Jack must appear before Congress to discuss NBC's merger with KableTown. He hopes that he will charm celebrity members, but one Congresswoman, Regina Bookman, demands more diversity in its programming lineup. Jack quickly enlists Tracy to come up with some new development ideas. Meanwhile, Liz is fed up with the flack her writing staff gives her, and Jenna helps Kenneth reapply to the extremely competitive Page Program.
Five-minute cold open escalates from wedding planning to pure absurdist chaos.
Directed by John Riggi · Written by Jack Burditt
WAR
66.5
Wins Above Replacement
“Lets Stay Together” ranks #104 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 82.2 — Elite. The episode packs 70 scored jokes at 3.0 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 6.8 on impact, with Jack landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Jack: I don't really see color or gender, Mr. Chang.
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Congresswoman Bookman: I may have lost my train of thought several minutes ago, but if I continue to talk like this, no one will notice, and when I stop, you will applaud my energy.
Congresswoman Bookman: That young man is a hillbilly with a girl's middle name and, because his county never rejoined the union, a foreigner.
Jack: In a post-apocalyptic world, how would society even use you? Traveling bard. Radiation canary.
Jack Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Jenna: Or my name isn't Yustrepa Gronkowitz. I mean, Jenna Maroney.
Jenna Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 70 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz: The writers put it on my door. I don't know what that's referring to.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Writers: Winona Ryder in a hundred years
Writers Observational Setup/Punchline Liz: I don't get that, but it hurts
Liz Character Comedy Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Liz: To quote Rodney Dangerfield, 'Hey, I...'
Liz Misdirection Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Jack: If you're about to say that you don't get any respect, you're right.
Jack Callback Deadpan/Understatement Callback Jack: In a post-apocalyptic world, how would society even use you? Traveling bard. Radiation canary.
Jack Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Tracy: Will you ask congress where they put the USA network? I've been trying to find monk for, like, three months.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth · Jack: Imagine that your favorite corn chip manufacturer also owned the number one diarrhea medication. That'd be great, they could put a little sample of the medicine in each bag.
Jack: Keep thinking. Except then they might be tempted to make the corn chips give you...
Jack Misdirection Setup/Punchline Jack: Do you know who gets elected to congress these days? Former athletes, washed-up actors, and women.
Jack Dark/Subversive Escalation Liz: If we have to stay and there aren't enough rooms, we have to share a room, I forgot to bring a shirt to sleep in and the stores are all closed...
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Legal Department via Liz: Jerry Bananaseed. And nothing else.
Writers: We can't use Jerry Bananaseed. Someone with that name killed a bunch of nurses.
Writers Callback Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna: I need you to get me something called vagitrax. It's for dry knees.
Jenna Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Competitive Page Candidate: Inside Schwartz 21, Hill street blues, wings is fun, Golden girls, quantum leap outsourced is the new friends
Jenna: That's like saying a guy is cool because he has just a speedboat.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jenna: There's three things standing between you and winning: Your breasts and wanting it bad enough.
Jenna Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Rob Reiner: My name is Rob Reiner. And before I became a congressman, I dabbled in television, won a couple of emmys.
Jack Callback Meta/Self-Referential Jack: I guess that's why big oil and Microsoft are such great American failures.
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Setup/Punchline Jack: 1:32 p.m. Mark the time, ladies and gentlemen, that congress put a bullet in the head of the American farmer.
Jack Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Congressman: Why is NBC so racist?
Jenna: Oh, everybody born before Jesus is in hell, they went straight...
Jenna Dark/Subversive Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna: Just like Mickey Rourke did me to sexually.
Jenna Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Kenneth: I don't know, ma'am. You made me think about it, and when I get to thinkin' 'bout it, it juh get worse.
Kenneth Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Congresswoman Bookman: From the hard-working moms and dads of Smithfield to those spoiled jags at brown to a thriving, flourishing Italian criminal community in Providence.
Congresswoman Bookman: Why is it that NBC looks about as diverse as a Wilco concert?
Jack: Why did we cancel that? That doesn't make any sense.
Jack Reaction Beat Meta/Self-Referential Jack: I don't really see color or gender, Mr. Chang.
Jack Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Background actors: Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb. Peas and carrots.
Dotcom: That's Tracy Jordan spelled backwards.
Dotcom Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Tracy · Dotcom: Call Grizz. I need someone around who's not just a yes man. Whatever you say, Tray.
Jack: The Chinese built the railroads, the Irish built and then filled the jails... A guy named Juan built my armoire.
Jack Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack · Liz: I was too busy trying to remember the name of the black kid on community. D'nall glover.
Jack Liz Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Congresswoman Bookman: I may have lost my train of thought several minutes ago, but if I continue to talk like this, no one will notice, and when I stop, you will applaud my energy.
Liz: Well, Lutz claims to be Inuit. At least that was his explanation when I found his poem about snow.
Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: So we know he's smart and superb at masturbation.
Liz Setup/Punchline Cringe/Discomfort Jack: Monty Appleseed and I share a liquor locker at the opera.
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: I forgot my doctor said no more frustrated noises, 'cause it makes my vocal cords go... Now it's gonna be like this all day.
Liz Setup/Punchline Escalation ★ Rewatch Jenna: I wish you weren't such a Houston foreclosure of a human being.
Jenna Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Jack: Why? It was a tentpole! A tentpole!
Jack Escalation Character Comedy Tracy · Dotcom: What if there was a talking dog? I'd like to see that incorporated into your rewrite.
Singer: Thank you, NBC. For all the laughs and tears. Once home to Kelsey Grammer, The golden girls, My name is Earl, The A-Team and cheers.
Singer Meta/Self-Referential Absurdist ★ Rewatch Writers: It means the badger in Spanish. I'm not sure who did it.
Writers Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement Liz: Oh, God. Tejon face. Is this about the TV interview?
Liz Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Writers: Aqui viene el tejon!
Writers Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: Good. And there's a lot of buzz. Can you hear it too? Or is my tinnitus acting up?
Tracy Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Writer: But they don't have women's sports bars. Men can have cramping too, you know.
Writer Absurdist Setup/Punchline Congresswoman Bookman: Magnolia bakery? Oh, sorry, hips.
Jenna: The bridge was supposed to be shuffle-ball-change, maxi Ford, Cincinnati, Cincinnati, double-time shim-sham-shimmy, toe punch.
Jenna Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Jenna as her mother: If I hadn't seen you come out of me in that parking lot, I'd swear you weren't my daughter.
Jenna: Or my name isn't Yustrepa Gronkowitz. I mean, Jenna Maroney.
Jenna Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Liz: I would argue that TV is more of a boys club than a white club.
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Shirley: I like your dress. Do you have to wear a bra with it?
Shirley Cringe/Discomfort Setup/Punchline Liz: That's me in college. That's not great.
Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jonathan: But, sir, I was born in Palo Alto.
Jeffrey: I'd like to tell you that we filled the minority slot in the NBC page program with a native American fellow named wants to get sandwiches, but you made me hire that guy instead.
Jeffrey Absurdist Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Congresswoman Bookman: That young man is a hillbilly with a girl's middle name and, because his county never rejoined the union, a foreigner.
Kenneth: Now you're untied? Have you two been talking?
Kenneth Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Congresswoman Bookman: Tell me, you obviously lonely and tired woman.
Congresswoman Bookman: This country was founded on certain principles. Freedom, troops, America, flag. Now I might not ow where I'm going with this, but I know we will get there together!
Jack: There are thousands of jobs at stake, hundreds of second homes, and your ridiculous grandstanding could ruin the whole thing, like luffing your spinnaker during a yachting regatta.
Jack Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Congresswoman Bookman: Yes, maybe I get carried away sometimes with my love for this great country and the troops and the flagtroops...
Jack: The first generation works their fingers to the bone making things. The next generation goes to college, innovates new ideas. The third generation... snowboards and takes improv classes.
Jack Escalation Observational ★ Rewatch Lutz: I'm cutting that fat cracker's head off. I'm part eskimo. Hate crime!
Lutz Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Writer: We were here first!
Characters in Tracy's show: You think you got it hard, I've got two dates tonight. Stanley, even for a dog, you are a dog.
Character in Tracy's show: Ain't life a bitch?
