Liz is back together with Dennis, a loser whom she had dated a year earlier. Jack tries to convince Liz that she can do better than this and offers to mentor her. Tracy is outraged when a tabloid calls him "normal," Jenna worries about her age, and Josh offends Elizabeth Taylor with his impression of her.
Tropes present in this episode:
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Dennis gives Liz a noogie, something which would become a trademark of his character.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Jenna wrote a letter to Scott Peterson
. "After he dyed his hair and got super thin from all the stress," obviously. - All Women Are Prudes:Jenna: How's the sex?
Liz: Fast and only on Saturdays. It's perfect! - Deus ex Machina: A sudden blackout saves the TGS crew from having to put on a show that would have been disastrous.Jack: We dodged a bullet here tonight, Lemon.
Liz: Yes, this blackout is a fortunate coincidence. You didn't do it, right?
Jack: What, do you think I control the universe? - Disco Dan: Dennis sells beepers, which had been replaced by cell phones by 2006, the year this episode aired. He insists that "technology is cyclical" and that beepers will therefore make a comeback sooner or later. Frank decides to buy some as "ironic accessories."
- Fan of Underdog: Dennis is a fan of the New York Islanders hockey team and is sent into a depression when they lose a game:Liz: Doesn't that happen a lot?
Dennis: I knew you wouldn't understand. - Forgotten Birthday: Liz and Dennis got back together because he was the only one who remembered her birthday.
- Rat King: Dennis claims to have seen one. Later, Liz realizes that Dennis is a metaphorical rat king.
- Take That!: Liz mentions that one of their worst shows featured a Gilbert and Sullivan parody. This is undoubtedly a reference to the Major General Song parody seen in the second episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
- White-Dwarf Starlet: Jack gets Jenna worried that she's becoming one.
