Liz gives attention to her building relationship with Drew, and discovers that he has been granted special treatment in life due to his pleasing appearance. Meanwhile, Jack goes all out to re-sign Tracy now that his contract has expired. And Jenna's latest ploy to attract attention is to change her hairstyle.
61 jokes in 23 minutes—a hyperactive absurdist sprint that peaks at 89.6.
Directed by Tricia Brock · Written by Tina Fey
WAR
83.9
Wins Above Replacement
“The Bubble” ranks #23 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 89.6 — Elite. The episode packs 61 scored jokes at 2.7 per minute, averaging 7.6 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
Drew: Actually, they used footage of me from my high school swim team to draw Prince Eric.
Drew Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Plus, I've started to dream as Cranston.
Kenneth Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I know Mr. Jordan like the back of my stepfather Ron's hand.
Kenneth Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: Oh, no, Locks of Love turned me down. They said my hair was too processed for a sick person to wear.
Jenna Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Kenneth: Catalog photos of expectant mothers in their swimming suits?
Kenneth Absurdist Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 61 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Kenneth: Oh, is that code for some kind of older gal medical procedure?
Kenneth Character Comedy Observational Kenneth: Well, don't get too attached. As soon as people realize his tonics don't work it's on to the next town.
Kenneth Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Catalog photos of expectant mothers in their swimming suits?
Kenneth Absurdist Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Tracy: You're my Radar O'Reilly, Ken. Now get in here and rub my feet till you hear a chopper coming.
Tracy Setup/Punchline Meta/Self-Referential Liz: Oh, upbeat and confused.
Liz Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Jack · Liz: I'm thinking about some of them now. / Me too.
Jack Liz Reaction Beat Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: His video game made a fortune and he invested all of it in a company that dismantles bank signs. They're doing very well.
Jack Absurdist Setup/Punchline Liz · Jack: You guys are best friends forever? / That's not what that stands for.
Liz Jack Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Liz: Why would you celebrate that?
Liz Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Calvin Klein · Drew: Excuse me. I'm Calvin Klein and I think you should be my next underwear model. / Whoa, thanks! / You don't wanna get a card or... a phone number? / He'll figure it out.
Liz: Mayor Bloomberg asked him to dance.
Jack: They live in a bubble... a bubble of free drinks, kindness and outdoor sex.
Jack Setup/Punchline Escalation Liz: Jack, I want you to pay close attention to the following over-the-top eye-roll. Oh, brother.
Liz Meta/Self-Referential Deadpan/Understatement Liz: What the what?! You have a Superman chest!
Liz Reaction Beat Character Comedy Liz: Oh, my God, the lady will have two tickets to the gun show!
Liz Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Kenneth · Kenneth: You look just how I picture Mary Magdalene. / You're what I think Judas looks like.
Jenna: Well, because, Kenneth, I am a selfless person who can't get arrested in this town.
Jenna Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Tracy: Sorry it took me so long to answer. I was just thinking about how weird it is that we eat birds.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack · Jack: Tracy's is a tactile-kinesthetic learning style... Dotcom... so help me God.
Liz · Drew: It's nice of those guys to give up their court for us. / Yes... for us.
Drew: So I should probably warn you, I was pro in college.
Drew Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Random person: Excuse me... do you give lessons?
Liz · Drew: What is this orange-y taste? / Gatorade.
Liz Drew Setup/Punchline Cringe/Discomfort Drew: Are you choking? Are you choking? I'm a doctor. Stay calm, stay calm. I just need... I just need to shake it loose.
Drew Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Jack · Liz: Oh no, he's not a B.F.F.? / Ugh, no! Never!
Jack Liz Callback Cringe/Discomfort Callback Liz: He is a doctor who doesn't know the Heimlich Maneuver. He can't play tennis, he can't cook... he's as bad at sex as I am. But he has no idea!
Liz Escalation Character Comedy Jack: For years... I thought I spoke excellent French.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jack · Jack: You wake a sleepwalker, you risk getting urinated on. / Or thanked... on.
Kenneth: Oh, no! When I get upset my accent come out. And when it gets to comin' out, I can't get to talkin', nuh-uh!
Kenneth Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Jack: Don't cling to this, Lemon. Be a manager. Control your people. Buy better clothes.
Jack Escalation Character Comedy Kenneth: Nope, I lost it, that was Batman.
Jenna · Writer · Jenna: Before 'The Rachel,' Jennifer Aniston was just a chunky nobody who couldn't get a job. / Wasn't she already on Friends? / Richard Esposito, move to the back.
Jenna · Writers: Everyone shout out words that describe my beauty. / Fading. / '80s. / 1880s.
Rick as Bill Cosby: I want you to come back to the T.G.S. for the people who like the jokes and the things.
Tracy: Bill Cosby, you got a lot of nerve getting on the phone with me after what you did to my Aunt Paulette. / 1971, Cincinnati. She was the cocktail waitress with the droopy eye.
Tracy Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Tracy: Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable... with your light-ass kids!
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Jack as Billy Dee: Tracy, this is Billy Dee Williams. I just wanna say I love your work. It's very smooth.
Tracy Jr.: Mayonnaise... and a pack of cigarettes.
Tracy: # My girl has a fat neck? I'm sharp, let's do it again.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy Jr.: He set up a home recording studio in our rec room! 'My girl has a fat neck? I'm sharp, let's do it again.'
Tracy Jr. Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Tracy Jr.: I came here to see the dumbest cracker in all of New York.
Tracy Jr.: I came here to see the dumbest cracker in all of New York.
Waitress: You try to order off the menu again I will smack those glasses off your face.
Drew: Actually, they used footage of me from my high school swim team to draw Prince Eric.
Drew Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Drew · Liz: Oh, yes, you can. The hot Italian lady from the Food Network told me so. Did she say it on TV? No, she said it to me when she jumped escalators to try to talk...
Drew Liz Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Drew: That's it! I quit! This racket is a fart and you cheat! You're a cheating bitch!
Drew Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Drew: That's it! I quit! This racket is a fart and you cheat! You're a cheating bitch!
Drew Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I know Mr. Jordan like the back of my stepfather Ron's hand.
Kenneth Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I know that by 'binky' he means 1970s pornography.
Kenneth Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Kenneth: I know that by 'binky' he means 1970s pornography.
Kenneth Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Hello, Studio 6-H. This is... Cranston.
Kenneth Character Comedy Awkward Silence Tracy: # Fat-necked girl, let me count your neck rings?
Tracy Callback Absurdist Callback Kenneth: Plus, I've started to dream as Cranston.
Kenneth Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Jenna: But this is for a wonderful charity called Merkins of Hope.
Jenna Wordplay/Pun Dark/Subversive Jenna: Oh, no, Locks of Love turned me down. They said my hair was too processed for a sick person to wear.
Jenna Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Jenna: Oh, no, Locks of Love turned me down. They said my hair was too processed for a sick person to wear.
Jenna Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Jenna: But this is for a wonderful charity called Merkins of Hope.
Jenna Wordplay/Pun Cringe/Discomfort Kenneth: I guess I'm only farm-strong, and not heart-strong.
Kenneth Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Tracy: Of course you don't, you idiot. I'm coming back to work, Jack... with Kenneth.
Tracy Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Drew: I want to use 'ironic' however I want.
Drew Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Drew · Liz: Or as the French say... / Yeah. I'll see you around.
Drew Liz Callback Cringe/Discomfort Callback 