Floyd stays at Liz's place overnight when his flight is canceled. Meanwhile, Jack is demoted to the 12th floor, causing him to question his future status at the company. Finally, the staff celebrates Annual Sandwich Day with mysterious sandwiches from a secret location in Brooklyn.
Absurdist escalation reaches peak density: 2.89 jokes per minute across 56 gags.
Directed by Don Scardino · Written by Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock
WAR
117
Wins Above Replacement
“Sandwich Day” ranks #80 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 97.0 — Elite. The episode packs 72 scored jokes at 3.7 per minute, averaging 7.7 on craft and 7.6 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
Kenneth · Liz: This is all my fault, Miss Lemon, because I let it happen, and the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Please ask my permission before you quote me, Kenneth.
Kenneth Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: I don't know how, but you're gonna get me another sandwich, or I'm gonna cut your face up so bad, you'll have a chin. You'll all have chins!
Liz Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: This smells just like Hill People Milk. I've been drinking this since I was a baby!
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: Peter Venkman... That's from Ghostbusters! You used Ghostbusters for evil!
Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch TSA Agent · Liz: You're choosing a sandwich over a guy. Hmm. That is less clichéd.
TSA Agent Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback All Jokes — 72 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Jack: Hillary Clinton is president, sir! I thought I would just try to scare you out of it.
Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Jack: This morning, I had to cut my own cantaloupe.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jack: They're moving me from the 52nd floor down to my new office... on 12. 12! You've got to wake up, please!
Jack Escalation Character Comedy Liz · Pete: Marcus Schenkenberg was there. Who? Okay, the craziest thing happened...
Liz Pete Setup/Punchline Deadpan/Understatement Pete · Liz: You were using your treadmill? Yes, and, yes, Pete, I use it every day.
Pete Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Pete · Liz: JetFun. Is that the one with the footbaths? Oh, no, that's AirBike. They also have in-flight pornos and NBC news. JetFun's the one that hands out fresh popcorn.
Pete Liz Absurdist Observational ★ Rewatch Liz: The last time I tried to get in touch with him, some Rust Belt tramp answered the phone.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Liz: I want to be top dog for once instead of just... dog.
Liz Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Liz: For once, I am not gonna be Jan Brady. I'm gonna be Marcia, damn it. Oh, my nose! My bad! See? It's starting already.
Liz Setup/Punchline Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Liz: Look out, Floyd. There is a new Liz and... Ooh, Sandwich Day.
Liz Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: No one knows what it's called or where it is. It's a Teamster secret. But they buy us these sandwiches. Oh, such sandwiches! And the dipping sauce. Oh, joy! God bless us, every one!
Liz Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: By the way, you know who hates unicorns? Mark Wahlberg.
Jack Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jack: I've been sleeping with the Cindy Crawford of corporations for the last 22 years. What am I supposed to do? Just lie down with some skank like 3M?
Jack Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Jack: Bush? Has it gotten that bad? Good God, I'd rather work for an American car company than jump on that sinking ship.
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Jonathan · Jack: Jonathan playing 'I Will Remember You' on a recorder as Jack walks away
Jack: Everything's great. Yeah, I'm really... crushing it.
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Jack: Why are you going to 12? 12? Did I hit 12? I wanted, uh... 4012, which is 52, where I work. Business.
Jack Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Frank: You're savoring it? What, you think you're better than us?
Frank Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Writers' Room · Liz: Look. Liz Lemon's sandwich is still on her desk. / Ohh. Taking Liz's food is not good. / Where's my mac and cheese?! / But as far as Liz Lemon knows, her sandwich never came.
Liz: I'm pretty tired from playing as hard as I work. Okay, now... bring up 23. And give me some air.
Liz Character Comedy Visual Gag Floyd · Liz: Hey, can I take you out to dinner tonight? You know, maybe we hit that barbecue place you puked at. You'll have to be more specific.
Floyd Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: Oh, somebody get me out of this dress! I can't breathe!
Liz Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Liz: Huh. You guys are working hard for once.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Reaction Beat Kenneth · Liz: This is all my fault, Miss Lemon, because I let it happen, and the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Please ask my permission before you quote me, Kenneth.
Kenneth Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: I don't know how, but you're gonna get me another sandwich, or I'm gonna cut your face up so bad, you'll have a chin. You'll all have chins!
Liz Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: The elevator door closes on Jack. He reads the floor indicator. It says 'Failure.'
Jack Visual Gag Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Floyd: Wow, snow in May. Thank you, global warming, for extreme, unpredictable weather patterns.
Floyd Irony/Sarcasm Observational Floyd: There was actually a tornado in Cleveland last week. Destroyed an entire city block... three bowling alleys, a liquor store, and the liquor-store museum.
Floyd Setup/Punchline Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: Yikes! Do you know it is 4:30? I haven't stayed up this late since college. And behind this trapdoor, more Orcs.
Liz Character Comedy Misdirection Kenneth: This smells just like Hill People Milk. I've been drinking this since I was a baby!
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Floyd · Liz: Like right now, for instance. Well, what does New York have that Cleveland doesn't have? I read that you guys are getting an Ikea. Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it. We've just been burned before.
Floyd Liz Setup/Punchline Observational ★ Rewatch Liz: Now turn and look back at me. / Attaboy. Eat it up, Cleveland.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jack: I even stopped to catch a snowflake with my tongue, but, evidently, that's some sort of signal in Chelsea.
Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Hospital Worker: I was hit by lightning as a child. They made a movie about me.
Hospital Worker · Jack: You have to leave GE. / What did you say? / Geriatric Extended Care. That's what this wing of the hospital is called.
Liz: The poor guy got Lemoned... hard.
Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Liz · Jenna: No, Jenna, I did not come back from the bathroom and hand him my underwear. That's how I met that mobster.
Teamster: Now, you two, kiss. You with the sport coat, you're the girl.
Jenna: I know what driving the long haul's like. After my junior year at Oberlin, we road-tripped to South by Southwest. You lads got a lot of nerve.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Teamster · Frank/Crew: Bible trivia? Drinking contest. Here. Tonight.
Frank/Crew: Uh, a Band-Aid just fell out of your hair.
JetFun Airline Employee: Wait, wait, wait. One storm? That's all it takes? We're still gonna make popcorn. Just no more airplanes.
Liz: Who was that bitch that answered your phone eight months ago?
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Liz: What's her lower-back tattoo? A Chinese character that she thinks means 'peace,' but it really means 'I have chlamydia'?
Liz Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive Kenneth: Drinking's against my beliefs, like gambling or freeway driving.
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Floyd: This is more important than me getting home or my partner meeting with Peter Venkman.
Floyd Setup/Punchline Misdirection ★ Rewatch Frank/Crew: And I can't drink! I still got my Hollywood sock on.
Frank · Lutz: And I can't have booze because I'm on antibiotics after having some skanky club sex. He's on antibiotics because he lost his lucky penny and assumed it fell in his ear again.
Frank · Lutz: Shut up, Lutz. Your surgery was for an undescended testicle. Wrong again. It was for two undescended testicles.
Frank Lutz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Jenna: I'll do it, but only for the attention.
Jenna Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jack: It's in their contract.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Absurdist Jack · Liz: I'm a bitch, I'm a lover? I'm a child, I'm a... Mother!
Jack Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Floyd · Liz: I'm so glad you're bringing this up. Really? You are? / I didn't bring it up last night because we were having so much fun... Floyd then reveals his phone was never dead and the email about a flight was fake.
Liz: Peter Venkman... That's from Ghostbusters! You used Ghostbusters for evil!
Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Floyd: I'm single. I'm a lawyer. I wear nice coats. I'm the Michael Clayton of Cleveland.
Floyd Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Liz: Well, I hope your car blows up.
Liz Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz · Floyd: I'll move to Cleveland when you get that Ikea. Never! Oh, you... Don't you deprive the good people of Cleveland an Ikea! You are vindictive, Liz Lemon!
Liz Floyd Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna · Frank: Oh, come on, you guys. You guys do one. I've had 10 shots. You've only had five shots. No, today. I've had 10 shots today.
Kenneth: Battery's dead. I got a half-hour before they track me down. Alcohol? This smells just like Hill People Milk. I've been drinking this since I was a baby! Mmm! It's on, y'all.
Kenneth Character Comedy Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Teamster · Kenneth: How'd they do that? [Kenneth is apparently winning/dominating the drinking contest — visual reaction beat from the Teamsters]
Jonathan: I'll be here? In sunshine or in shadow?
Jonathan Callback Character Comedy Callback Jack: You never know when someone's going to slip into a coma and leave you regretting all the things you didn't say or get in writing from the company's lawyers.
Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: What I'm trying to say is you're... young and you still haven't blown it completely, so don't... start now.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement TSA Agent · Liz: What's that in your bag? Uh, a sandwich and... dipping sauce. Unh-unh. That's more than 3 ounces. You can't bring that past here.
TSA Agent · Liz: That's sort of a cliché. You're sort of a cliché.
TSA Agent · Liz: You're choosing a sandwich over a guy. Hmm. That is less clichéd.
TSA Agent Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Liz · Bystander: I can do it. I can have it all! [Liz runs while eating the foil-wrapped sandwich at full speed] God, lady, you're eating foil!
Liz Bystander Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Bystander: God, lady, you're eating foil!
Liz: I don't want your car to explode and I don't want you to go into a coma and I don't want to stab you in the face with a giant fork. What? Oh, that's not you. I've been threatening a lot of people lately.
Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Liz: And I wolfed my Teamster sub for you. Wait, no. Is that a saying?
Liz Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback TV Anchor: MSNBC has confirmed that former GE executive Jack Donaghy will be named by President Bush as the new Homeland Security Director of Crisis and Weather Management.
TV Anchor Setup/Punchline Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback PA Announcer: MAN ON P.A: Flight 31 to Montreal is now blurghing.
