When Liz finally dumps her boyfriend Dennis, she prowls the singles scene under Jenna's tutelage. Love also stinks for Jack, as he discovers dating a Bush administration official has its downside. And Tracy and Toofer clash, which lands both in sensitivity training.
Absurdist character comedy sustains 60 jokes across Season 1's densest episode.
Directed by Adam Bernstein, Scott Ellis · Written by Brett Baer, Tina Fey, Dave Finkel
WAR
139.3
Wins Above Replacement
“The Break-Up” ranks #68 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 97.6 — Elite. The episode packs 89 scored jokes at 3.9 per minute, averaging 7.6 on craft and 7.5 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
Dennis: And if it was up to me, we would be together forever. But there's a new thing called 'women's liberation' which gives you women the right to choose, and you have chosen to abort me.
Dennis Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Absurdist ★ Rewatch Toofer: We never would have stooped so low on Black Frasier.
Toofer Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dennis: And for the first time since the '86 World Series, I cried. I cried like a big dumb homo.
Dennis Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Dennis · Chris Hansen: Yeah, uh, 22. I think. / You wanna try again? / Crap. / That girl said she was 16, but I swear to God I could tell she was 22.
Dennis: Dennis's letter: 'While other women have bigger boobs than you, no woman has as big a heart.'
Dennis Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 89 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Dennis · Liz: I'm gonna mount a TV on your wall. I just can't find a stud. So you made nine holes in my wall? No, those are for the shelves, dummy.
Dennis: It's gonna be like a hospital.
Dennis Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Liz: I don't want a shelf... Whose horse is that?
Liz Misdirection Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz · Dennis: Now, why is it important to tell me that the muggers were black? / They weren't muggers. They were cops. / So why don't you just say he was running from some cops? / I don't know, I mean, you're a racist for assuming that they weren't cops.
Liz Dennis Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Dennis: Ack, allergies are all mental.
Dennis Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dennis · Liz: You can't kick me out. I love you! / You can't kick me out. I got squatter's rights. / Which is it: you love me or you got squatter's rights? / I don't see why they're mutually exclusive!
Dennis Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Jenna · Liz · Dennis: He's a comple loser. / Oh, Jenna, don't say that. You know, he had some good moments. / Hi. I got donuts. / What's up, brown eyes? I made chili. / (next scene) Hey... You wanna... wanna order cheese steaks?
Liz: I guess they were mostly food related.
Liz Deadpan/Understatement Callback Callback Liz: Oh, you mean like at a discotheque?
Liz Character Comedy Observational Jack: Allergies are all in the mind, Lemon. I used to have a wicked peanut allergy. And now, witness.
Jack Callback Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Jack · Liz: Let's just say she's a high-ranking African-American member of the Bush administration. / Are you dating Condoleeza Rice?
Jack Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Liz: Yeah, and it must be hard for her to get cell phone reception when she's so far up the president's butt.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Dark/Subversive Jack: I'm choosing to ignore that remark on the basis that you are a godless, glassy-eyed Clintonista.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack · Liz: Jack shows Liz two gifts: an attaché case vs. 'this collection of ladies' unmentionables with snaps and openings all over the place'
Liz: Liz screams 'Attaché!' in response to Jack's gift options
Liz Reaction Beat Character Comedy Tracy: Yeah, it's pretty good. But I think the boobs should swing more. Yeah, then I could go: 'Rodney, don't make me come over there and beat you in the head with one of my boom-booms!'
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Frank: What? Everybody loves a dude in a dress. I mean, those are the best Bugs Bunnies.
Frank Character Comedy Observational Toofer: Frank, there are large pockets of African-American culture that Caucasians know nothing about. The stigma of drag is one of them.
Toofer Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Frank: Hunky Grandma Be Trippin' made $96 million.
Frank Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Toofer: We never would have stooped so low on Black Frasier.
Toofer Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Toofer: Black Frasier scene: 'Niles, this Beaujolais is impeccable. It's both fruity and precocious.' / 'That's not the only thing around here that's fruity and precocious.'
Toofer Absurdist Callback Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Toofer: What? It was huge on BET. Every Thursday night at about 9:00 or 9:15.
Toofer Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement Callback Toofer: Think about it, Tracy. All the best African-American comedians refuse to do drag. Chris Rock doesn't do it. Dr. Cosby doesn't do it. Bernie Mac doesn't do it 'cause he'd be ugly as hell.
Toofer Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Pete: I'll do it. I mean, my parents raised me as a girl for, like, ten years.
Pete Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Pete: What? I told you guys that. (beat of silence/disbelief from everyone)
Pete Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna: I know this great karaoke place where you can get a pedicure while you sing.
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist Liz · Jenna: Liz and Jenna's previous karaoke duet: 'When I'm right here, you need to be here. Not here. Here is embarrassing.'
Liz Jenna Visual Gag Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Liz · Cerie: Check this out. I think Jack is dating Condi Rice. / Oh, God, that's huge!
Liz Cerie Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Callback Frank · Tracy: Dude, that Shamanda character was the best thing of the night. What was her line? Say it again. / Rodney! Don't make me come over there and beat on you with my boom-booms!
Frank Tracy Callback Running Gag Character Comedy Callback Frank: Whoopi Goldberg does it every day!
Frank Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive Tracy: You stole a franchise from me! Shamanda could have been a movie!
Tracy Character Comedy Escalation Callback Tracy: Our comedy gotta do more than make people laugh. Gotta make people think. I wanna hold a mirror up to society, and then win world record for biggest mirror.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: You and Jenna play Sleestaks from Land of the Lost and you're trying to get a small business loan. Because you want to open up a pancake house called Slee's Stacks.
Liz Absurdist Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Tracy Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Tracy: Are you black? (Tracy's response to Liz's Sleestak pitch, followed by a long pause)
Tracy Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Jack: I know what I know. Next time I see Putin, I'm gonna kick his teeth in.
Jack Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz · Toofer: Izzle. 'A suffix that can be used to take the place of anything.' / Well, now you're just being patronizzle.
Liz Toofer Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: You know who would love this argument? My racist grandfather.
Liz Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Tracy · Liz · Toofer: I thought writing with you was gonna be like two brothers writing together. / We're not even speaking the same language. / That's right. I'm speaking English.
Tracy: Standing there with your pants that fit. Using a wallet. Drinking Starbucks.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Toofer: That's my Harvard a cappella group the Crocodillos. I had a solo in Like A Prayer.
Toofer Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna: Yeah, I think they're from the firm of Date-Rape, Coke-ington Cheeseball, and Jag.
Jenna Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Liz: Oh, really, dude? I gotta move my coat? There's like four empty seats down there. Can't you just be cool?
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jenna · Liz: That guy wanted to buy you a drink. / Really? I already have a drink. / Do you think he'd buy me mozzarella sticks?
Jenna Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Liz: Oh, he knows where Bin Laden is, come on! The Carlyle Group. The Unocal Pipeline. The assassination of Olof Palme.
Liz Character Comedy Escalation Liz: You could put a long, blonde wig on a ferret and it would look like Jessica Simpson.
Liz Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive Liz: And by the way, Jessica Simpson would think that you are old and gross. So good luck with that.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback Liz: Also, you have really pretty eyes. Oh, hi. (song begins) I learned the truth at seventeen. That love was meant for beauty queens.
Liz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Bar patron: Hey, you're bumming us out.
Bar patron Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Callback Liz · Jenna: I thought bars were open till 4:00. / Nope, 11:30. Let's get you to bed.
Liz Jenna Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Toofer · HR rep · Tracy: Mr. Jordan called me... the N-word. / And? / And I was really offended. / Because... / Because it's a racial slur. / Brothers talk to other brothers like that. I was being friendly.
Tracy: Yes, Toofer. You see, in the last decade or so, the African-American community has re-appropriated that word as a way of depriving it of its meaning.
Tracy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Absurdist Tracy: It's okay for us to use it with each other. You can call me that. It's a term of endearment.
Tracy Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Escalation Tracy · Toofer: I want you to be my brother, my homeboy, my n-- [Toofer cuts him off]
Tracy Toofer Running Gag Escalation Cringe/Discomfort Callback HR rep · Tracy · Toofer: Whoa! This meeting is adjourned. / No cool, homie! / You might as well spread me down with a fire hose. / Just sounds so hateful coming from you! Ugh! I wish to file a complaint.
Dennis: Dennis's letter: 'While other women have bigger boobs than you, no woman has as big a heart.'
Dennis Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Dennis: And for the first time since the '86 World Series, I cried. I cried like a big dumb homo.
Dennis Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Dennis: And if it was up to me, we would be together forever. But there's a new thing called 'women's liberation' which gives you women the right to choose, and you have chosen to abort me.
Dennis Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Absurdist ★ Rewatch Pete · Liz: The guy just came in here and bared his soul to you. What are you, made of stone? / Am I crazy? The guy's a disaster, right?
Pete Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Dennis: Hey. Threesome? How about it, huh? Mmm! I'm just saying... after last night... maybe he's not such a bad choice.
Dennis Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jack: Well, you have to admit there's always time for Tony Blair. There's always time for Bashar al-Assad. But there's never any time for Jack Donaghy, and that's a problem.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack · Dennis: That's why I'm always dating 20-year-olds. / Nah, let me tell you about 20-year-olds, my friend. Half of them are 16.
Jack Dennis Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dennis · Jack: It's like my cousin Teddy's dog. Sometimes he just doesn't wanna lick my feet. So what I do is, I hide my feet from him for a couple of days, and then when he sees them, he goes bananas. / So Jack, in this example, Liz is the dog. / And I am my feet.
Dennis Jack Absurdist Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Dr. Snoo: Sensitivity training uh-oh words: slut, ho, bitch, biyatch, queerburger, faggotron, gaybird, the word for black in any language — néro, noir, schwartz, negro, kam-an-sek.
Dr. Snoo Escalation Absurdist Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Dr. Snoo · Frank · Toofer · Tracy: What else can we not call each other? / How about sweaty greaseball? / Ooh, very good. That's highly offensive. / Person of color. / Guess if you say it like that. / Sneaky Taiwanese tranny who stole my watch. / Ho-ho! Yes! These words are terrible.
Toofer: It's Dr. Martin Luther King, and he did not have a feeling, he had a dream.
Toofer Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Tracy · Toofer: Like professor Martin Luther King said, I have a feeling. / It's Dr. Martin Luther King, and he did not have a feeling, he had a dream.
Tracy: Ah, dude wear khakis. Uncle Tom, party of one.
Tracy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Toofer · Tracy: You can't call someone that if you've never read the book! / What book?
Tracy · Toofer: That's it! This is it. This is the sketch we should do. Right here, you and me! This is deep stuff goin' on. We gotta write this. / You're right.
Dennis · Liz: Liz reads Dennis's pro/con list note: 'I know this might be emotional for you, so there's a meatball sub in the fridge.'
Liz: Liz reads Dennis's pros list. The TV appears mounted on the wall. Cut to: 'Pro. Fixed TV.'
Liz Visual Gag Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Liz · Dennis: Pro. Fixed TV. (Liz reading Dennis's pro/con list — the visual of a single pro being about the TV)
Liz Dennis Visual Gag Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna/Pete in character as Star Jones: Hello, I'm Star Jones. And welcome to the Star Jones Gastric Bypass Cooking Show. / Now you know, I can only eat small portions. / Oh, my goodness! Dessert.
Rodney as Star Jones: Hello, I'm Star Jones. And welcome to the Star Jones Gastric Bypass Cooking Show.
Rodney as Star Jones: Now you know, I can only eat small portions. / Oh, my goodness! Dessert.
Toofer: Okay, he's right, this is funnier. (Toofer, watching the Star Jones sketch instead of the race relations sketch he championed)
Toofer Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Jack · Liz: Guess where I was last night. / Mark Foley's pajama party. / No. / Kandahar.
Jack Liz Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Liz · Jack: Well, I'm glad things are working out for you and your mystery lady. / Well, actually, they're not. I broke up with her. / Really? What happened? / Well, I finally realized that we're not compatible. I mean, I'm all for fantasy role-play, but Abu Ghraib?
Liz Jack Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: 'Jack likes Dennis.' / 'Jack likes Dennis.' (Liz writing this repeatedly, apparently in disbelief)
Liz Visual Gag Reaction Beat Character Comedy Callback TV narrator: At Snapple, when young fruit ripens, they may want to combine with other fruit.
TV narrator Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Dennis · Liz: It's a fancy briefcase, you know, 'cause you're classy and important. / Like a dude.
Dennis: I also got you some antihistamine. In case the next guy you're with, you know, has a dog and you wanna stay with him.
Dennis Character Comedy Callback Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Dennis: I also got you some antihistamine. In case the next guy you're with, you know, has a dog and you wanna stay with him.
Dennis Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Dennis · Liz: Should I grab a plate? / Yeah. Get me a diet soda.
Dennis Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dennis · Chris Hansen: Dateline NBC 'To Catch a Predator' cold open plays — Chris Hansen: 'Can I ask you what you're doing here tonight?' / 'Oh, yeah, I'm here to boff some chick named Mary.' / 'Boff some chick—' / 'Oh my God. Do you know how old Mary is?' / 'Yeah, uh, 22. I think.' / 'You wanna try again?' / 'Crap. That girl said she was 16, but I swear to God I could tell she was 22.'
Dennis · Chris Hansen: Yeah, uh, 22. I think. / You wanna try again? / Crap. / That girl said she was 16, but I swear to God I could tell she was 22.
Liz · Dennis: Get out of my apartment! / This happened while we were broken up. / No, no, no, no. I was right about you! / This is a con, by the way. You on Dateline is a con!
Liz Dennis Character Comedy Escalation Irony/Sarcasm Callback Dennis · Liz: You know what? I knew you wouldn't be cool about this. / We're finished. / You can't break up with me. I already broke up with you! / Fine! / Then we agree to disagree!
Dennis Liz Character Comedy Escalation Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Callback 