Jack forces Tracy to attend the Source Awards and Kenneth has words with a rap artist. Meanwhile, Liz goes to great lengths to prove to her African-American date that she's not racist.
Absurdist escalation drives 74 jokes in 22 minutes—3.26 per minute hits series peak density.
Directed by Don Scardino · Written by Daisy Gardner, Robert Carlock, Matt Hubbard
WAR
147.1
Wins Above Replacement
“The Source Awards” ranks #70 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 97.5 — Elite. The episode packs 94 scored jokes at 4.1 per minute, averaging 7.6 on craft and 7.5 on impact, with Liz Lemon landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Jack Donaghy · Liz Lemon: Good God, Lemon — You shot a Black! / No no no no — It's cool; that's his last name.
Kenneth: Now, stop it, Mr. Jordan. You need to take some of your own advice. Aren't you the man who told me to live every week like it's Shark Week?
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist Callback ★ Rewatch Tracy Jordan: Welcome to the 2007 Source Awards. Our chance to come together as a community. To not only look into our hearts, but to look under our seats! Because everyone is getting Vermont maple scoo-oones!
Tracy Jordan Character Comedy Absurdist Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy Jordan: The manatee has become the mento.
Tracy Jordan Callback Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Callback Ridikolus · Kenneth: What's your game, man? / Boggle.
All Jokes — 94 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz Lemon: We have after-after parties?
Liz Lemon: Hi, Sven! I'm Liz. (mishearing Steven as Sven)
Liz Lemon Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Tracy Jordan: Let's blow this joint! It's about to turn back into a taxi dispatch center.
Tracy Jordan: There's still a after-after-after-after-after party! I just gotta take my kids to soccer first.
Tracy Jordan Escalation Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jack Donaghy: Must've been Angie Harmon.
Liz Lemon: When I was eight, I had my name on the scoreboard at a Phillies game. And they spelled it 'Lez' but it was pretty cool.
Jack Donaghy: Well, this ought to prove my mother wrong, saying that Donaghy is Gaelic for 'failure.' Huh, what the hell does she know? She's a Murphy. Bunch of mud farmers and sheep rapists.
Jack Donaghy: Oh, I'm gonna vomit! What the hell am I gonna do? I've got 10,000 cases of this crap.
Jack Donaghy · Liz Lemon: And he's a Black. / A black? That is offensive. / No, no — That's his last name. Steven Black.
Jack Donaghy: Remarkable people, the Blacks. Musical, very athletic. Not very good swimmers. Again, I'm talking about the family. Black is African American though.
Jack Donaghy Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Jack Donaghy: When I was dating Condoleezza, there were genuine cultural tensions. I mean, we would go to the movies, and she would yell at the screen.
Liz Lemon: You know, when I leave work at night, I am just riding on a subway car full of scary, teenaged people.
Kenneth · Tracy Jordan: Mr. Jordan, I have a message for you from a Mr. Ridikolus. / Ridikolus — the hip-hop producer? / Isn't that the guy that bit Suge Knight?
Tracy Jordan: He bit Suge Knight. Held Raven Simone over a balcony. Made Rasheed Wallace cry.
Kenneth: Kenneth refusing Ridikolus entry by reciting Tracy's party instructions verbatim, including 'this mess is gonna get raw like sushi, so haters to the left.'
Ridikolus · Kenneth: What's your game, man? / Boggle.
Ridikolus: You tell Tracy Jordan that Ridikolus 'is gonna eat his family.'
Ridikolus Dark/Subversive Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Pete · Liz Lemon: Who died? / Nobody. I have a date.
Liz Lemon · Flower Guy: Hey, workout flower guy. / Whattaya got there? The old leather pumpkin? / Oh, I'm sorry. / What? / I was just saying, um... You got the old leather pumpkin.
Jenna · Liz Lemon: Oh, that cute black guy? / Why am I the only person that doesn't care that he's black?
Liz Lemon: And good morning to you, sir. (After discussion of race, a Black man walks by and Liz greets him pointedly)
Liz Lemon Reaction Beat Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy Jordan: Tracy who? You're lookin' at a ghost, JD. Dead Man Walking, The Green Mile, Christmas With the Klumps.
Tracy Jordan: Look, I am old school. Growing up, when you were mad at somebody, you would just break dance at 'em. (proceeds to describe elaborate breaking moves)
Tracy Jordan · Liz Lemon: Now brothers just shoot you! Oh, no, no—
Jack Donaghy: To unload some of this awful wine.
Jack Donaghy: Which, according to this lab report, 'contains no lead and is not fatal if swallowed.'
Tracy Jordan: If you get rich off of this stuff, just take care of my family. I don't want my kids to have to go to college.
Tracy Jordan: Is that a piece of corn in there?
Tracy Jordan Visual Gag Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Steven Black · Liz Lemon: Have you heard of Mark Russell? Yes! He's wonderful. He has this one— [sings political ragtime song about Hillary Clinton's Yankees cap]
Steven Black · Liz Lemon: Oh boy, are you singing? / Yes! / It's just so funny.
Liz Lemon · Steven Black: So, how about Lost this season? / Sorry, I don't own a TV. / Really? What do you sit and look at?
Steven Black: I have hobbies. I participate in Vietnam war reenactments. And I take pictures of interesting doors. And I spend a lot of free time blogging about Star Wars.
Liz Lemon · Steven Black: I love it. I was Princess Leia, like, four Halloweens in a row... Recently. / No no no no — Not the fantasy movie with the, uh, monsters. I'm talking about the Strategic Defense Initiative.
Liz Lemon · Steven Black: This Porterhouse for two looks good. / I'm just gonna get a salad. I really don't care about food.
Jack Donaghy: And yet no brand has emerged to fill that market gap at present.
Jack Donaghy: As you may have read in Robert Parker's wine newsletter, 'Donaghy Estates tastes like the urine of Satan after a hefty portion of asparagus.'
Jack Donaghy Setup/Punchline Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Ridikolus: You ever have more money than you could shake a stick at? Well, pick out a stick. 'Cause Ridikolus is gonna be drinking Donaghy Estates tonight.
Jack Donaghy · Bodyguard/Associate · Jack Donaghy: Hey, Matthew, you want some juicy office gossip? They're closing the C-bank elevators for maintenance. / Wow, that would've been a great way to shoot Tracy. / Well, maybe next time.
Ridikolus · Jack Donaghy · Kenneth: Jack, what's up with your man? / This is just our Kenneth. / How's it going, Kenneth? / He's very unstable.
Steven Black · Liz Lemon: So then Zoolander goes, 'Mm.' / Yeah, I've seen the movie. / Yeah, but when you see it on an airplane, they take out all the swears and stuff, and it makes it so much funnier, I think.
Steven Black: The night's young. We should take a carriage ride around the financial district.
Liz Lemon · Steven Black: You think I'm racist? / That is just nasty, negative-- / What did you call me under your breath? / Nothing! / I am not racist. I love black men! I love you!
Liz Lemon · Steven Black: Death by Chocolate. / No, no — not that kind of chocolate.
Jenna · Liz Lemon: Steven played the race card? / Yes! / What did you do? / What could I do? I picked up the check and I made out with him a little bit in the taxi.
Tracy Jordan · Liz Lemon: Ah, than Ahman-da. [beat] It's Amanda.
Tracy Jordan · Liz Lemon: 'Tom Cruise, 'cause that's how Oprah says it. 'Tom!' That's good; sounds like her.
Tracy Jordan: The Source Awards? No no no no no! / What's the problem? / Death sentence number two. Shooting people at the Source Awards is a tradition. It's like Christmas. Or shooting people outside of Hot 97.
Tracy Jordan Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack Donaghy: And business heals all wounds. I mean, look at our relationship with Germany or Japan. Who could even remember what all the fuss was about?
Jack Donaghy Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack Donaghy · Tracy Jordan: Escalating list of hip-hop artists Tracy has beef with: Nas (dated same girl), Young Jeezy (called his pitbull a gaywad on 106 & Park), The Game, TI, Superhead, Fabolus, Rindonkeykong, MC Scatcat, Homunculus, Raw Dog
Tracy Jordan: Me and his beef go way back. We were both cast members on a Nickelodeon show called Ray Ray's Mystery Garage. [Brush your teeth when it's time for bed / You gotta brush your teeth]
Tracy Jordan · Raw Dog (young): The 'Ray Ray's Mystery Garage' flashback: 'Hey, chump — you scuffed my sneakers! / Dr. J wears these! / I'm sorry, man — I'm pretty drunk. / You know what? I'm gonna eat your family!'
Jack Donaghy: Tracy, if it will make you feel any more comfortable, I'd be happy to loan you a handgun.
Jack Donaghy Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jack Donaghy: What? / Oh, Mother — I forgot you were there.
Ghostface Killah: Ghostface Killah rapping a Donaghy Estates promo: 'Yo, my Gs, we roll 50 deep / In the club, VIP / Sippin' on Donaghy / 'Cause I can get raw / and take names / Just like LeBron James / And Donaghy kind of rhymes / with party / Which is cool'
Ghostface Killah: This is nasty. I gots to get outta here. / I gotta take a break. I can't drink any more of this. My tummy's killin' me.
Ghostface Killah Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Ghostface Killah: Okay, Jack. I'll go get my rhyming dictionary.
Jack Donaghy · Ridikolus: What color plane you want to buy? / Clear... like Wonder Woman's.
Tracy Jordan: You don't realize how beautiful the sunset is till it's the last one you'll ever see.
Tracy Jordan · Kenneth: I'll be going soon. But I just wanted you to know that I've loved being your mentor. And it's been an honor having you be my manatee.
Kenneth: Now, stop it, Mr. Jordan. You need to take some of your own advice. Aren't you the man who told me to live every week like it's Shark Week?
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist Callback ★ Rewatch Kenneth: And that nothing's impossible except for dinosaurs.
Tracy Jordan: Wow! The manatee has become the mento.
Tracy Jordan Callback Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy Jordan: The manatee has become the mento.
Tracy Jordan Callback Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Lemon · Steven Black: I need you to understand something. I don't want to go out with you, and it has nothing to do with your race. / Okay. / Steven, listen to me, okay? And please believe what I'm saying. I truly don't like you as a person.
Liz Lemon: Can't one human being not like another human being? Can't we all just not get along?
Liz Lemon Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Steven Black: And maybe someday, our children or our children's children will hate each other like that.
Steven Black Irony/Sarcasm Misdirection Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Lemon · Steven Black: So what you're saying is any woman that doesn't like you is racist. / No— No no no no no... Some women are gay.
Liz Lemon · Steven Black: How racist is this? I'm going to the Source Awards tomorrow night. / Well, let me get on the black phone and call the NAACP so they could just send you your medal right now.
Liz Lemon · Steven Black: Yeah? / Will there be a gift bag? / Probably. / Okay. / Well, you can have everything in it. / Because I collect tote bags.
Liz Lemon · Tracy Jordan: Tracy, do you think I'm racist? / No — I think you like to dress black men up as Oprah as part of your effort to protect our dignity.
Tracy Jordan: O, yeah, when you do that impression, don't forget to stretch everything out. 'We've got John Travoltaaaa!'
Tracy Jordan: I'm gonna find a homeless man, dress him up like me, set him on fire, then I'm gonna start a brand-new life in Arizona under the new name 'Ron Mexico.'
Tracy Jordan Absurdist Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack Donaghy: Well, I think I speak for the both of us when I say because they're metal penises.
Jack Donaghy Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Liz Lemon · Jack Donaghy: Would Oprah do that? / Lemon does make a good point, Tracy. What would Oprah do? Would she run away from her community, or would she face her problems head-on?
Liz Lemon: What would I do, Tracy? What would I doooo!
Liz Lemon Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Jack Donaghy: That was the lab. The monkey died of natural causes, so we're in the clear.
Ridikolus: Mm — Call me Gerald.
Tracy Jordan: You're all wonders. You're all my miracles. You're all my children of the corn.
Tracy Jordan Character Comedy Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Lemon · Steven Black · Liz Lemon: He's channeling Oprah. / Why? / Because he's articulate?
Ridikolus/Gerald: There is something about you that I just don't like.
Steven Black · Liz Lemon: Hey, can you put my phone in your purse for me? I don't want to drop it when I start crumpin'. / Why do guys always do this? / Bring your own purse.
Source Awards Attendee: I actually tried some before. It tasted real good, but it make my tongue turn white.
Ridikolus/Gerald: Hey, do I look sweet to you? Do I look like sugar? Back away!
Liz Lemon · Ridikolus: Oh, he's harmless. Don't be ridiculous. / I am Ridikolus.
Ridikolus · Liz Lemon: And you better be glad that Jack Donaghy has your back. / Well, I... / Got your nose! / Jay, go get my nose back.
Tracy Jordan: Welcome to the 2007 Source Awards. Our chance to come together as a community. To not only look into our hearts, but to look under our seats! Because everyone is getting Vermont maple scoo-oones!
Tracy Jordan Character Comedy Absurdist Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy Jordan · Liz Lemon: Oh, man! You did not just scuff these shoes. P-Diddy wears these. / Oh, will he be mad when you give them back?
Tracy Jordan: Son, to have you, your moms must be so stupid she thinks Grape Nuts is an STD.
Kenneth: Well, sir, your mother must not have raised you right, 'cause you're not saying very nice things.
Kenneth Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Misdirection Tracy Jordan: Girlfriend, Oprah was right! People just want to be together and get free stuff! I didn't really have to bring this.
Tracy Jordan Character Comedy Absurdist Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Lemon · Steven Black: How do you get the bullets out of this thing? / Son of a bitch! / I was looking for the phone in your purse! / I wasn't trying to steal anything, you racist!
Jack Donaghy · Liz Lemon: Good God, Lemon — You shot a Black! / No no no no — It's cool; that's his last name.
Steven Black · Jack Donaghy: I got blood on my tote! / He's got blood on his tote.
Ridikolus/Gerald: You're making a mockery of the Source Awards. Wait till I tell Tupac about this.
