As TGS' summer hiatus approaches, Liz deals with the difficulties of her long-distance relationship with Floyd while she enlists Kenneth's help in locating on-the-lam Tracy. Meanwhile, Jack's impending marriage to Phoebe brings his mother, Colleen Donaghy to town.
Season finale delivers 46 jokes in absurdist escalations, but 75.9 score reflects uneven landing.
Directed by Don Scardino · Written by Tina Fey
WAR
35.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Hiatus” ranks #133 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 75.9 — Great. The episode packs 46 scored jokes at 2.2 per minute, averaging 6.9 on craft and 6.7 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
Jack: I should have worked more.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Colleen: I was at a costume party earlier this evening. And the hostess's dog attacked me, so I had to stab it.
Colleen Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Tracy: I'd rather die famous than to live for 100 years like this, carrying plastic bags, sitting on benches, brushing my own teeth.
Tracy Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: And it's the season finale of my show this week, and the star is missing and may have been abducted by a cabal of powerful black celebrities.
Liz Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Colleen: She's got a good, solid baby bucket.
Colleen Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 46 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz: I don't shake hands. I have avian bone syndrome. Hollow bones.
Liz Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Callback Doctor: Do you... have any questions about the wedding night?
Doctor Cringe/Discomfort Setup/Punchline Doctor: 310/280. We have a winner.
Doctor Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Liz: My boyfriend is moving to Cleveland, but I'm gonna go visit him over vacation. And my boss is super mad at me because I know that he fell asleep on top of his fiancée.
Liz Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Doctor: My techniques guarantee male orgasm.
Doctor Cringe/Discomfort Absurdist Liz: And it's the season finale of my show this week, and the star is missing and may have been abducted by a cabal of powerful black celebrities.
Liz Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Josh · Liz: Can I play Barack Obama? No. It's bad enough we have Tracy playing Barack Obama.
Josh Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Staff member: Should I include Tracy and his guests, or do you think he's dead?
Josh: We used to do it every week without him. I'm just saying.
Josh Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jack: I will cut you open like a tauntaun... you mouth-breathing Appalachian!
Jack Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Tracy: My name is Gordon Tremeshko.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Jesse: I'm Jesse Parcell, Kenneth's cousin.
Jesse Character Comedy Callback Callback Jesse: Shh! It really riles up the wolves.
Jesse: I nearly wet my other pair of underpants.
Jesse Character Comedy Escalation Colleen: She's got a good, solid baby bucket.
Colleen Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Liz: You are a sassy old broad, aren't you?
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Kenneth · Jesse: Rooster, this is the farmer. Is the egg safe? The egg is in the nest.
Tracy: Did he go to Russell Simmons' birthday party? Were there girls there with butts?
Tracy Character Comedy Escalation Jesse: You're name's Gordon Tremeshko. You live in Needmore, Pennsylvania, where we don't go out at night 'cause of the wolves.
Jesse Callback Absurdist Callback Floyd · Liz: Um... it's actually in the mid-40s. Oh, really? 'Cause it's low 40s here.
Floyd Liz Cringe/Discomfort Awkward Silence Liz: I want two lobsters... totaling five pounds of lobster meat.
Liz Character Comedy Escalation Jesse: And after that, we can clean the dead birds out the chimney. That's why we bought these metal rods. Don't you just love spring?
Jesse Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Woman: I'll pretty much do anything to someone that's famous.
Woman Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Colleen: She's like a white geisha.
Colleen Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Colleen: And it's not 'Bee-yan-ka,' like Sanka. It's 'Bee-yon-ka,' like Willy Won... Wonka!
Colleen Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Tracy: I'd rather die famous than to live for 100 years like this, carrying plastic bags, sitting on benches, brushing my own teeth.
Tracy Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Phoebe: It's like wearing your own skin to bed.
Phoebe Cringe/Discomfort Absurdist Liz Callback Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Oh, God, this is it. Here it comes... the big one. Ride it, Donaghy. Ride it straight to hell!
Jack Physical/Slapstick Escalation Liz: Ugh! Is that how far apart my eyes are? I look like Admiral Ackbar.
Colleen: I was at a costume party earlier this evening. And the hostess's dog attacked me, so I had to stab it.
Colleen Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Doctor · Liz: Also, I suspect he may have scurvy because he keeps asking for lemon. Ah. No. That's me.
Colleen: Tell him his mother's here. And she loves him. But not in a queer way.
Colleen Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jack: I should have worked more.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jack: Maybe this is the drugs talking, but I think I got Nixon to agree to come on the show and say, 'Sock it to me.'
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jesse: I'd invite you in, but I got a living room full of dead chimney birds.
Jesse Callback Dark/Subversive Callback Jesse: We must rest, my chimney bird. Tonight we're reading my screenplay.
Jesse Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Josh Character Comedy Observational Jesse: By the hammer of Thor! You can't get away from me! I'm gonna find you! I know what you look like! I remember what you look like! You're so stupid. I got to reload.
Jesse Escalation Character Comedy Paramedic: Yeah, the President's in town, there's a transit strike, it's the Dominican Independence Day parade, a guy in suspenders is doing chalk paintings down on Canal Street.
Kenneth: Oh, my God, what a terrible mistake accident!
Kenneth Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Kenneth · Tracy: If I die, will you take care of my birds? I got a lot on my plate right now, Ken. Oh. Tweety.
Jack: You're the only person I know who wouldn't hesitate to pull the plug.
Jack Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jack: I no longer think you're doing a terrible job, and I'm very proud of you.
Liz · Jack: I'm gonna pull the plug now. Whoa, whoa. Just let me do it.
Liz Jack Callback Dark/Subversive Callback 