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
84.7
Wins Above Replacement
“The C Word” ranks #133 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 89.1 — Elite. The episode packs 70 scored jokes at 3.1 per minute, averaging 7.2 on craft and 7.2 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
Tracy: I don't have a daughter.
Tracy Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: And you will never alter drapes in Atlanta again. Because you do not cross a Sugarbaker woman!
Liz Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Writer (unnamed) · Liz: Writer is heard saying '...Liz is a grade-A—' / Liz bursts in holding a kitten: 'Runt! This kitten, he's such a runt! I'm gonna name you Runty!'
Jack: I'm sorry, Amanda, you were bound to find that out eventually.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Liz · Jack: The one that rhymes with the name of your favorite Todd Rundgren album. / It rhymes with Hermit of Mink Hollow?
Liz Jack Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 70 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Tracy: Yo, is this about that little red-headed intern? 'Cause she asked me to take it out.
Tracy Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: Is that the gay guy from Project Runway?
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Tracy · Jack: The dude from my checks.
Tracy Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jack: Okay, false alarm. It turns out she asked him to take it out.
Jack Callback Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: Was Courtney Love not available?
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Jack · Liz: being in a foursome with this man can change your life. / You might want to rephrase that.
Liz · Jack: Which one is Geiss again, the bald one? / No. That one. / Where did that come from? / I painted it myself.
Liz Jack Visual Gag Absurdist ★ Rewatch Writer (unnamed): She always sounds so terrified. 'The President has a plan for Iran, and we are currently adhering to that plan.'
Frank · Writer (unnamed): Dude, I'm exhausted. I stayed up all night watching a Designing Women marathon. / Oh my God. Oh yeah, me too. 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.
Lutz · Liz: Lutz eating at his desk during the writers meeting; 'Ay, pero ay Dios mio!'
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 Running Gag Irony/Sarcasm Lutz Wordplay/Pun Running Gag Callback 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 Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Writer (unnamed) · Liz: Writer is heard saying '...Liz is a grade-A—' / Liz bursts in holding a kitten: 'Runt! This kitten, he's such a runt! I'm gonna name you Runty!'
Tracy · Ted: You need to hook me up with one of them helicopters. / Absolutely, I'd be happy to arrange for you to take a ride. / No, I don't want to get in it. I want to blow it up and run away from it in slow motion.
Tracy Ted Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Ted · Tracy: Pleasure to have met you. / Damn straight. I'm delightful.
Ted Tracy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Liz · Jack: The one that rhymes with the name of your favorite Todd Rundgren album. / It rhymes with Hermit of Mink Hollow?
Liz Jack Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack · Liz: Well, why don't we come up with one and then you can call him that? Like... monkus. Fungdark.
Jack Liz Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz · Jack: Don't tell me to calm down, you fungdark. / Yeah, you're right. It doesn't work.
Liz Jack Callback Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Writer · Liz: I thought you knew and you were just being a... / You know, that word Lutz called you. / Wait, are you saying that I am like that sometimes?
Writer Liz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Callback Writer (unnamed): Hey, look everybody, Sherlock Homo is here to solve the case of the gay sweater.
Liz · Jack (on phone): Oh my God, I am. I'm a total... / Runt! / I lost my kitten. Has anyone seen my runt? Runt!
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.
Jack Setup/Punchline Wordplay/Pun Callback 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 Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: Hey, I feel you. Messed up sugar runs in my family too.
Tracy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Tracy: This guy spends so much time in the sand that his nickname should be Fala-ser.
Tracy Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Don Geiss: That's humorous.
Tracy: How come you don't hire more black people around here? / How come there's no black people here? / Black people can't make light bulbs?
Tracy Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jack: I believe Tracy's referring to Carlton, the straight-laced brother from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, 1990 through 1996. On NBC.
Jack Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Jack: Are we having fun or what?
Jack Reaction Beat Irony/Sarcasm Tracy: Son, I wasn't joking about those chips.
Tracy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement 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— / I'm gonna try harder. I'm gonna try and be nice.
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Kenneth: I sure hope Mr. Jack plays his game good today. Otherwise he whups my ass right well when we get home. Ain't that right, Mr. Jack?
Kenneth Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Kenneth · Tracy: I studied TV theory at Kentucky Mountain Bible College. / I studied fried chicken at the school of hard knocks.
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 Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: I'm so sorry. I thought I turned it off. / No, Cooper, take the call. I mean, come on. This isn't Hitler's bunker. That would make me Hitler.
Liz Absurdist Irony/Sarcasm Liz: What is it? This is the new me. Do you like the new me? Before you answer, superballs!
Liz Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Liz: Awesome! What a fun boss you have, right?
Liz Cringe/Discomfort Irony/Sarcasm Callback Kenneth: Would you like me to do a tap dance for you and your big-time friends, Mr. Jack? Or I could run around while y'all are throwing rocks at me.
Kenneth Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jack: God, it's like dating Katie Couric all over again.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist Jack · Tracy: Remind me, Tracy, what did you tell the president of Warner Brothers? / Told him he could suck it. / And the president of Paramount? / Told her she could kiss my delicious ass. / And how's that working for you?
Jack: instead of Ted, who's best known for getting caught using a corporate credit card at a gay strip club.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jack: I'm sorry, Amanda, you were bound to find that out eventually.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Pete · Liz: Where is everybody? / Oh, they all had personal problems they had to take care of.
Pete Liz Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement 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. / What kind of sinus stuff?
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Escalation Writer (unnamed): Oh hey, could I borrow 60 bucks? I'm going to meet Frank and Lutz at Scores.
Tracy: She looked like my Uncle Rupert in a diaper.
Tracy Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Tracy: We stayed up all night the night before watching bible movies and eating Fiddle Faddle.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Tracy: I don't have a daughter.
Tracy Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Kenneth: Grace... There is something that I must say to you. But my words cannot suffice. So to quote Mr. Jerry McGuire... you make me a complete person. / When you said hello, you had me.
Kenneth Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Grace's husband/partner · Kenneth: My wife needs her sweater. / [Kenneth gets physically struck]
Kenneth: You're watching the Designing Women Marathon on Nick at Nite. / 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.
Kenneth Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Kenneth: 'This is my house.' (repeated with full conviction)
Kenneth Escalation Running Gag Callback Writer (unnamed): Staying up all night re-writing The Amazing Hobo. / You fat nerd.
Liz · Jack: Did you win your golf parade? / Even better. Next weekend Tracy and I are gonna double team Don Geiss with our big ideas.
Liz Jack Wordplay/Pun Setup/Punchline Callback Liz: You're so weird. / Now get out of here. I have to yell at my staff. / Because I'm not just feminine, I also can project my power.
Liz Character Comedy Running Gag Callback Liz: You're so weird. Now get out of here. I have to yell at my staff. Because I'm not just feminine, I also can project my power.
Liz Character Comedy Callback Callback Liz · Jack: Jack is found in the women's bathroom; 'This is the men's room.' / 'Oh!'
Writer (unnamed): Didn't you bake us anything?
Writer · Lutz: Didn't you bake us anything? / Hey, I thought you were gonna being snickerdoodles in. That's the only reason I showed up.
Writer (unnamed): Hey, I thought you were gonna bring snickerdoodles in. That's the only reason I showed up. I mean, you can't promise snickerdoodles and then not bring any. That's not cool.
Liz: But at 3:30 this morning, I happened to see this episode of Designing Women. And when it came on again at 5:30, I taped it.
Liz Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: What do I hit, input? Is there a TV/VCR button? What is aux? Hey, can I go now? Hang on. I want your full attention! / Why is it making that noise?
Liz Cringe/Discomfort Physical/Slapstick Liz: Okay, never mind. But I want to say something to all of you.
Liz Deadpan/Understatement Cringe/Discomfort Lutz · Liz: I'm sorry that I said that. / Please don't make me move back to Alaska, Liz. I hate it there.
Lutz Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Liz: And you will never alter drapes in Atlanta again. Because you do not cross a Sugarbaker woman!
Liz Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: I will fire you. And you will never alter drapes in Atlanta again. Because you do not cross a Sugarbaker woman!
Liz Callback Character Comedy Running Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: I'm so tired. I'm so tired, you guys.
Liz Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Jack: All right, champ. It's nonny time.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch 