Jack helps his brother Eddie land a job at 'TGS', Liz is forced to make desperate staff cutbacks, and Tracy seeks spiritual fulfillment with help from Kenneth.
Observational dark comedy sustains 89-point rating across 59 jokes in 22 minutes.
Directed by Dennie Gordon, Don Scardino · Written by Jack Burditt, Daisy Gardner, Robert Carlock
WAR
150.2
Wins Above Replacement
“The Fighting Irish” ranks #49 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 98.8 — Elite. The episode packs 96 scored jokes at 4.4 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
Tracy Jordan: See, I could screw up now, and then just go to confession. No longer do I have to throw my parties in international waters.
Tracy Jordan: I believe the moon doesn't exist. I believe that vampires are the world's greatest golfers, but their curse is that they'll never get to prove it. I believe that there are 31 letters in the white alphabet.
Third Donaghy conman: You are both a disgrace to the Donaghy name! It's pronounced Dona-fee, you lace curtain half-an-Englishman!
Liz Lemon: Diapers, Mace, Houston to Orlando in nine hours? Blammo.
Liz Lemon Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Another Donaghy: You call those fist names? Say hello to Bono and Sandra Day O'Connor!
All Jokes — 96 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz Lemon: Oh, anything that doesn't have the word 'strip,' 'salsa,' or 'beatz' with a Z in the name of it.
Unknown: Cardio Hip-Hop Groove it is then.
Unknown Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Callback Cary: Nothing, just... going into the same class you're going into.
Cary Cringe/Discomfort Deadpan/Understatement Liz Lemon: That's a flower guy.
Liz Lemon: I did -- actually, I finally just threw them out this morning 'cause they got that really bad flower smell. I kind of couldn't stop smelling them.
Cary: Don't give up, ponytail.
Cary Reaction Beat Character Comedy Jack: It's a video of a baby panda... sneezing. Sit here. Don't watch the mother, just watch the baby.
Jack Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Jack: We're synergizing backward overflow.
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Jack: Now, there are 140 people on this show, so go out there and make 126 people very happy.
Jack Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Josh · Unknown crew member: Marco. Polo! Marco! Polo! Josh, you suck at this game, man.
Pete Hornberger: Getting fired is better than getting killed by my wife. Those big farm people hands crushin' my windpipe.
Pete: Getting fired is better than getting killed by my wife. Those big farm people hands crushin' my windpipe.
Pete Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Liz Lemon: You mean that you flat-out lied about getting a vasectomy?
Liz Lemon: Do you need a key to my apartment? Just for my own safety.
Tracy Jordan: My attorney told me I should join a church preemptively. 'Cause juries are suspicious of celebrities who find religion after getting into trouble.
Liz Lemon: Why don't you try the Church of Practicology? They love movie stars and stuff.
Tracy Jordan: I believe the moon doesn't exist. I believe that vampires are the world's greatest golfers, but their curse is that they'll never get to prove it. I believe that there are 31 letters in the white alphabet.
Tracy Jordan: Wh--what was the question again?
Liz Lemon: Mm, I pretty much just do whatever Oprah tells me to.
Liz Lemon: And his name is Dona-gee, not Dona-hee.
Liz Lemon Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack · Eddie: Eddie Donaghy. As I live and breathe. You're a disgrace! You're not the boss of me, Jack Donaghy! That's Dona-gee, not Dona-hee!
Jack Eddie Running Gag Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Callback Jack · Eddie: You ruined my suit! Aw, shut up, you baby!
Jack: My dad and Eddie are a blotch on the Dona-hee name--
Jack Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Lemon Running Gag Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Jack · Liz Lemon: That's how it's pronounced. Say it. Donaghy. Right.
Tracy Jordan: What kind of Presbyterian is this?
Kenneth: We haven't been Presbyterian for months.
Kenneth Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Kenneth: Yeah, we lose half the congregation every time American Idol starts up.
Kenneth Character Comedy Observational Tracy Jordan · Kenneth: He pointed right at me! He sure did!
Other Liz · Liz Lemon: Oh, I forgot your muffin! Banana walnut, your favorite. Uh, that's not correct, but okay.
Staff members: You make smart sexy. There's my beautiful boss.
Eddie: So your life's a mess, you go out and buy a new suit, pretend everything's okay.
Eddie Character Comedy Observational Eddie · Jack: Juvie, Jonestown, that time I punched Goofy. Hell, I even blinded you with a bottle rocket! / I had sex with your prom date. / I stole your identity. / I threw you out of a window. / I convinced you you had lupus. / I microwaved your parakeet. / I hated that bird.
Liz Lemon: Hmm, you're on my good list, Cary.
Liz Lemon: It's only inappropriate when it's ugly people.
Liz Lemon: I know who I can fire!
Pete: Good Lord... your eyes. You look like that lady astronaut who tried to kidnap that other woman.
Pete Observational Dark/Subversive Liz Lemon: Diapers, Mace, Houston to Orlando in nine hours? Blammo.
Liz Lemon Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Pete: I know I'm the guy who lied to his wife about having a vasectomy, but this... this is wrong.
Pete Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Lemon: Jack is out of my hair, people are being nice to me. There's a guy I like in the building, and I have the authority to fire his girlfriend?
Liz Lemon: For the first time ever, things are lining up for old Liz Lemon.
Liz Lemon Character Comedy Running Gag ★ Rewatch Eddie: Hey, Jack, uh, you mind if I take a few grapes for dinner later?
Eddie Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Eddie: They never once said anything about the racist stuff towards the end.
Eddie Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement One of the Donaghy siblings: But you had to go to the bathroom, so Dad missed seeing Meredith Vieira! Now I'm pissed!
One of the Donaghy siblings (quoting their father): Not one of you kids is ever gonna amount to anything. That's why your mom left.
Jack · Eddie: Maybe we should get all the Donaghy kids back together again. Aw, Jack, they don't wanna see me. Oh, come on, we're Irish. We're a forgiving people.
Tracy Jordan: Kabbalah is a wonderful religion that mixes the fun part of Judaism with magic.
Eddie: This one sounds really expensive and gay.
Eddie Character Comedy Observational Jack: Now, I know there's been a lot of controversy around the church lately. You know, because of The Da Vinci Code.
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Eddie: I'm Irish Catholic.
Eddie Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Liz Lemon: Played saxophone in the marching band at Rutgers? Kept that a secret from your employer, didn't you?
Donaghy family members: Heart of gold, L.L. Is there a limit to how much we can give? I hope not. Let's get our checkbooks! Yeah!
Eddie: I bet Pops is looking down right now and saying, 'If I could come back and do any broad, it'd be that one right there.'
Eddie Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Callback Jack: This is, uh, Margaret. We just found out about her today.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Jack: Well, we've been toasting Pop for over an hour now. Maybe we should pace ourselves.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Donaghy sibling: Come here, you magnificent douche bag!
Donaghy sibling: Stop showing off and have a drink.
Liz Lemon · Other Liz: What would you say are your weaknesses? Some people say I'm too nice.
Other Liz: Well, hopefully, I'll still be working for G.E. It's a great company for working moms. What? You know, in five years. In--I mean, I'm in a relationship right now. By then I'll probably have a couple of kids, be living in the suburbs -- just having it all, really.
Liz Lemon: You're fired! I'm the decider!
Donaghy sibling: It's too bad it took Dad dying to get us all together again. He was always bringing people together. He was just like Lady Di.
Eddie: To Pop! The sorriest bastard that ever walked the earth.
Eddie Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Patricia Donaghy · Unknown sibling: Seriously, don't even start with me! Don't start with me, Mrs.!
Liz Lemon: No, no, you're not! You're fired! Did you just fire Pete? Yes! I'm gonna put his name on a list! And everything!
Accounting representative · Liz Lemon: Ms. Lemon, the accounting department wishes to protest the firing of our colleague. Now, we have discussed it-- You're fired! You're all fired! Clean out your desks! Fired!
Jack: And if I don't have any accountants--
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Jack: Lemon, is this about a boy?
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jack: Flower guy? Lemon, you've gone chicken killer on me over a guy whose name you don't know?
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback Jack Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Liz Lemon: Eddie just said to write the initials on the check. C... A... S... H.
Liz Lemon Setup/Punchline Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Lemon: Son of a bitch.
Liz Lemon Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Unknown: Eddie already took the other box.
Unknown Deadpan/Understatement Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Second conman Donaghy: Your brother Eddie's dead. He wanted you to have his watch.
Two Donaghy conmen: I'm pulling the Dead Man's Curve on Jack. When we parted ways, we agreed that I would get Jack and you would do the thing in Sacramento!
Third Donaghy conman: You are both a disgrace to the Donaghy name! It's pronounced Dona-fee, you lace curtain half-an-Englishman!
Donaghy family members: When I think of all the things that I've been holding inside me that I wanted to say to you... Well, now I'm gonna let St. Patrick and St. Michael do my talking for me! You'll have to get through Tip O'Neill and Bobby Sands first!
Another Donaghy: You call those fist names? Say hello to Bono and Sandra Day O'Connor!
Donaghy family member: Those are the stupidest fist names I've ever heard.
Jack: I want you... to punch your sister in the face.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Donaghy sibling: It's on. I call same sides as the bicentennial brawl!
Jack: I was impressed by how you take a punch, Lemon. I played dead for the worst of it, but it didn't fool your family.
Jack Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jack: To know that they'll be there after I'm dead, fighting over my corpse before it's cryogenically frozen.
Jack Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jack: I gave him and my dad a three-day head start out of love and sportsmanship.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jack: As always, it's been a pleasure fighting with you.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jack · Liz Lemon: Oh, I had to rehire that Liz Lemler that you fired. / And I didn't want any more trouble with her, so I had to give her a promotion too. / It's an amazing opportunity for her out at, uh, corporate headquarters. / In Connecticut?
Jack: It seems that things are lining up once again for old Liz Lemon.
Jack Callback Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Lemon: I hear your girlfriend got transferred. Sorry.
Pete: You forgot to give me the key to your place, and I need it, my wife knows about our little secret.
Pete Callback Running Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Pete: Oh, God. I should've just gotten a vasectomy!
Pete Callback Character Comedy Callback Tracy Jordan: I'm IrisCatholic now. Like you, Regis, and the Pope.
Jack: Oh, no, you're not. The church already has enough lawsuits.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Callback Tracy Jordan: See, I could screw up now, and then just go to confession. No longer do I have to throw my parties in international waters.
Jack: Whether things are good, or bad, or you're simply eating tacos in the park. There is always the crushing guilt.
Jack Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Tracy Jordan: I don't think I want that. I'm out. Somehow I feel oddly guilty about that. I don't want nothing crushing me.
