted to each other? The episode shows so many stereotypes-- of men, of women, of lesbian couples-- to be ridiculous, but actually addresses the idea that a homosexual relationship could be relatively natural.