As shocked as she is to be called the c-word by Lutz, Liz is more horrified to realize he may be right. Meanwhile, Jack brings Tracy to a charity golf event to get closer to the chairman, however his plan backfires when Tracy acts too much like his uncensored self.
Season 1 hits a wall: 71 jokes land softly at 75, dragged down by weak callback execution.
Directed by Adam Bernstein · Written by Tina Fey
WAR
42.2
Wins Above Replacement
“The C Word” ranks #134 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 75.4 — Great. The episode packs 71 scored jokes at 3.2 per minute, averaging 6.8 on craft and 6.4 on impact, with Liz landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Lutz: Please don't make me move back to Alaska, Liz. I hate it there.
Lutz Character Comedy Escalation Tracy: Bartender, could you bring me a Mustang Melon and a bag of barbeque potato chips? 'Cause apparently I'm only here to be a stereotype.
Tracy Escalation Irony/Sarcasm Tracy: I'm supposed to just be a funny black man who says funny things.
Tracy Meta/Self-Referential Tracy: I don't have a daughter.
Tracy Misdirection Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Liz: Runt! What? This kitten, he's such a runt! I'm gonna name you Runty. You're such a little raging little runt!
Liz Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 71 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Tracy: Yo, is this about that little red-headed intern? 'Cause she asked me to take it out.
Tracy Setup/Punchline Misdirection ★ Rewatch Tracy: I'm not familiar with about half the words in that sentence.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Tracy: Is that the gay guy from Project Runway?
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Tracy: The dude from my checks?
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Jack: Okay false alarm. It turns out she asked him to take it out.
Jack Callback Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: I'll see you in CT, Jackie D.
Tracy Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Liz: Was Courtney Love not available?
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Observational Liz: You might want to rephrase that.
Jack: I painted it myself.
Jack Visual Gag Character Comedy Liz: She always sounds so terrified. She's always, like, The President has a plan for Iran, and we are currently adhering to that plan.
Frank: I stayed up all night watching a Designing Women marathon.
Frank Character Comedy Absurdist Toofer: At first, I hated it. And then I liked it. And then I hated it again. And then I got horny, and then I fell asleep.
Toofer Escalation Character Comedy Lutz: Ay, pero ay Dios mio!
Lutz Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Liz: I didn't like it two weeks ago when it was called America's Next Top Hobo, and I didn't like it a month ago, when it was called Hobo Eye for the Straight Guy.
Liz: Hey, Lutz, why don't you approach your job with the same creativity and excitement you have for all-you-can-eat buffets?
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Kenneth: We have a past. A romantic past.
Kenneth Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Kenneth: Well, Grace, it's been a pleasure talking to you.
Kenneth Reaction Beat Character Comedy Grace: Oh, Kenneth, if you're worried about disgracing the National Broadcasting Company, you're too late.
Grace Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential Kenneth: Doggone it, Grace, I just don't know myself around you.
Kenneth Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Golf club employee: Like-- That won't be necessary. I'll probably just do it anyway.
Liz: They're very good at sensing debilitating loneliness in a person.
Liz Observational Dark/Subversive Liz: I'm allergic to anything warm and adorable.
Liz Character Comedy Observational Liz: Runt! What? This kitten, he's such a runt! I'm gonna name you Runty. You're such a little raging little runt!
Liz Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: No, I don't want to get in it. I want to blow it up and run away from it in slow motion.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Liz: The one the rhymes with the name of your favorite Todd Rundgren album.
Liz Wordplay/Pun Meta/Self-Referential Frank: It rhymes with Hermit of Mink Hollow?
Frank Callback Character Comedy Callback Liz: There is no male equivalent to this word.
Frank · Toofer: Like...monkus. Fungdark.
Liz: Don't tell me to calm down you fungdark.
Liz Callback Character Comedy Callback Liz Reaction Beat Observational Toofer: Lutz has been totally slacking off since his grandma died.
Toofer Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Toofer: I thought you knew and you were just being a... You know, that word Lutz called you.
Toofer Callback Cringe/Discomfort Callback Frank: Hey, look everybody Sherlock Homo is here to solve the case of the gay sweater.
Frank Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Liz: Oh, my God, I am. I'm a total... Runt! I lost my kitten. Has anyone seen my runt?
Liz Callback Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Tomorrow I'm gonna be in an intense six hour foursome with three other men. And one of them will be Don Geiss and he's gonna get all of my attention. And you're just gonna sit back and watch.
Tracy: You know the army's been messing with the sun. That's why I keep my junk covered. Once that stuff get in your hang, you're done.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Jack: This guys spends so much time in the sand that his nickname should be Falu-ser.
Jack Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Tracy: Hey, how come you don't hire more black people around here?
Tracy: How come there's just me and Carlton over there?
Kenneth: I believe Tracy's referring to Carlton, the straight laced brother from Fresh Prince of Bel Air, 1990 through 1996. On NBC.
Kenneth Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Tracy: I'm supposed to just be a funny black man who says funny things.
Tracy Meta/Self-Referential Tracy: Bartender, could you bring me a Mustang Melon and a bag of barbeque potato chips? 'Cause apparently I'm only here to be a stereotype.
Tracy Escalation Irony/Sarcasm Tracy: Son, I wasn't joking about those chips.
Tracy Callback Character Comedy Callback Liz: No, it's two dozen cupcakes with melted mini-candy bars in the middle.
Liz Character Comedy Observational Liz: I'm a nice person you bald, gangly...
Liz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Kenneth: I studied TV theory at Kentucky Mountain Bible College.
Tracy: I'm ridiculous. I'm black! I may even be ugly. But dear God... I'm here! I'm here! And nothing but them can keep me from it!
Tracy Character Comedy Escalation Jack: This isn't Hitler's bunker. That would make me Hitler.
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy Liz: Before you answer, superballs!
Liz Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Tracy: God, it's like dating Katie Couric all over again.
Jack: Ted, who's best known for getting caught using a corporate credit card at a gay strip club.
Jack Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jack: I'm sorry, Amanda, you were bound to find that out eventually.
Jack Escalation Cringe/Discomfort Liz: If I thought I left my coffeemaker on, I wouldn't be able to focus either. No, no, I get it. Everyone should see Mama Mia before it closes.
Liz Character Comedy Escalation Toofer: Oh, hey, could I borrow 60 bucks? I'm going to meet Frank and Lutz at Scores.
Toofer Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Tracy: When my daughter Shahita was born, she had chubby arms and legs and a big bald head. She looked like my Uncle Rupert in a diaper.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Tracy: We stayed up all night the night before watching bible movies and eating Fiddle Faddle.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Tracy: She threw up right in the middle of the Jaguar dealership.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Tracy: I don't have a daughter.
Tracy Misdirection Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Kenneth: So to quote Mr. Jerry McGuire....you make me a complete person.
Kenneth: When you said hello, you had me.
Kenneth Callback Character Comedy Callback TV character: Sir, you may be right. I may be not capable of understanding normal thinking because I think a woman is just as powerful as a man. And until you learn to respect me, you better learn to stay out of my way. 'Cause this is my house.
Liz: Staying up all night re-writing The Amazing Hobo. You fat nerd.
Liz Callback Character Comedy Callback Jack · Liz: This is the men's room. Oh!
Jack Liz Physical/Slapstick Cringe/Discomfort Jack: Next weekend Tracy and I are gonna double team Don Geiss with our big ideas.
Liz: Because I'm not just feminine, I also can project my power.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Writer Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Liz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Lutz: Please don't make me move back to Alaska, Liz. I hate it there.
Lutz Character Comedy Escalation Liz: And you will never alter drapes in Atlanta again. Because you do not cross a Sugarbaker woman!
Liz Callback Character Comedy Callback Jack Character Comedy Absurdist 