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
54
Wins Above Replacement
“The Break-Up” ranks #124 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 78.9 — Elite. The episode packs 60 scored jokes at 2.6 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 6.7 on impact, with Dennis landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Tracy: I wanna hold a mirror up to society, and then win world record for biggest mirror.
Tracy Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: Next time I see Putin, I'm gonna kick his teeth in.
Jack Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Toofer: Black Frasier? 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 Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Dennis · Liz: 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.
Jenna: I'll do it. I mean, my parents raised me as a girl for, like, ten years. What? I told you guys that.
Jenna Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 60 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 Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dennis: It's gonna be like a hospital.
Dennis Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dennis: That's my cousin Teddy's Great Dane. I told him I'd watch him for a couple weeks. 'cause Teddy broke his ankle running from some black guys that pulled a gun on him.
Dennis Setup/Punchline Misdirection Dennis · Liz: 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.
Dennis: Ack, allergies are all mental.
Dennis Character Comedy Absurdist Liz · Dennis: Which is it: you love me or you got squatter's rights? I don't see why they're mutually exclusive!
Dennis: Hi. I got donuts. What's up, brown eyes? I made chili.
Dennis Visual Gag Character Comedy Liz: I guess they were mostly food related.
Liz Observational Deadpan/Understatement Liz: That thing licked my eyes this morning.
Liz Visual Gag Cringe/Discomfort Liz: Oh, you mean like at a discotheque?
Liz Character Comedy Observational Jack: Allergies are all in the mind, Lemon. I use to have a wicked peanut allergy. And now, witness.
Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Callback Liz · Jack: Are you dating Condoleeza Rice? I'm not at liberty to say.
Liz Jack Setup/Punchline Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: Yeah, and it must be hard for her to get cell phone reception when she's so far up the president's butt.
Jack: I'm choosing to ignore that remark on the basis that you are a godless, glassy-eyed Clintonista.
Jack Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Jack: this collection of ladies' unmentionables with snaps and openings all over the place
Jack Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Tracy: Rodney, don't make me come over there and beat you in the head with one of my boom-booms!
Tracy Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Tracy: Hunky Grandma Be Trippin' made $96 million.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Toofer: Black Frasier? 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 Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Toofer: Every Thursday night at about 9:00 or 9:15.
Toofer Observational Meta/Self-Referential Toofer: Bernie Mac doesn't do it 'cause he'd be ugly as hell.
Jenna: I'll do it. I mean, my parents raised me as a girl for, like, ten years. What? I told you guys that.
Jenna Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: I know this great karaoke place where you can get a pedicure while you sing.
Jenna Absurdist Character Comedy Jenna: When I'm right here, you need to be here. Not here. Here is embarrassing.
Jenna Visual Gag Cringe/Discomfort Tracy: Whoopi Goldberg does it every day!
Tracy Observational Wordplay/Pun Tracy: I wanna hold a mirror up to society, and then win world record for biggest mirror.
Tracy Misdirection Character Comedy ★ 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.
Tracy Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Jack: Next time I see Putin, I'm gonna kick his teeth in.
Jack Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Toofer: Well, now you're just being patronizzle.
Toofer Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Tracy: Standing there with your pants that fit. Using a wallet. Drinking Starbucks.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Liz: Yeah, I think they're from the firm of Date-Rape, Coke-ington Cheeseball, and Jag.
Liz Wordplay/Pun Observational ★ Rewatch Bar guy: Oh, really, dude? I gotta move my coat? There's like four empty seats down there. Can't you just be cool?
Bar guy Character Comedy Observational Liz: Do you think he'd buy me mozzarella sticks?
Liz Character Comedy Misdirection Callback Conspiracy guy: You could put a long, blonde wig on a ferret and it would like Jessica Simpson.
Liz: You could put a long, blonde wig on a ferret and it would like Jessica Simpson.
Liz: I learned the truth at seventeen. That love was meant for beauty queens. And high school girls with clear skin smiles. Who married young and then retired.
Liz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Toofer · HR Person: Mr. Jordan called me... the N-word. And? And I was really offended. Because... Because it's a racial slur.
Toofer: You might as well spread me down with a fire hose.
Dennis: Dear Liz Lemon, While other women have bigger boobs than you, no woman has as big a heart.
Dennis Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Dennis: I cried like a big dumb homo.
Dennis: 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 Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Dennis: you have chosen to abort me
Dennis: Hey. Threesome? How about it, huh? Mmm!
Dennis Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Jenna: It's how I decided to get a scooter instead of a bike.
Jenna Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dennis: 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.
Dennis Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dennis: 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.
Dennis Cringe/Discomfort Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback HR Trainer: Queerburger. Faggotron. Gaybird. Uh, the word for black in any language, Néro, noir, schwartz, negro, kam-an-sek.
Frank: Sneaky Taiwanese tranny who stole my watch.
Toofer: It's Dr. Martin Luther King, and he did not have a feeling, he had a dream.
Toofer Character Comedy Observational Tracy: Like professor Martin Luther King said, I have a feeling.
Tracy Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Tracy: Uncle Tom, party of one.
Dennis: I know this might be emotional for you, so there's a meatball sub in the fridge.
Dennis Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Liz Visual Gag Callback Callback Tracy: 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.
Liz: Mark Foley's pajama party.
Jack: I mean, I'm all for fantasy role-play, but Abu-Ghraib?
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jack: I'm all for fantasy role-play, but Abu-Ghraib?
Jack Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement 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 · Liz: You can't break up with me. I already broke up with you! Fine! Then we agree to disagree!
