Wedding fever hits TGS, leaving Liz to sort out Grizz's dilemma when both Tracy and Dot Com want to be his best man. Jenna's new boyfriend, Paul, raises Liz and Pete's suspicions, while Jack is finally forced to deal with the death of his mentor, Don Geiss, when Geiss leaves him a strange but meaningful inheritance.
Absurdist escalation drives 57 jokes across 42 minutes—peak Season 4 density.
Directed by Jeff Richmond · Written by Paula Pell, Dylan Morgan
WAR
61.3
Wins Above Replacement
“Argus” ranks #87 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 83.8 — Elite. The episode packs 57 scored jokes at 2.7 per minute, averaging 7.3 on craft and 6.9 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
Liz: Jenna's boyfriend is a jenna maroney impersonator.
Liz Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: Let me retell it in slow motion.
Jack Escalation Visual Gag Callback Jack: How to avoid getting paper cuts while making love On a pile of money.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: She finally gets to love herself.
Liz Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Or how bread turns into toast.
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 57 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz: I just got my bridesmaid's dress For cerie's wedding. It is a vietnamese size two.
Liz Observational ★ Rewatch Jack: Do you know what it's like when a younger man shows up Wearing the same cufflinks? You might as well be invisible.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack · Liz: - A suicide cult! - A gym.
Liz: If the will says that you have to spend the night In a haunted house, you better hope That everybody else there is black guys and sluts.
Jack: Maybe that boyhood sled he held so dear. I believed he called it... Sleddy.
Jack Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Liz · Jack: any chance it's one of those Bendy hospital beds? Maybe. He did have three.
Tracy: Life is like tv. Testing tells us that people like weddings, births, And episodes where a character dies.
Tracy Meta/Self-Referential Observational ★ Rewatch Unknown cast member: My heart! [reacting to Tracy's comment about character deaths]
Tracy: You sound like my mother Talking to the planned parenthood lady.
Tracy Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Tracy: You sound like my mother being pulled onstage At a 2 live crew concert.
Tracy Escalation Character Comedy Tracy: My mother had problems.
Tracy Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: jack is 'bros' with lamar odom
Pete: Are you soaking your tampo in vodka again?
Pete Cringe/Discomfort Absurdist Liz: Remember when she dated that sniper?
Liz Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz · Jenna: Jenna, there's a laser sight on your forehead. Oh, please. He's not gonna fire. For god's sakes, he's scared of his own mother! Aren't cha, alan?
Liz Jenna Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz · Pete: Pete, that was, like, two years ago. It just won't heal.
Lawyer: His even lovelier mistress. The secret canadian family. And his even more secret attic family.
Lawyer Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Lawyer: the most important of which Is to not let the piece get wet.
Grizz · Liz: Because of our sexual past. Leave it open. I'd feel safer.
Grizz: We really were the sam and diane of this place.
Pete: But you can call me dallas. [Pete introducing himself]
Pete Character Comedy Absurdist Paul · Jenna · Liz: Through a mutual fund. Friend, jenna. Oh, of course. Through a friend fund.
Paul · Jenna: Oh, I work for a bank. -...Rupt circus. He works for a bankrupt circus.
Liz: Already-married cat strangler.
Liz Escalation Character Comedy Unknown person: Agh! Living dinosaur!
Jack: Peacocks can live up to 40 years, Longer if they're not part of mike tyson's home zoo.
Jack: How to avoid getting paper cuts while making love On a pile of money.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: We three peacocks felt like we owned the world.
Jack Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: Like we might someday, j-town?
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jack: Terms we learned on a trip to japan Because they played the movie rising sun on the airplane.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz · Jack: Oh, his feather went in my mouth. Ew, it's so oily. Lemon, he's marked you. He thinks you're his wife.
Liz Jack Physical/Slapstick Escalation Tracy · Liz: The wedding band is u2? No! You two idiots!
Tracy: I've known you since you was six feet tall!
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Tracy: and because of you, I'm having a tantrum! Now pick up that table and smash it for me!
Tracy Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Paul: I'm just feeling the weight Of jenna's jewelry on my finger pads.
Paul Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Pete: They couldn't find cowboy hats big enough For my kid's head, So they're just wearing turbans.
Liz: Words are the first step on the road to deeds!
Kenneth: Oh, my, what a gorgeous swamp eagle.
Kenneth Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Jack: He lives...Or you die.
Jack Escalation Character Comedy Kenneth: I was about to suggest the same thing.
Kenneth Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: Before I show you the back of my hand.
Tracy · Liz: He's in love with grizz's fiancee... Feyonce! Oh, your stutter is back. No, grizz's fiancee's name is feyonce. Like beyonce with an 'f.'
Tracy Liz Misdirection Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Tracy: You think that's impressive, Watch me stand on one foot. Hang on. I did it earlier.
Tracy Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Paul as Jenna: * my muffin top is all that * * whole grain, low fat *
Liz: Jenna's boyfriend is a jenna maroney impersonator.
Liz Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack: Let me retell it in slow motion.
Jack Escalation Visual Gag Callback Jack: What if he rolls over on his back And his cloaca fills with mucous?
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist Liz: Well, not new york thin, but--
Kenneth: Sorry--mrs. Argus.
Kenneth Callback Character Comedy Callback Liz: Oh, no, I'm white. I can't read that word.
Liz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Jenna: Your judgmental badger face.
Kenneth: ooh, that's a car alarm.
Kenneth: Or how bread turns into toast.
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz · Pete: badger. It's another badger. The third badger has taken the bait. Why is everyone code named badger?
Paul: I'd never tuck my penis again if she asked me.
Paul Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Liz: She finally gets to love herself.
Liz Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Grizz: Damn, beth, let it go.
Grizz Callback Character Comedy Callback 