"Oh my dear Jenna...YOU ARE EXQUISITE!"

Hee. So, I adore this episode, and I adore Paul Reubens' Gerhardt.

However, I fell asleep while watching it on DVD last night, and I do not recommend doing that. I ended up having a horrible nightmare where Gerhardt was chasing me through a long hallway with many doors and I was terrified! And then I woke up and started laughing, because who is terrified of Gerhardt? He doesn't even have joint fluid!

Maybe he creeped me out in my dream because he is "soooo grotesque." [/tm Liz]

Well you wouldn't want him to get you with his little hand or get his eyebrows all over you!

This is the very first episode I ever saw and it has a special place in my heart.

Wow, same here!

I saw the promo and I was like "This. Looks. Awesome." So I watched it, and fell in love.

Gerhardt is one of my favorite guest stars. Too bad he's not going to come back.

I think my favorite part of the episode was actually during the cold open, right before the credits where Josh goes "You just got burned, girl." Liz shrugs and goes "that was surprising." It was hilarious because I missed it the first time and then it was just so small but funny.

So while I was undergoing 30 Rock withdrawal last week, I went back and watched Black Tie which I hadn't seen before and loved it. However, I have a question for those of you who speak German.

After everyone sings Happy Birthday in German, Jack asks Liz if she speaks German and she replies that she thinks it's the most beautiful language. Then a few cuts later, Jack asks, "Is Jenna with Gerhardt?" Liz then replies with a rather long string of German words which the subtitles translate as, "Yes." I'm really hoping somebody out there can tell me what she actually said because it would be just like the writers to hide something clever in there.

Xantar, I came here to ask the exact same question! I (kind of) speak German, and while I could understand everything else that Liz said, I couldn't understand a word of that sentence. My excuse is that it wasn't enunciated as clearly as the rest. And I can't find a transcript of the episode, either...maybe this will be lost in translation forever.

Anyway, this episode was perfect. I actually gasped out loud when Biana started attacking Liz-- the highlight of which was Liz's dress ending up around her waist.

I happened to watch this again last night, too. Bianca is a scream when she becomes jealous of Liz. I love the way she turns from semi-supportive to bitter: "He's going to get you pregnant right away. A little late-in-life baby that he can parade around Nantucket." If you get a chance, listen to Tina's commentary on this episode. She's very complimentary toward Isabella Rossellini, and notes her strength in shredding the napkins in the scene I just quoted.

But I think my favorite bits in this episode involve Jenna. "You know I've always reminded myself of Grace Kelly" is such a perfect line. And her dancing for Gerhard (which Tina said was largely improvisational) is delightful.

I just realized that in the scene where Gerhardt is commanding Jenna to do all those different dances, the band is playing the Pointer Sisters' "Neutron Dance." I didn't notice it the first time around but knowing it now really cracks me up for some reason.

I watched the commentary for this episode last night, and Tina says that the last German bit is gibberish.

And yes, that's how desperate I am for 30 Rock. I've watched the dvd episodes countless times, now I'm rewatching the bonus features. I need our show to come back!