Avery Jessup becomes suspicious of the relationship her fiancé Jack Donaghy has with his employee and friend Liz Lemon, so she orders Jack to set boundaries in their friendship. This proves a problem for Liz when her father, Dick Lemon arrives in town on a break from his marriage. Meanwhile, actor Tracy Jordan is upset when he discovers that his pre-recorded NBC obituary shows him to have done nothing worthwhile in his life, whilst Jenna Maroney learns of the video obituaries, she decides to make a video of her own.
Seventy jokes in 22 minutes: 30 Rock's densest episode yet, fueled by absurdist chaos.
Directed by Don Scardino · Written by John Riggi
WAR
75.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Gentlemans Intermission” ranks #75 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 84.6 — Elite. The episode packs 69 scored jokes at 3.1 per minute, averaging 7.3 on craft and 6.9 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: Drive, intelligence, humility, chaos... or the acronym 'dihc.' I'm looking for dihc, Avery. And I'm gonna take it wherever I can find it.
Jack Wordplay/Pun Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Tracy: Sure, I Google myself all the time. Like when Angie's not in the mood, or I'm alone in the hotel.
Tracy Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: Ambition is the willingness to kill the things you love and eat them in order to stay alive. Haven't you ever read my throw pillow?
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: Not really, I was gonna take this class called 'cooking for one,' but the teacher killed himself.
Liz Dark/Subversive Observational Jenna · Tracy: You do know that Googling yourself means looking yourself up on the Internet. - I did not know that. That explains why Liz Lemon was so cool the other day.
All Jokes — 69 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Avery: So she can ride the maid! It is adorable.
Avery Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Avery: Lemon went to middle school with a Charlotte who used to rub herself against a tree during recess.
Avery Cringe/Discomfort Observational Jack: Drive, intelligence, humility, chaos... or the acronym 'dihc.' I'm looking for dihc, Avery. And I'm gonna take it wherever I can find it.
Jack Wordplay/Pun Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Avery: Maybe you and Liz can raise it.
Avery Absurdist Cringe/Discomfort Avery: Crazy hormone swing.
Avery Deadpan/Understatement Avery: Why does everything smell like onions?
Avery Character Comedy Observational Jack Callback Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: They're just updating Tracy's to include his recent submarine D.U.I.
Liz Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Tom was a fellow from my town we accidentally buried alive.
Kenneth Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Funny story, after we dug him back up, he tried to kill all of us.
Kenneth Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Dick Lemon: Telephone etiquette is important. It lets people know your race even when they can't see you.
Liz: Not really, I was gonna take this class called 'cooking for one,' but the teacher killed himself.
Liz Dark/Subversive Observational Liz: With you and mom here, the doormen will have to eat their words about me never having friends over.
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Dick Lemon · Liz: Can't a guy have a little fun? - What is wrong with you? - What's wrong with you?
News anchor: Tracy Jordan, star of the fat bitch movies, was also voted 'worst representation of a black man' nine years in a row.
Tracy: And thank God I didn't anybody, and thank God I my. And giving the queen parvo.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: That's how my grandkids will remember me as they fly around in their jet-packs?
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Tracy: Who, Mark Cuban? That guy ran me over with a jet ski.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Jenna: Typical liberal media.
Jenna Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Jenna: If they used any of the footage from my shoplifting arrest, that would be great because my arms looked fantastic.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Liz: It must be my 'sesuality', because I am so very 'sesual'. You like that?
Liz Wordplay/Pun Cringe/Discomfort Jack: She's put on considerable boob weight. She's not used to that, and sometimes she... just falls over.
Jack Absurdist Observational Liz Visual Gag Character Comedy Jenna: I played arts and literature in the film adaptation of Trivial Pursuit.
Jenna Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: Kim Jong-il? I never heard of her.
Jenna Character Comedy Observational Jack · Jonathan: My pinky. - No, sir. - Then you wouldn't be perfect anymore.
Jonathan: No, watch! I'll cut off my pinky and tell him it's yours.
Jack: Ambition is the willingness to kill the things you love and eat them in order to stay alive. Haven't you ever read my throw pillow?
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dick Lemon: A very hip Latino-sounding blur at Mervyn's said I looked good in it.
Liz: you show up here looking like you've been on spring break for 300 years
Liz Observational Irony/Sarcasm Liz: Your 'gentleman's intermission.'
Liz Wordplay/Pun Irony/Sarcasm Dick Lemon: Tonight, we're doing a push-up, and tomorrow, we're going to a bar called 'Swingles.'
Dick Lemon: Gary's wife just died a couple of days ago, and he hasn't returned the hospital bed, so I can sleep there!
Dick Lemon · Liz: Now, where's the door? - I'm not telling! - Cold. You need your glasses. Colder.
Tracy: Sure, I Google myself all the time. Like when Angie's not in the mood, or I'm alone in the hotel.
Tracy Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna · Tracy: You do know that Googling yourself means looking yourself up on the Internet. - I did not know that. That explains why Liz Lemon was so cool the other day.
Tracy · Liz: Liz Lemon, you mind if I Google myself in your office? - Sure. - Can I use your computer? - How else are you gonna do it?
Tracy Liz Callback Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: When I go to sleep, nothing happens in the world.
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Cerie: Maybe they'd stop calling him a 'bald wang' in front of the babysitter.
Cerie Character Comedy Observational Cerie: With guys like that, I always just say, 'who's younger... me or your daughter?' That usually creeps them out enough that they leave.
Cerie Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Liz Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Jack: he owns the world's only giraffe basketball team, the New York necks.
Jack Absurdist Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Jenna: Oh, really? Well, so are you!
Jenna Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Kenneth: Like the song, I am taking on my business.
Kenneth Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Jack: You're not welcoming people to castle Frankenstein.
Jack Observational Character Comedy Dick Lemon: We work for the FBI. Female Body Inspectors.
Dick Lemon · Cerie: Because that ass is... - My father worked at Philadelphia power and light.
Someone at bar: This woman's trying to hit on her own father!
Dick Lemon: Let's go hit that bar with the cool rainbow flags.
Jenna: and three-time Tony... Shaloub sex partner
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist Jenna: Jenna Maroney, dead at... 32.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Kenneth: Then you said, 'read back what we have so far.'
Kenneth Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential Tracy: If I save it, I'm a double hero.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Jack: Let him hold a miniature golf scoring pencil to make them look normal, obviously.
Jack Observational Character Comedy Jack: I would never say this to her face, but Lemon is above average.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Young executive: I'm not interested in this position unless I'm gonna be constantly praised. And I won't cut my hair.
Tracy: My obituary will read 'Oscar winner' instead of 'children's soccer heckler'.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Tracy: I left Tracy Jr. in Atlantic City!
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: Die, hero cat! I hate you! I said I'm gonna kill that cat! Killing cats is wrong! Unless it's to make a hat! My skull!
Tracy Physical/Slapstick Escalation Jenna: That makes me a double hero! Try to deny me my obit now, you jags!
Jenna Character Comedy Escalation Callback Liz: I'm wearing a Duane reade bag as underwear today.
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jack: I'm a mighty great white shark, Lemon, and you are a remora, clinging to me with your suction cup head.
Jack Character Comedy Observational Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jack as fake boyfriend: I'm gonna find you, I'm gonna kick your ass so hard, you're gonna be throwing up my toenails.
Jack as fake boyfriend: I'm a corrupt cop! My brother's a corrupt fireman. He's gonna set you on fire, and I am not gonna investigate it.
Dick Lemon · Jack as fake boyfriend: Actually, I don't have grandchildren. - Tricia told me you have a daughter. What's wrong with her?
Jack: Hi, I'm Daphne Donaghy I saw a turtle!
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist Jack: She can strip her way through community college. Come on.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jack: And every Tina I've known is a real judgmental bitch.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm 