In the second season finale, Jack moves on to a new job involving politics in Washington, but the position is not quite what he anticipated. Meanwhile, Liz suffers a pregnancy scare, Kenneth confronts rival page Donny when applying for a summer job, and Tracy works on his latest invention.
Elite density carries absurdist escalation: 63 jokes in 22 minutes sustains 94+ rating.
Directed by Don Scardino · Written by Tina Fey
WAR
97
Wins Above Replacement
“Cooter” ranks #2 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 94.1 — Elite. The episode packs 63 scored jokes at 2.9 per minute, averaging 7.7 on craft and 7.4 on impact, with Jack landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
James/Cooter: Cooter because I look like a turtle and Berger because he saw me eating a hamburger one time.
Liz: Apparently, Sabor de Soledad gets its special tangy flavor from evaporated bull semen.
Liz Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Cooter/James: That's not my name! My name is James Reilly! Cooter Berger? What do you think I am, a cartoon dog?
Jenna: That was two years ago.
Jenna Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: You had a three-way with Roseanne and Tom Arnold.
All Jokes — 63 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz · Jack: What are you in charge of exactly? We're sharing the load. It's a bit of Homeland Security... We still have that?
Liz Jack Observational Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jack · Liz: ...extreme weather preparedness, and the War on the Poor. You mean the War on Poverty. Yeah, okay, let's go with that.
Jack Liz Wordplay/Pun Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack: The cryogenecists are already sharpening their head saws.
Jack Absurdist Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Liz: Hey, don't knock my Sabor de Soledad. I found a prize in here the other day... I hope.
Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: Liz Lemon, do these look like wizard nipples to you?
Tracy Absurdist Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Liz: Well, I don't know. Are the lightning bolts supposed to be going in or out?
Liz Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: The working title is 'Goregasm... colon... The Legend of Dong-Slayer.'
Tracy Wordplay/Pun Absurdist ★ Rewatch Tracy: Yeah, you fixulate this!
Tracy Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: Uh-oh. Emotions. You having your woman times?
Tracy Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Liz: Why don't I cross off the days like people in the movies?
Liz Observational Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Cerie: I think you're supposed to take all of them, like, in a row.
Cerie Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Liz: But I have been sexually active since I was 25.
Liz Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Bad news, archers. President Carter has decided to boycott the Moscow Games. Peanut farmer.
Kenneth Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Pete Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Kenneth · Donny: Donny? Parcell. I thought you'd be coming out of that door.
Cooter: I don't like to think of this President as a lame duck. I think of him as a lame eagle.
Jack · Cooter: The ceiling appears to be leaking. No, it's not. We've looked into it, and it's not.
Cooter · Jack: Do you need a pen? Nope, I've kind of gotten used to it.
Cooter Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Cooter: We're not in a recession.
Cooter: I know, I'm not drunk, either, but we'll manage.
Cooter Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Tracy · Grizz: Not you, Grizz. You're doing great. I memorized all my lines at home.
Tracy: I don't need another Judi Dench situation.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: Touch my knees-butt.
Tracy Absurdist Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Government official: I can't support that. 'Dam' is a swear word.
Government official: I'd support it if instead of dam, we called it a God finger.
Government official: Well, that's one theory.
Jack: We need hope. We need change. We need experience. We need pens.
Donny · Kenneth: Did someone say 'Donny'? No. No. Oh. It's pretty muffled in there.
Donny: That's the only thing I know how to say in Chinese. 41/2 hours, Hee-Haw.
Donny Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna · Kenneth: It's hard for me to watch 'American Idol,' because I have perfect pitch. Oh. Ew.
Kenneth: It's hard for me to watch 'American Idol' 'cause there's a water bug on my channel changer.
Cooter: I haven't felt this energized at work since the two weeks when they tried to teach us Farsi.
Geiss (via phone): Jackie Boy.
Jack: He brings good things to light!
Government worker: Hey, the pens are here!
Cerie: As my mom used to say, 'You never want this to happen.'
Cerie Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: You had a three-way with Roseanne and Tom Arnold.
Jenna: That was two years ago.
Jenna Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: like Erin Brockovich or Sarah Connor.
Liz Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Cooter: They're written in ketchup, dirty rock, leak water.
Cooter Escalation Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Cooter: Oh, my God! They're caps, nothing but caps!
Cooter Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Cooter/James: That's not my name! My name is James Reilly! Cooter Berger? What do you think I am, a cartoon dog?
James/Cooter: Cooter because I look like a turtle and Berger because he saw me eating a hamburger one time.
James/Cooter: It wasn't even a hamburger. It was a sandwich.
Dennis: Pre... before. Natal... ruined.
Dennis Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dennis: if it's a boy, we're gonna name him Morpheus like that guy in 'The Matrix.' If it's a girl... I used to boff this chick named Judy, and I would love to honor her.
Dennis Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dennis: Morpheus hears everything that you say.
Dennis Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: You must have been such a pretty monkey.
Jenna Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: You must have been such a pretty monkey.
Jenna Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: a nonlethal chemical weapon that would, 'reduce enemy soldiers' combat posture by making them totally gaybones for each other.'
Jack: Like eating a burrito before sex.
Jack Observational ★ Rewatch Background characters: Run, Kenneth, run!
C.C.: I did certain things for you in bed that you were going to reciprocate. But then we broke up before my birthday, so you owe me.
C.C. Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Jack: No crying in my bath tonight.
Jack Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: Apparently, Sabor de Soledad gets its special tangy flavor from evaporated bull semen.
Liz Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Oh, that explains your hair's thickness and shine.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Liz: The Duffy men use those like ATMs.
Liz Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: The President gave me a nickname. 'The Jacker.'
Jack Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Government officials: I feel weird. Let's do this.
Tracy · Frank: Frank, you've been in your office for three months. What?! Yes! I'm gonna be a billionaire!
