This is still one of my all-time favorite episodes. So many great moments:

- Kenneth besting Jack at poker
- "Those shoes are definitely bicurious."
- Jack's Hannibal-esque speech to Kenneth

And of course the amazing chemistry between Liz and Gretchen. How hilarious were they together?

Also, on a shallow note, Tina looked sizzling in the dress she wore on the date. Guh!

This episode contains the very moment I fell deeply in love with this show: the giant shrimp, made of shrimp, diving into a pool of shrimp.

This is the episode that secured my love too. When Jack finishes describing Kenneth as working at ..... Ennnn Beeeee Ssseeeee. I was rolling.

Actually, she looked like a fancy prostitute. :P

Same here. At first, I thought 30 Rock was a good, but not perfect show, and I mainly just loved Jack/Alec Baldwin. But when this episode came out, my like for the show, turned into love. Tina Fey really started fitting in as a leading lady, Tracy Morgan figured out how to be funny, without going too over-the-top, and it was the episode were I fell in love with Kenneth/Jack McBrayer.

Defintely thought Liz and Gretchen were a hoot together. And all the Kenneth/Jack scenes were gold. And it also had two of Jack's great lines: his "The Italians have a saying..." bit, and, of course, the "In 5 years..." line.

It was the line concerning "Is it because I applied us to be on The Amazing Race? Because I was 80% kidding about that" that got me hook, line and sinker. Though Jack's taunting of Kenneth was outstanding and made me wonder why Baldwin didn't submit this for the Emmys instead.

Loved, loved this episode! Classic Jack and Liz moments in this episode. I originally wanted to name the Liz Lemon thread "She Has BiCurious Shoes" but something in my mind said people wouldn't get it and I'd probably be stoned so I paid homage to MTM instead.

Anyway, I loved how Jack was trying to set Liz up on a date and it turned out to be a chick with the last name Thomas. I actually would'nt have minded if Liz was gay, it just makes things more fun and interesting. Maybe that was the whole point of the episode because I think "Thomas" rates up there with Dennis and Floyd as her best relationships.

This is probably my favorite exchange between Liz and Jack from the episode:
Jack: Human contact is important, Lemon. I can tell from your stress level that you've not been touched in any way for quite some time. Not caressed. Not massaged. Not even groped on the subway. Do you agree that you need someone in your life, Lemon?
Liz: No. I have bigger things to worry about than my personal life.
Jack: I would think that the single woman's biggest worry would be choking to death in her apartment.

And then she does! Hilarious.

I love that Pete finds it necessary to warn Liz that if she brings Tom DeLay home with her, "... be prepared for it to get weird."

I really did think the show would "go there," or at least dip its toes into the pool of lesbianism. Stephanie March would have chemistry with a block of wood. But I also liked that Liz pointed out to Pete that women can't just "flip a switch like that."

In the deleted scenes on the DVDs, Liz mentions that she and Gretchen have gone out to dinner a few times and also the batting cages. In a way, I'm glad they cut that one, because it would've tipped things for me into being really disappointed when Liz has to reject Gretchen.

"I love a bald spot and a hairy back." "You're alone there."
Technically, didn't Gretchen reject Liz? Twice? First, when she says she thinks it's turning into her chasing a straight girl, then when Liz proposes her ever-so-romantic "you can do stuff to me" future plan, she tells Liz she can't be around her, which is the same thing men say when they dump Liz.

I think it's the other way around. Gretchen "went out on a limb" in saying that she was chasing a straight girl; it was her admitting that she was starting to get into Liz. She pointed out that unless Liz was into it too ("ready to make a big life change"), she'd have to move on. Liz turned her down; Gretchen had to go. Sigh.

"Jack...tends to approach everything the same way: locate the problem, isolate the problem, set the problem up with a lesbian."

I've seen this episode entirely too many times. Earlier this year, when I read that GE sold its plastics division, 30 Rock instantly popped in my mind. Even though episodes later in the season were packed with more laugh-out-loud moments, moments that had me doubled over in tears, "Blind Date" is my sentimental favorite. I had warm fuzzies for the episode before it even aired just because my long-time tv girlfriend Stephanie March was cast a lesbian set up on a date with Tina Fey. But, beyond that reason, this was the first episode where everything, down to the smallest bits--things like Kenneth's middle name being Ellen and Frank picking lunch meat off the floor and eating it--worked and worked well. Nothing fell flat. In "Blind Date", the uneveness and the awkward reaching of the first two episodes melted away. This was the episode that made me panic, "My God, this series could be really great. Puh-lease, don't let NBC cancel it!"

Is Gretchen in any deleted scenes on the DVDs? I've been waiting to get them for my birthday this weekend (I have all the episodes on my hard drive already from iTunes, so I'm waiting for someone else to pay for the DVDs). However, if she is, I'm going out right now for them. Right this minute, I say. My love for the brilliant plastics enginneer slash lesbian knows no bounds.

Not only do I think this one of the best 30 Rock episodes, it's always going to be my favorite too, spacedog. The only reason I started watching the show was because I knew that Stephanie March was going to be in an episode. I don't think I would have given it a chance otherwise, which would have been a shame -- it's my favorite new show!

zuzubailey76, Gretchen isn't in any of the deleted scenes; Liz just mentions her re: their going to the batting cages together. Now that's a deleted scene I would love to see.

Thanks, captain sam. That's a shame, though. I'd kill to see more of Gretchen. I loved that she had chemistry with Liz and was also clearly respected by the guys - Jack loved her, Pete wanted Liz to marry her, and, well, Frank thought she was hot. (Two out of three isn't bad, and I can't disagree; she is hot!)

Part of my love for this episode is the realization that, as a matter of continuity, this episode could only occur at the beginning of the series before Jack really came to know his new employees. He is still working off of his demographics and other 'observations' (bi-curious shoes) to understand and relate to Liz and the others. I am so thankful that the writers worked this in before it became too late.

Blind Date was also the episode where I fell in love with the show so it will always have a special place in my heart.

Same for me. This was definitely the episode the show found it's feet, or indeed it's "bicurious shoes" (which has to be one of my favourite lines ever!)

Blind Date was the first episode I saw after forgetting two weeks in a row to catch "that Tina Fey show". I fell in love instantly.

I, too, started watching because of this episode! There was a marathon on Bravo one day before Season 2 started, and I was flipping channels and saw Stephanie March (who I'm a sucker for... I know it's a lame reason, but she played Alexandra on SVU, and there's just something about that name... but I digress). That combined with the aforementioned Amazing Race quote made it impossible for me to change the channel... I think I saw half the season that day, and I haven't been able to stop since!

Of course, I just *had* to get the DVDs so I could see this episode in its entirety. Talk about awse.

ETA:\\ On a recent rewatch, I noticed a new favourite moment. I'm going to have to paraphrase, though:
Tracy (dealing out a hand of poker): Okay, in this game, tens and jacks are wild, threes are jinxes, and twos are fives.

I finally saw this episode from start to finish last week and it was awesome. I loved how it totally makes sense that Jack would refer to his colleague Gretchen Thomas as "Thomas" the same way he calls Liz Lemon, "Lemon". It is totally in character yet no one picked up on it adding to the funny. Also Stephanie March looked super hot the whole episode, why is this woman not on TV more?

God, yeah, they should totally bring Thomas back. I don't care how. She's hot and Liz needs at least a friend- though I think she should really give flipping the switch a try.

Also, on rewatch today, I noticed that Liz's outfit at work after the date, with the sweater vest, is almost the same outfit that Thomas wore to the fancy poker game later that night. Was this coincidence or another jab at the way Liz dresses?

I love when Jack explains everyone's tell, and Tracy's is that he has two cards flipped around. Heh.