A reality TV series trails Tracy, which Liz tries to exploit for her own gain. Jack does his own exploiting: He attempts to make a fast buck off natural-disaster telethons. And Lutz sets out to increase his worth in the event of an apocalypse.
Military-chaos absurdism sustains 70 jokes across 41 minutes despite middling impact ratings.
Directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller · Written by Robert Carlock
WAR
60.2
Wins Above Replacement
“Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning” ranks #128 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 77.9 — Great. The episode packs 70 scored jokes at 2.9 per minute, averaging 7.0 on craft and 6.7 on impact, with Tracy landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Liz: You know, some people actually craft stories. And when the story doesn't have an ending you don't just create one out of thin air by playing music or having people give each other meaningful looks.
Liz Meta/Self-Referential Observational ★ Rewatch Tracy: No, I wasn't gonna buy two blimps and crash them into each other to see what sound they made
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: I'm like Stout Cortez! He's my gardener. He's easily amazed.
Tracy Callback Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Bob: But we're not laughing now, because our laughter excites the birds sexually
Bob Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Tracy: FYI, Tracy's phoning it in today. What else is new? No, mother, literally. Are you also staying at this hotel? Line.
Tracy Misdirection Character Comedy All Jokes — 70 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz: it's still fun to look up and pretend all the buildings are giant severed robot penises
Liz Absurdist Observational ★ Rewatch Jack: Be quiet, Lemon. It's happening.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Liz: It seems like one of us should sing The Circle Game right now
Liz Observational Meta/Self-Referential Jack: I'm like Keats' 'Stout Cortez,' staring at the Pacific with a wild surmise and daring to imagine what... New planets might swim into my ken
Jack Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I was holding in a 'snart,' and then right when she took the photo...
Kenneth Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Kenneth: Don't you want to know what a 'snart' is? I can tell you now. It's 10:00. 10:00 in the morning.
Kenneth Misdirection Character Comedy Tracy: FYI, Tracy's phoning it in today. What else is new? No, mother, literally. Are you also staying at this hotel? Line.
Tracy Misdirection Character Comedy Tracy: throwing telephones at hotel employees, speaking to the U.N. about some messed-up crap in Africa, and I'm definitely getting a private island
Tracy Escalation Character Comedy Tracy: Nicholas Cage, Celine Dion, Charles Widmore
Tracy Absurdist Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Tracy: I'm like Stout Cortez! He's my gardener. He's easily amazed.
Tracy Callback Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: I'm gonna get a sandwich and then eat it on the toilet
Tracy Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Kenneth: when I look into a mirror, there's just a white haze
Kenneth: I couldn't put the memo in your mailbox, 'cause it's full of unread adoption materials
Kenneth Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Lutz · Liz: Oh, God, Lutz, why? What? I don't want tush lines.
Jack: Sullivan Psychiatric... You'll drool over our crazy prices
Jack Wordplay/Pun Dark/Subversive Jack: the real transvestite hoarders of Orange County Penitentiary
Liz: Why does the warden let Lady Extravaganza have so many spoons?
Liz Absurdist Character Comedy Liz: I stole a cab from a pregnant lady on crutches, and I am just waiting...
Liz Escalation Character Comedy Writer: What about a tornado that hits a handgun factory, and it's just spinning around shooting handguns?
Writer: What happens when the second flood comes, and you aren't allowed on reverend Gary's ark? Especially since reverend Gary made it clear the ark is just for teenage boys.
Writer Dark/Subversive Absurdist Writer: There was a cyclone in Brooklyn last year. It destroyed two vintage-t-shirt stores and a banjo.
Writer Observational Character Comedy Writer: right before the ark leaves, I'm supposed to castrate reverend Gary
Writer Callback Dark/Subversive Callback Tracy: I'm just continuing my consistent professional behavior. Let's laugh together, friend.
Tracy Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Tracy: perfection is my middle name... 'Unclaimed Perfection Baby Boy'
Tracy Misdirection Character Comedy Writer: I'm good at archery and kind of want to die
Writer Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Writer: Toofer can get us through black, gay, and nerd-controlled neighborhoods
Writer Character Comedy Observational Writer: Cerie will be some sort of queen in the new society
Writer Character Comedy Observational Writer: I will do sex with cannibals as needed
Writer Cringe/Discomfort Dark/Subversive Writer: I can talk to animals. Well, not talk to 'em... I can take commands from 'em
Writer Misdirection Character Comedy Lutz: It's like a reality show where you guys get to compete for a seat in my car by proving how much you like me
Lutz Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Tracy: No, I wasn't gonna buy two blimps and crash them into each other to see what sound they made
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: I'm as happy as a clam that wants to kill some woman
Tracy Misdirection Dark/Subversive Bob: But I'm so identified with New York, you bloody tosser!
Bob Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Bob: But we're not laughing now, because our laughter excites the birds sexually
Bob Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Bob: This wonderful flood that put out that devastating wildfire
Bob Irony/Sarcasm Wordplay/Pun Tracy: ♪ Shut your mouth ♪ ♪ I am finished taking orders from you ♪ ♪ and I think that you're a four-eyed douche ♪
Tracy Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential Tracy: ♪ and also let me say that Liz is a ho ♪ ♪ a dirty ho ♪
Tracy Escalation Character Comedy Tracy: ♪ I'm not good at making up songs ♪ ♪ unlike me, who is good ♪ ♪ as you can tell from this rhyme ♪
Tracy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jenna: ♪ help the people ♪ ♪ the thing that happened ♪ ♪ happened to ♪
Jenna Absurdist Meta/Self-Referential Jack: Fantastic, Jenna. You really brought the songwriting computer's words to life
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Liz: One of us is an actor, and actors are not people
Liz Observational Character Comedy Jenna: Someone get a P.A. to feed me baby food, or I will drop a 'd' in the green room!
Jenna Escalation Character Comedy Lutz: Mmm! I don't really have a car
Lutz Misdirection Character Comedy Tracy: That was me singing the Beatles' Here Comes the Sun for free.
Tracy Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Tracy: Yeah, Tupac is alive. I bet you'd like to have that on your show
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Liz: Five years ago, I rescued your career. And how do you repay me? By making my life harder at every turn
Liz Character Comedy Escalation Liz: And your online romance prank was not funny! I fell in love with you!
Liz Callback Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: I rode in here on a white horse that you made me leave in the lobby
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Alternate Liz: This honky grandma be trippin' over surfmaster's mid-range jet skis!
Liz: But then I would run you over with a jet ski! Damn it!
Liz Escalation Character Comedy Jonathan: May Durga's trident pierce them from the skies!
Jack: maybe a pelican near some diapers
Jack Absurdist Observational Jack: Heavy structural damage, no fatalities... Sad, but not too sad.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jack: maybe a pelican near some diapers
Jack Absurdist Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Jack: Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning is a go
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy Tracy: You 'snarted' in my dressing room?
Tracy Callback Cringe/Discomfort Callback Jack: Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning is a go.
Jack Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz · Tracy: If I hugged you, I would angle it so that you got no boob. And I would anticipate your angling, and I would get there. I would get there.
News Anchor: the Fijian island owned by controversial actor Mel Gibson
News Anchor: No word yet on the fate of Gibson's collection of anti-semitic and misogynistic literature
Oskar Gibson: G'day. First off, the holocaust never happened. Aah!
Bob: specifically Mel Gibson and his houseguest, Jon Gosselin
Bob: Will go towards rebuilding... His sex jacuzzi
Bob Escalation Cringe/Discomfort Frank: There's a dealer sticker in the window, you got no plates, and you made these flames out of magic marker and tape!
Frank Visual Gag Character Comedy Lutz: It's all like it was before!
Lutz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Lutz: It's all like it was before!
Lutz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Tracy: I knew I'd get that boob squish
Tracy Callback Character Comedy Callback Liz: when the story doesn't have an ending you don't just create one out of thin air by playing music or having people give each other meaningful looks
Liz Meta/Self-Referential Observational ★ Rewatch Liz: You know, some people actually craft stories. And when the story doesn't have an ending you don't just create one out of thin air by playing music or having people give each other meaningful looks.
Liz Meta/Self-Referential Observational ★ Rewatch Background Singer: ♪ I'm gonna give all my secrets away ♪
