Liz searches for a man she met in her dentist's waiting room. Jack fears for the future when he learns a cable company may have its sights on NBC. Jenna helps Tracy try to get a Tony award.
High-density absurdist hour delivers 70 jokes at 3 per minute, anchored by character-driven callbacks.
Directed by Ken Whittingham, Don Scardino · Written by Tracey Wigfield, Jon Haller
WAR
86.4
Wins Above Replacement
“Future Husband” ranks #37 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 88.1 — Elite. The episode packs 70 scored jokes at 3.0 per minute, averaging 7.3 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: Like when Lot's daughters got him drunk to repopulate the world through incest. Or when Screech went to the masquerade ball in disguise so Lisa would kiss him
Kenneth: It keeps me from... Hee-haw, hee-haw! Don't worry, it's just a donkey spell
Kenneth Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: We were so awkward that the waitress gave us separate checks without asking. And a priest came over and asked us who we'd lost
Liz Escalation Observational ★ Rewatch Jenna: I've been petitioning for them to add a category for Living Theatrically in Normal Life
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: How could a company from Philadelphia buy a company from New York? That would be like Vietnam defeating the United States in a ground war
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 70 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz · Jack: did I put a toaster waffle into my D.V.D. player?
Liz: You watched it for about an hour, said Nicole Kidman should get an Oscar for it, then you turned it off
Liz Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: You kept trying to order home massages off of craigslist
Massage person · Liz: Hey, somebody order a massage? / Oh, brother. / You're too late! I already killed her!
Liz: If the pervert community gets wind of morning jogging, God help us
Liz Escalation Dark/Subversive Jack: How could a company from Philadelphia buy a company from New York? That would be like Vietnam defeating the United States in a ground war
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: It means the book is filled with cubes of knowledge
Jack Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Jack: Because a woman's brain has fewer folds / The Negroid musculature...
Jack Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Kenneth: On his way to work, he found some magic beans, and because he believed in them...
Kenneth: Just like that movie I only saw the first 10 minutes of- Fatal Attraction
Kenneth Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: He could wear a thumb ring
Liz Escalation Observational Kenneth: Everything always works out for the best
Kenneth: I just threw my wallet out the window
Tracy: A future Tony-nominated actor
Tracy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Tracy: I'm doing a one-man show. / Tonight. / What am I, a nerd? I'm going to keep it loose
Tracy Escalation Character Comedy Jonathan: Maybe we are legend. You're Will Smith and I'm the dog
Avery: I'll tell him it's a guy I'm having sex with
Avery Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jack: Rhubarb, rhubarb, golf. Prostate
Jack Absurdist Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Jonathan: But if anything should happen to me, I want you to read, Oh, the Places You'll Go at my funeral
Dr. Kaplan: I've had this pamphlet printed up. It was expensive, but I'm really tired of discussing this with you
Dr. Kaplan: He has some gum recession. Four-pockets on 14 and 15. But overall, very good teeth. Especially for an Englishman
Dr. Kaplan: Well, If that's how you feel, then you're not really a patient. And people who aren't patients don't get toys from the treat bucket
Liz · Dr. Kaplan: But there's a Batman in there! / Yeah, and if you wind him up, he swims in the bath
Jenna: Late at night, these two, little, twin girls told me they wanted to play with me forever
Jenna Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jenna: It's as if 'Claps-Giving Yay Harade' has lost all meaning
Jenna Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Tracy Escalation Character Comedy Jenna: I've been petitioning for them to add a category for Living Theatrically in Normal Life
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Tracy: Honey, I'm home! / Pac-Man, I'm Jewish! / Jeffrey, we lost the tournament!
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: Do they give an award for Tarantula Misplacement?
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Kenneth: It keeps me from... Hee-haw, hee-haw! Don't worry, it's just a donkey spell
Kenneth Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Even if he does come from a country that's nothing more than the dried husk America came out of
Kenneth Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Like when Lot's daughters got him drunk to repopulate the world through incest. Or when Screech went to the masquerade ball in disguise so Lisa would kiss him
Kenneth: So here's da ting. You need to come in today so the doctor can check dem teeth, mon
Kenneth Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Liz · Kenneth: You're going Irish! / Cool runnings, mon. Bobsled
Kenneth: Stay away, I will bite you! Hee-haw!
Jack: Because it's romantic and I'm really good at it
Jack Character Comedy Misdirection Jack Callback Character Comedy Avery: Do you think it was easy for me to cut ties from my old mentor, Pat O'Brien, after he shaved his moustache?
Avery Absurdist Character Comedy Avery: Do you think it was easy for me to cut ties from my old mentor, Pat O'Brien, after he shaved his moustache?
Avery Character Comedy Absurdist Jack: Which is the song that I sang to Don at his promotion dinner
Jack Character Comedy Callback Jenna: If I wanted to see a black guy make a fool of himself, I'd have sex with K-Fed again
Jenna Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Kenneth: And without my wallet, I don't even have my lucky rabbit's spine
Kenneth Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jenna: Why, with a curtain five hours from now, it would take the greatest acting coach the world has ever seen to make his show a success. Fine, I'll do it!
Jenna Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Wesley: Can you tell me why you come up on my phone as 'Future Wife'?
Wesley Callback Misdirection Callback Liz: Wow, this is not interesting
Liz Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Liz · Wesley: Well, British people have notoriously bad teeth, so... / I've never heard that
Liz · Wesley: Like when they say older women have breadback. / What's breadback? / The loaf of back fat between a woman's bra and her giant underwear
Liz: You use that word too much
Liz Observational Character Comedy Jack Welch: Hiding him in your freezer. Just like we did with Hiram Sheinhardt during the R.C.A. deal
Jack Welch: And if you need to pass some eye water, I'll be happy to go out and get you some weakness tissues
Liz: We were so awkward that the waitress gave us separate checks without asking. And a priest came over and asked us who we'd lost
Liz Escalation Observational ★ Rewatch Liz: Sometimes, everything is just the worst, Kenneth
Liz Callback Character Comedy Callback Jack: They're selling N.B.C. to a company called KableTown. With a 'K'
Jack Observational Character Comedy Liz: Oh, yeah, my parents have KableTown down in Pennsylvania. It's a fine and generous company
Liz Misdirection Irony/Sarcasm Jack: That's the sound of me being erased from contact lists all around the world
Liz: It's the Hug Plane coming in for a landing? You're cleared for approach
Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Tracy Misdirection Character Comedy Jenna · Tracy: After me. / No, Tracy. / No, stop it, not this part. / No, stop it. / Up. / We've got to start over. / I farted
Jenna: Well Guards. Guard your well... well
Jenna Callback Wordplay/Pun Tracy: You were a fat baby
Tracy Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Jenna: Go out there and be yourself. Go on stage and read the damn phone book, for all I care!
Jenna Escalation Irony/Sarcasm Liz · Kenneth: No, this is not possible. / But it is. / I knew my wallet would turn up. And it did
Kenneth: Oh, I am either very happy right now, or I'm having a pretty bad donkey spell
Kenneth Callback Character Comedy Callback Wesley · Liz: Do you like Tex-Mex? / No, I don't. / See you there
Avery: According to my sources, the clear frontrunner current G.E. executive, Jack Donaghy... with the programming experience, business savvy, and piercing, blue eyes of a Siberian husky
Avery Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential Avery: I'm going to celebrate by buying my lady friend that necklace she pointed out and then, cooking her a Western omelette
Avery Character Comedy Callback Jack: And then, I'm going to braid your hair
Jack Callback Character Comedy Callback Tracy: [Tracy reading phone book names on stage] Klarsfeld, Rubin M. Klarvet, Yuri...
Tracy Callback Absurdist Callback Audience: Bravo! It's a triumph!
