Jack and Kenneth work together when Jack discovers that another NBC executive is after his job. Meanwhile, Pete and Liz adjust to life as roommates and Tracy receives paternity papers.
Season finale mines character comedy through 60 rapid-fire jokes in absurdist scenarios.
Directed by Dennie Gordon, Beth McCarthy-Miller · Written by Brett Baer, Jack Burditt, Dave Finkel
WAR
65.7
Wins Above Replacement
“Fireworks” ranks #88 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 83.6 — Elite. The episode packs 60 scored jokes at 2.3 per minute, averaging 7.2 on craft and 7.0 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 never got out of my car and she never got all the way out of her tollbooth!
Tracy Absurdist Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Tracy: I think he's shaking hands with Robert E. Lee.
Tracy Dark/Subversive Misdirection ★ Rewatch Dr. Spaceman: Boy, it's crazy to think we used to settle questions of paternity by dunking a woman in water until she admitted she made it all up.
Dr. Spaceman: Science is whatever we want it to be.
Liz: One day at a time, Pete. I'm gonna take it one day at a time.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Callback ★ Rewatch Callback All Jokes — 60 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz · Unknown: What's the special occasion? / I decided to eat one.
Liz Unknown Deadpan/Understatement Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz · Pete: Church on a Tuesday? But he seemed so normal.
Kenneth: Or your job, Jack. Or his job!
Liz · Pete: You saw me leave the apartment this morning. / I saw you put it on and I thought it looked nice.
Liz Pete Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz · Pete: How long are you staying with me? / Indefinitely.
Liz Pete Deadpan/Understatement Cringe/Discomfort Liz: Wow, if this turns into a showdown, you guys could settle it with a talking like this contest.
Liz Observational Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Jack · Devin's concept: He pioneered the concept of ten second internet sitcoms. Making it happen / Honey, I'm home. Oh, great. We made it
Jack: They can do shapes now. One time, I saw a cowboy hat. Boom, boom, boom.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz · Jack: Those weren't jokes. That was an appeal for a return to common sense and decency. / Well, it got big laughs.
Liz Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Unknown writer: Lamazewell.
Tracy: I never got out of my car and she never got all the way out of her tollbooth!
Tracy Absurdist Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Writer: What is this, 1992?
Writer: I'm not a comedy writer.
Devin · Kenneth: So what team do you play for? / Oh, it's not really a team. It's just a bunch of guys who like doing gymnastics.
Jack: Good God. Devin is gay. He's even more powerful than I thought.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dr. Spaceman: Science is whatever we want it to be.
Dr. Spaceman: Boy, it's crazy to think we used to settle questions of paternity by dunking a woman in water until she admitted she made it all up.
Dr. Spaceman: Different time, the '60s.
Pete: Love is like an onion, and you peel away layer after stinky layer until you're just... weeping over the sink.
Pete Observational Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Devin: I call that one 'Art School.' And one about a Jewish guy who opens an ice cream parlor. That one's called 'Ice Cream Cohen.'
Devin Wordplay/Pun Setup/Punchline Devin · Kenneth: I'll go slip into something a little more comfortable. Like in the movies!
Kenneth · Devin: Oh my. That's an awful short robe. / I know. I had to cut it down myself.
Devin · Kenneth: Can you give me a hand, Kenneth? / For a fellow page, anything!
Dr. Spaceman: I'm gonna have to ask at all four of us keep this to ourselves.
Tracy · Dr. Spaceman: Jasper Buceman? / No, Tracy. Our third president. Thomas Jefferson.
Toofer: Yeah, that guy was into black chicks. I'm surprised I am not a descendant.
Toofer Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Tracy: This is how black people dial a phone. *Boop ood a-boop a-doop a-doop whoop* This is how white people dial a phone.
Tracy Observational Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Jack: I'm straighter than you are gay and I leave particles of guys like you in my wind.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: No, Devin. I don't do that.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Liz: Fine. But I will be reporting this to the Fox Problem Solvers.
Liz Character Comedy Escalation Floyd: Hi, my name is Floyd and I'm an alcoholic.
Floyd Misdirection Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Floyd · AA Group: Hi, my name is Floyd and I'm an alcoholic. Hi, Floyd.
Liz: One day at a time, Pete. I'm gonna take it one day at a time.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Kenneth: I had to keep talking just to stop him from putting his fingers in my mouth.
Kenneth Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: Kenneth, you are the worst gay bait ever.
Kenneth: Like on What's Happening when that man used Rerun to bootleg that Doobie Brothers concert!
Kenneth Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Just like Sydney Bristow on Alias, I'll use my sexuality as a weapon.
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: Maybe it was some sort of brace or corrective boot you wore during childhood.
Jack Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Tracy: It's like the audience for a Bobby McFerrin concert up in here!
Tracy Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: I think he's shaking hands with Robert E. Lee.
Tracy Dark/Subversive Misdirection ★ Rewatch Writer: Arbor Day, the Boston Marathon and Hitler's birthday.
Writer Escalation Dark/Subversive Dream Jefferson: America, which I invented...
Liz: Well, I only have Star Wars and Tootsie, so we just keeping watching those two over and over.
Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Liz: Right, but isn't that one of those rules like, 'don't walk between the subway cars,' and all the cool people just do it anyway?
Liz Observational Character Comedy Floyd: I ended up doing a man-on-the street commercial for Tarzan on Ice.
Floyd Absurdist Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Devin: You warlock! You came to entrance me. Donaghy sent you.
Floyd: Walk it off, scarecrow.
Floyd Character Comedy Observational Liz: I know it makes me seem just nut-log Ann Heche crazy
Liz Observational Character Comedy Floyd: I feel more confused and betrayed than those people that worked with Tootsie.
Floyd Callback Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Devin: MC Lyte just murdered Danny Bonaduce? Oh, thanks, phone!
Devin Absurdist Dark/Subversive Jack: The kinds of shows we watched as kids sitting on our neighbor's knee.
Jack Dark/Subversive Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Tracy: Confederate Monster: The Tobias Spurlock Disaster.
Tracy Escalation Dark/Subversive Callback Tracy: It's not a comedy. It's a drama.
Tracy Deadpan/Understatement Absurdist Tracy · Toofer: It's the story of Thomas Jefferson, only thing we're gonna do it like Norbit, where I play all the parts. That's actually hilarious. It's not a comedy. It's a drama.
Liz: I have had three donuts so far today. A couple months of ago I went on a date with my cousin.
Liz Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Liz: Uh, once in college, I pooped my pants a little bit at a Country Steaks all-you-can-eat buffet, and I didn't leave until I finished my second plate of shrimp.
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Liz: I have some weird sexual fantasy stuff about Gopher from The Love Boat.
Liz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: I have had five donuts today.
Liz Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Floyd · Liz: Except mine's the one from Caddyshack. Well, that makes sense 'cause he's a very good dancer.
Liz: Wait, fireworks? In Midtown? On a day that is not the Fourth of July? Oh, my God.
Liz Escalation Reaction Beat Callback 