Jack bumps Jenna's scheduled appearance on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' by booking new star Tracy. Jenna, still irate over watching the show change to "TGS with Tracy Jordan," lashes out at Liz. To make matters worse, Tracy's gone off his medication and he's about to go on national television.
Tracy's chaos sustains 65 jokes across 22 minutes without losing comedic momentum.
Directed by Juan José Campanella, Adam Bernstein · Written by Jack Burditt, Tina Fey
WAR
105.4
Wins Above Replacement
“Tracy Does Conan” ranks #130 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 91.9 — Elite. The episode packs 82 scored jokes at 3.9 per minute, averaging 7.3 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
Dr. Spaceman: Dr. Spaceman: 'Medicine's not a science.'
Jack: It's after 6:00. What am I, a farmer?
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Conan · Tracy: Tracy's previous Conan appearance flashback: 'You seem like you have a nice chemistry...' / 'I am a stabbing robot. I will stab you.'
Tracy: Tracy: 'I could talk about how the moon is a spy satellite put there by Oprah and Minister Farrakhan. And not the minister Farrakhan you're thinking of.'
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: Jack: 'You do a live Christmas Eve special from Kabul every year until the war on terror is won.'
Jack Dark/Subversive Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 82 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz · Dennis: Why is there hair everywhere? Did you shave in the kitchen? / The water in here is softer.
Liz Dennis Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dennis: Look at this ski-jumping idiot, Bode Miller. What kind of a fruity name is Bode?
Dennis Character Comedy Observational Dennis: That cereal has the Olympics on it? It must be eight months old.
Dennis Observational Deadpan/Understatement Dennis · Liz: When you and me have kids, we're gonna give them good names, like Shannon or Rick. / When we what?
Dennis: Look at this maze. It's so easy. You have to go in here, and out there.
Dennis Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Doctor · Liz: Hmm, 35, single, no children. Three sexual partners in the last ten years. / I don't know, doll. Maybe it's time to settle.
Doctor: Chocolate chip, or butter crunch?
Doctor Deadpan/Understatement Absurdist Pete · Jenna: The Rural Juror — the title is so difficult to say that Pete literally cannot complete it, calling it 'The Rur-- That one.'
Director (voice): 'Rural Juror, apple three, take one. Mark! A terrible title. Action!'
PA (announcer): Jenna is paged to the set for 'Rodney Stink Confirmed Bachelor' — another hilariously bad fictional show title.
Jenna · Pete: "The Rural Juror" opens in selected theaters December 18th. / Does Jack Donaghy even know I'm in The Rural Juror?
Liz: I will tell him that you are in a feature film called The Rrr Jrr.
Liz Running Gag Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Callback Liz · Pete: What the hell's her movie called? / I don't know. She's been talking about it for a year. / I can't ask her now.
Liz Pete Running Gag Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Conan · Tracy: Tracy's previous Conan appearance flashback: 'You seem like you have a nice chemistry...' / 'I am a stabbing robot. I will stab you.'
Jack · Liz: Jack complimenting Liz on the Stone Phillips wig: 'I know you're wearing that as a joke, but it makes you look younger, and more confident, and I think you should consider it.'
Jack Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack · Liz: Jack bumped Jenna because she 'does commercials for ShopRite' — Liz defends her: 'Jenna doesn't do those commercials anymore. She got fired.'
Jack Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Jack: Jack: 'That's why my job is way better than yours. /Way better.'
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Conan: Conan: 'I like to surround myself with people that don't try to stab me.'
Conan Callback Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Conan: Conan: 'That's what they said about Hasselhoff, then he tried to make out with me during a commercial break.'
Conan Dark/Subversive Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: Jack: 'You do a live Christmas Eve special from Kabul every year until the war on terror is won.'
Jack Dark/Subversive Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Conan · Jack: Conan: 'Tell Tracy I'll see him tonight. You, black Irish bastard.' / Jack: 'Back at you, man.'
Tracy · Liz: Tracy's pitch: 'Me and my wife like to play rape. She goes in the bathroom and does her hair. Then I put on a ski mask...' / 'Okay, not that.'
Tracy Liz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Tracy: Tracy: 'I like to walk around my house naked, to remind my oldest son who's still got the biggest ding dong.'
Tracy Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Tracy: Tracy: 'I can tell the story of how I met Sharon Stone. I was pooping in the ladies' room at the Ivy...'
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Tracy: Tracy: 'My hair hurts.'
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: Tracy insisting the phone is ringing when there is no phone ringing: 'Is anybody gonna answer the phone? The phone! It's ringing! Ring! Ring!'
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Liz: Liz's pitch: 'I haven't seen this many white people in tuxedoes since the Titanic.'
Liz Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive Jack: Jack's dismissal: 'Lemon, this is not open mike night at the Bryn Mawr student union.'
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jack: Jack's pitch: 'Jack Welch has such unparalleled management skills, they named Welch's grape juice after him. Because he squeezes the sweetest juice out of his workers' mind grapes.'
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz · Jack: Liz: 'That doesn't even make sense.' Jack: 'No, it doesn't, does it? I wrote it down in the middle of the night.'
Liz Jack Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Jack: 'What else is on my mind grapes?'
Jack Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: Tracy: 'I could talk about how the moon is a spy satellite put there by Oprah and Minister Farrakhan. And not the minister Farrakhan you're thinking of.'
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy · Liz: Tracy: 'Who's that dude? / Uh, what dude? / The blue dude. Tell him to stop staring at me.'
Tracy Liz Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Blue Man Group performer: Meep.
Tracy: Tracy is found in a prop closet, apparently on the phone — 'Yes. I am having problems with my cable television. Yes, I will hold.'
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Tracy: Tracy interrupts his crisis moment to take another call: 'Excuse me, I have another call. Hi, mom. I am doing fine.'
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Liz · Frank: Frank eats Liz's blood cookie — 'Oh, that's not good. Frank, that was my blood cookie.'
Jack · Pete: Pete wearing the Stone Phillips wig walks into the hall; Jack double-takes and says 'Hey, Jack Attack. Sorry, I should have kept that one in the old brain box.'
Jack Pete Visual Gag Character Comedy Callback Jack · Pete: Jack to Pete: 'Did you know that men with full heads of hair on average earn 17% more than their bald counterparts? / I did not know that. / Perhaps it's because bald men are generally less informed than men with full heads of hair.'
Jack Pete Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jack · Pete: Jack: 'Pull my hair. Right now, go ahead. Pull my hair.' / Pete pulls it. / Jack: 'I'm just kidding. It's real.'
Liz · Jenna: Liz relays Jack's opinion: 'He doesn't love it that you did those commercials.' / Jenna: 'Well, you tell him that those commercials paid for my vacation home. So, unless he would like to buy me a condo in Clearwater, Florida...'
Liz Jenna Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jenna: Well, you tell him that those commercials paid for my vacation home. So, unless he would like to buy me a condo in Clearwater, Florida...
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Tracy: Tracy's full breakdown: 'I'm bugging out! I'm bugging out!' repeated while apparently bouncing around the room.
Tracy Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Liz: Wow, Dr. Spaceman. I owe you an apology, Tray.
Liz Character Comedy Reaction Beat Callback Dr. Spaceman: Dr. Spaceman: 'Medicine's not a science.'
Dr. Spaceman: Dr. Spaceman: 'And certainly not helped by my wildly experimental treatments. Boy, I'm being awfully open with you, miss.'
Dr. Spaceman: Dr. Spaceman's care instructions: 'Keep him away from bright lights, loud music and crowds.' — for a man about to appear on a late night talk show.
Dr. Spaceman: Dr. Spaceman: 'Uh... do you need anything for yourself?'
Jack · Liz: When I first met Jack Welch, I thought he was such a great golfer, he made Bob Darnell look like Randy Barnes. / That's fine. Do that. / I don't know. Might be distasteful if Randy's widow's in the audience.
Jack Liz Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jack: Jack says Tracy's doctor Spaceman is 'an excellent physician. And a pretty good dentist.'
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback Liz · Jack: The rehearsal disaster — clearly something goes wrong (Liz: 'Is that rehearsal? Oh no--Oh!') followed by Jack's irritated 'No, this Tracy situation is really...' and Jack dismissing it: 'Are we still talking about that? Do I have to come in and run your show?'
Liz Jack Reaction Beat Character Comedy Jack · Pete: Pete walks in wearing the wig; Jack does a double-take: 'Who is this leader of men? What can I do for you, handsome?'
Jack Pete Visual Gag Running Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna · Liz: Jenna's theatrical resignation: 'After the way Jack treated me today, I can't work here anymore. I quit.' — then immediately staying when Liz says three vague compliments.
Liz: Okay. Jenna don't quit. The show can't go on without you. You're my muse, you're a modern-day Lucille Ball. You're prettier than Deborah Messing.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Dennis · Liz: Dennis calls to ask Liz to buy Nickelback tickets via Ticketmaster — 'I would do it on your computer, but I'm downloading a game right now.'
Tracy: Blue man! That blue dude keeps following me! Meek, eep.
Tracy Running Gag Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Callback Conan · Liz: Liz and Conan's awkward exchange: 'You still, um...' / 'How's your wife?' / 'Let's not do this, Elizabeth.' / 'Okay.'
Conan Liz Awkward Silence Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Conan: Conan sees the cookies Tracy has licked: 'Whoa, he licked all of those.'
Conan Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Liz: Liz addresses the Blue Man: 'Chewbacca, may I speak to Tracy, please?'
Liz Absurdist Character Comedy Tracy: Tracy, apparently hiding from 'Past Pete': 'Past Pete is here to kill Future Pete!'
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Kenneth whispering at the pharmacy: '[whispering] for Mr. Tracy Jordan' — apparently so embarrassed by the prescription that he whispers the patient name.
Kenneth Character Comedy Reaction Beat Kenneth: Kenneth at a second pharmacy, on hold: 'Fine. I will try the other location. But frankly, LaDonica, you have not been real helpful.'
Kenneth Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Kenneth: Fine. I will try the other location. But frankly, LaDonica, you have not been real helpful.
Kenneth Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jack · Liz: Jack, still in a tuxedo, asks Liz for another zinger for the Jack Welch event — Liz asks when it is. 'February.' 'Why are you wearing a tux?' 'It's after 6:00. What am I, a farmer?'
Jack Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Liz: Liz's zinger attempt: 'Well, it's almost Thanksgiving, everybody. And I know what this crowd's giving thanks for. Estate tax reform.'
Liz Setup/Punchline Irony/Sarcasm Jack: Jack: 'That is terrific. I really enjoyed that. But, do you think it's too topical? Damn, I wish this event were tonight.'
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Liz · Jack: That is terrific. I really enjoyed that. / But, do you think it's too topical? Damn, I wish this event were tonight.
Liz Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack: It's after 6:00. What am I, a farmer?
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Kenneth · Pete · Stage Manager: The chaos at the Conan taping: Kenneth trying to navigate the studio, pages coming through, Conan's announcer beginning Tracy's introduction.
Tracy: Mr. Blue man. You're gonna tell me my feet stink? You don't even have feet. Blue man! / Blue man, where your feet at?
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Running Gag Callback Conan: Conan introduces Tracy as being known for 'President Homeboy' and 'Honky Grandma Be Tripping,' and notes 'you may know him from his last appearance on this show, when he tried to stab me in the face.'
Conan Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy · Liz: Tracy appears on stage, immediately takes off his pants, and has to be physically wrestled into a chair while Liz and the crew shout 'Pants on. Pants on. Sit in the chair, buddy.'
Tracy Liz Physical/Slapstick Escalation ★ Rewatch Conan: Conan: 'That was great, and you're— And he's asleep. Which...is okay, 'cause at least he didn't murder me.'
Conan Deadpan/Understatement Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Jack · Liz: Jack takes back the prescription bottle from Liz with 'Hey, you did good, kid. Give me that.' — and apparently pockets the pills.
Jack Liz Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Dennis · Liz: Dennis has ordered Liz a cheeseburger — she's overjoyed: 'Oh, Dennis. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much.'
Dennis · Liz: So what did you want to talk to me about, huh? / Nothing. I forget. / I just want to listen to you play Halo 'til I fall asleep.
Dennis: Dennis: 'Ah, that's baloney! How did the grenade not kill him? He was standing right next to it. You know what, Liz? This controller's defective.'
Dennis Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Kenneth: Kenneth's final talking-head/interview: reveals he got started in the NBC page program and is now 'making hit movies with my good friend and roommate, Zach Braff.'
Kenneth Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Conan · Kenneth: Interviewer/Conan: 'What? / Who told you that?' — Kenneth has apparently also claimed other untrue things; the interviewer is confounded.
Kenneth · Conan: Kenneth reveals he knows how to clog dance. Conan doesn't believe anyone wants to see this. Kenneth does it anyway. Conan: 'You're a weird guy, Kenneth.'
Kenneth: Well, yes. I do know how to clog. But I don't think anybody wants to see me do that. / You do? Really? Okay.
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Kenneth: 'See you tomorrow, Mr. O'Brien.' — ending with Kenneth's formal address even after this intimate weird bonding moment.
Kenneth Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement