When Liz reprimands Tracy in front of the TGS staff, Tracy asks Liz to stop giving him preferential treatment. Liz agrees, but Tracy thinks that Liz should give up some of her privileges also. Jack remembers some unpleasant memories of his father after his mother, Colleen, visits. Jenna adopts a pet gibbon.
Season 3 peaks at 87.6 with 66 jokes—nearly three per minute throughout.
Directed by Scott Ellis · Written by John Riggi, Tina Fey
WAR
82.5
Wins Above Replacement
“The Natural Order” ranks #41 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 87.6 — Elite. The episode packs 66 scored jokes at 2.9 per minute, averaging 7.4 on craft and 7.1 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: She bit off my nut sack That I kept tied around my belt to feed squirrels.
Kenneth Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: This movie came out in 1959? How could my father have been gone From the spring of '57 until 1959 if I was conceived in '58...
Jack Setup/Punchline Observational ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: Dear racist Liz Lemon... this is how you treat me, like a white-whiskered gibbon put on this earth to do nothing but dance around for your amusement And reduce the insect population of Malaysia.
Tracy Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: Tracy hasn't come back yet, But he did sent a gibbon to rehearse in his place.
Liz Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Kenneth: The gibbon did not attack Jenna. He was trying to mate with her face.
Kenneth Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback All Jokes — 66 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz: I had Grizz call him at 8:00 this morning and pretend it was 11:00. I printed up that fake rehearsal schedule for him, Saying we were starting at 9:00 instead of noon. Oh, and I set all his watches and clocks to say P.M. when it's really A.M.
Liz Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Tracy: I took my son to his cello recital this morning at what turned out to be midnight yesterday!
Tracy Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Tracy: You treat me like one of those little pageant girls with the clip-on teeth.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Tracy Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Tracy · Liz: You know what? Race card. No, don't accept it!
Tracy Liz Meta/Self-Referential Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Jack: There's a restaurant hostess in midtown I'd like to see cry.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jack: Including more than one Unitarian!
Jack Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Jack: And I once made love to Kathy Hilton.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jack: What is this, the Italian parliament?
Jack Character Comedy Observational Jonathan: Evidently, the concierge at the plaza 'has a beard,' and she'd rather not get raped.
Liz: Tracy hasn't come back yet, But he did sent a gibbon to rehearse in his place.
Liz Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: [laughs] he's pretty good.
Liz Deadpan/Understatement Absurdist ★ Rewatch Tracy: Dear racist Liz Lemon... this is how you treat me, like a white-whiskered gibbon put on this earth to do nothing but dance around for your amusement And reduce the insect population of Malaysia.
Tracy Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Pete: Why? The gibbon is on time, he knows his blocking, And he doesn't try to bite the dancers!
Pete Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Meta/Self-Referential Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Tracy: Don't patronize me with your Celtic slang, Liz Lemon.
Tracy Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Tracy: What do you care? You voted for Nader!
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Liz: Then tomorrow, I'm sending a regular town car for you Instead of one of those duck tour boats.
Liz Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: And you're no longer allowed to point at women In the cafeteria and yell, 'I wanna get that pregnant!'
Liz Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Tracy: Fine, I'll bring my lunch from home.
Tracy Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy · Liz: [Extended mutual laughter escalation]
Tracy Liz Physical/Slapstick Escalation ★ Rewatch Dotcom: You humiliate Tracy in front of everybody like that, You give him two choices... one, he won't show up tomorrow, And you'll look like a fool in front of your crew. Or two, he will show up... and he'll find an even worse way to act out.
Dotcom Observational Setup/Punchline Colleen: Paul, this is Jack, my son. Jack, this is Paul Brett.
Colleen Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Colleen: Paul lives in Florida. He paints landscapes and he makes his own soda.
Colleen Character Comedy Observational Jack: Great! I'll call the restaurant. See if they can seat a third wheel.
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Liz: Now let's get outta here Before we realize we've forgotten about something.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential Jenna: That wasn't me screaming in the bathroom.
Jenna Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Kenneth: Well, don't worry. Once it tries to mate with a child, I'm sure animal control will just shoot it.
Kenneth Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Jenna: Oh, he loves me! Somebody loves me. I'm gonna name him little Jenna And let him live in my dressing room.
Jenna Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Jack: When the waiter brought over the food, he said, 'abbondanza.'
Jack Character Comedy Observational Jack: Have you ever been to Florida? It's basically a criminal population. It's America's Australia.
Jack Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: Let's...Not make this about you, okay?
Liz Character Comedy Reaction Beat Cerie: You know, this food area Is always the first place I go to look for you...
Cerie Character Comedy Observational Tracy: Professional is my middle name. No need. I've got it memorized.
Tracy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Tracy: I'm going to do a Valentino cross, Camera right, then dump the laugh. So stay on your fours, guys! One, two, three, jump and pose!
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: Not Indians. Not whatever this guy is.
Tracy Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Len: I'm taking a photography class. Look at the way the sunlight hits that cobweb.
Len Character Comedy Misdirection Len (Private Investigator): For instance, I'm wearing a child's Halloween costume Under this.
Jenna: His costume is hiding his erection.
Jenna Dark/Subversive Cringe/Discomfort Kenneth: She bit off my nut sack That I kept tied around my belt to feed squirrels.
Kenneth Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Lutz: I realize I'm never getting married Because of my gland thing... But I wanna have a bachelor party.
Lutz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Liz: It's like orange-flavored egg! It's in my mouth!
Liz Physical/Slapstick Cringe/Discomfort Jack: Well, I pay you a little less, yes.
Jack Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Liz: That's the quantum leap intro.
Liz Meta/Self-Referential Observational ★ Rewatch Jack · Liz: Who would be our current Nikita Khrushchev? Mm...Simon Cowell?
Tour Guide: Now you're standing on the very spot Where Gracie Allen took Jack Paar's virginity.
Jenna: Little Jenna had a baby last night.
Jenna Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Frank: Let's go see some naked daughters and moms!
Frank Dark/Subversive Cringe/Discomfort Jack: I bet you can, you son of a bitch.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack: My credit card company called to confirm My purchase of a book entitled intercourse after hip surgery.
Jack Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jack: That's right. I just called you a communist.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Colleen: It's Florida, Jack! It's like it never stopped being the '70s down there.
Colleen Observational Character Comedy Callback Colleen: It's Florida, Jack! It's like it never stopped being the '70s down there. And a guy like Paul, who can drive at night, You just don't say no to that!
Colleen Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Colleen: That man left and came back so many times That I totally lost count! One night, he went out to move the car, And he was gone... From the spring of '57 until... One night he just showed up out of the blue! 'put your shoes on, Collie. We're goin' to see some like it hot.'
Colleen Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Colleen: You're nothing like him, you know. No way you ever could be.
Colleen Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Paul Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Stripper: Say you like my body.
Lutz: [crying] I don't wanna be here! I don't like it here! Who's this guy?
Lutz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Callback Jenna: You said you loved me! Your foot fingers are so strong!
Jenna Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Frank: One of those strippers took of Lutz's shirt. That gland thing is no joke!
Frank Escalation Callback Callback Tracy: We're dressing monkeys up as people, And monkeys are playing with people as toys!
Tracy Observational Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Kenneth: The gibbon did not attack Jenna. He was trying to mate with her face.
Kenneth Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: 1959. Boy, it would have been fun to write back then. You could get away with crazy plot twists Because audiences were so much less sophisticated.
Liz Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jack: This movie came out in 1959? How could my father have been gone From the spring of '57 until 1959 if I was conceived in '58... Jimmy Donaghy's not my father.
Jack Setup/Punchline Escalation ★ Rewatch Jack: This movie came out in 1959? How could my father have been gone From the spring of '57 until 1959 if I was conceived in '58...
Jack Setup/Punchline Observational ★ Rewatch Callback Liz Meta/Self-Referential Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Callback 