 In the episode , joy about the fiftieth episode for the fictitious show The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan ( TGS ) turns to worry when word spreads about imminent budget cuts at the 30 Rock workplace . Before long , Jack Donaghy ( Alec Baldwin ) must fire several employees to save money , NBC page Kenneth Parcell ( Jack McBrayer ) takes on new responsibilities , and Liz Lemon ( Tina Fey ) wheels and deals to spare her staffers from layoffs . Meanwhile , Jenna Maroney ( Jane Krakowski ) and Tracy Jordan ( Tracy Morgan ) suspect that Kenneth is masking a deep dark secret . This episode of 30 Rock featured a number of cultural references to the legal crime thriller film The Pelican Brief ( 1993 ) , and Liz Lemon parodying Steve Jobs 's attire while giving a presentation . 
