Reception
In its original American broadcast, "The Head and the Hair" was watched by 5.0 million households, according to the Nielsen ratings system. It earned a 2.4 rating/6 share in the 18–49 demographic, meaning that 2.4 percent of all people in that group, and 6 percent of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. This was a decrease from the previous episode, "The Rural Juror", which was watched by 6.1 million American viewers. Since airing, the episode has received generally good reception from television critics.
Television columnist Alan Sepinwall for The Star-Ledger said that 30 Rock "feels like a show that's already made The Leap midway through season one." He reported that Tracy's story was "largely a dud", but said that the two other plots were "so funny" that it would not matter much. Sepinwall said "The Head and the Hair" was "splendid". Julia Ward of AOL's TV Squad was complimentary towards Alec Baldwin's Jack in this episode, citing that he knows "how to squeeze some serious funny out of a simple gesture and a pause." She added that his "lingering stare" at both Jenna and Liz after taking their drink order "was the funniest moment in a very funny episode". Ward also enjoyed that it "brought us maximum Kenneth, which is great. He's turning out to be one of the show's most endearing characters." IGN contributor Robert Canning wrote that the pairing of Jack and Kenneth was a "great idea and gave Kenneth his best episode" since "Blind Date". In regards to Liz's story, he commented it was "her strongest episodes to date", and said that it "felt good" to see her "have a little luck for a change" with "The Head". In conclusion, Canning gave the episode an 8.0 out of 10 rating. TV Guide's Matt Mitovich disliked that NBC "utterly ruined" the outcome of Liz's plot in the promos, though, said that it was a "very funny resolution to the relationship that was too good, and too well coiffed, to be true." Mitovich said that it was "fun" to see Liz successfully date "while it lasted".
Read more about this topic: The Head And The Hair (30 Rock)
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“He’s leaving Germany by special request of the Nazi government. First he sends a dispatch about Danzig and how 10,000 German tourists are pouring into the city every day with butterfly nets in their hands and submachine guns in their knapsacks. They warn him right then. What does he do next? Goes to a reception at von Ribbentropf’s and keeps yelling for gefilte fish!”
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