Tracy becomes frustrated in his attempts to anger Liz. Jack questions the family value of the network's new talent competition and Kenneth awaits the Rapture.
Season 6 opener lands 87.2 with absurdist density—51 jokes in 23 minutes sustains peak-era chaos.
Directed by John Riggi · Written by Tina Fey
WAR
148.3
Wins Above Replacement
“Dance Like Nobodys Watching” ranks #21 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 100.0 — Elite. The episode packs 85 scored jokes at 3.7 per minute, averaging 7.8 on craft and 7.7 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
Liddy · Jack: Mommy. / Did you say 'money'? / Mommy. / Yes, money. Are you telling me that money's more important than doing what's right? That I should keep on doing the show? / I want mommy. / I want money too!
Liddy Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: Wrong, Jack. 'Cause they weren't sweaters. They were Dickies!
Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Of course. A little less than my kidnapped wife, but I did get a nice Christmas card from Avery and Kim Jong-Un.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jenna: When you Google 'Jenna Maroney' now, I come up first. Not the Jenna Maroney who electrocuted all those horses.
Jenna Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Audience Member · Jenna: Die, you blonde bitch! / Thank you.
All Jokes — 85 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Jack: Have you ever put out a cigar on Gilbert Gottfried's neck? Because I have, and his screams were the worst thing I'd ever heard. Until tonight.
Jack Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack: Also, Jason, if you think you're passing for straight, you're embarrassing yourself.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Unknown: Did you know that both her mothers are serial killers?
Unknown: That's America. [cut to new scene]
Unknown Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Jack: Of course. A little less than my kidnapped wife, but I did get a nice Christmas card from Avery and Kim Jong-Un.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack: She's like a little human tumbler of scotch.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Liz: You turning soft on me, Donaghy? If you want, I can recommend a good gynecologist. You know, 'cause I really like my guy. He's sort of a doogie howser type. But younger.
Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Jack · Liz: Jack predicts Liz's entire holiday in exact detail — eggnog alcohol mistake, shoving match with aunt over star, 'It was my year!', lupus/line-cutting, two bad sweaters, wrong War WWII book for Dad.
Jack Liz Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: What, lupus lets you just cut the line?
Liz Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jack: Take off that jacket. If you're not wearing one of those Christmas sweaters out of guilt, I'll give you $1,000.
Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Liz: Wrong, Jack. 'Cause they weren't sweaters. They were Dickies!
Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Kenneth · Rossitano: I'm sorry you're going to hell. That's okay. How was your break?
Kenneth: The world is ending tomorrow! / And you're happy about that? / Oh, of course. I get to go to heaven and receive my reward! 72 virgin margaritas, hold the salt.
Kenneth Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I'm sorry I won't be seeing you in heaven, Mr. Spurlock. But on the bright side, black hell does have a jukebox.
Kenneth Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Is the sky blue? / Until tomorrow, when it will be on fire.
Kenneth Setup/Punchline Deadpan/Understatement Liz: I came across the following quote on the side of a tampon box this Christmas. 'Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. Enjoy these satchel Paige brand tampons.'
Liz Setup/Punchline Absurdist Observational ★ Rewatch Liz: Also, maybe I'm in a good mood because I'm not being weighed down by redundant torso fabric. / What does that mean? / Wouldn't you like to know?
Liz Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: When you Google 'Jenna Maroney' now, I come up first. Not the Jenna Maroney who electrocuted all those horses.
Jenna Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Liz Deadpan/Understatement Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: Talent walking! / This has nothing to do with Jenna's success that I'm jealous of, but if that yellow-haired bag of teeth keeps me waiting for rehearsal, I will set my dressing room on fire.
Tracy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Tracy · Liz: But I'm acting out. / Right. And I know it'll all blow over eventually, and so I'm just going to skip the exhausting middle part.
Tracy Liz Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Liz · Tracy: You're a 42-year-old man. / No, I'm not. I took a real age test. It said I'm dead.
Jack · Liz: This week, America's kids sing really old songs that everyone knows and NBC doesn't have to pay for. / It's brilliant.
Liz: Unlike cash cow, the failed NBC spin-off of cash cab.
Liz Absurdist Meta/Self-Referential Jack: You try riding a cow through midtown Manhattan, Lemon. The animal will panic.
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: What if I told you your first match burned his groin off in an accident at his cake shop.
Jack Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive Audience Member · Jenna: Die, you blonde bitch! / Thank you.
Jack · Jenna: Oh. Ha. That's odd, because my daughter's name... / I'm going to interrupt you right there.
Jenna: You're weird looking, Liddy. Even if you could sing, with that face it would be like eating a steak that just came out of a dumpster.
Jenna Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Unknown Audience Member: I've done that. [referring to eating a dumpster steak]
Jenna: Take voice lessons. Then seal yourself in a barrel, and fall off of the waterfall.
Jenna Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Escalation Jenna: Liddy, go jump back up your mother. / Go jump back up your mother, Liddy. / Yeah, I like the third one for me, and her crying on the second one.
Jenna Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Sir, this Chiquita banana sticker had been stuck to that ceiling for years. So I finally scraped it off.
Kenneth: Scrape sticker off ceiling, fix that humming noise only I can hear, organize snack table by food jewishness.
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: Look, if it was my last day on Earth I wouldn't be here, I'd be with Paula, admitting I'm in love with her twin sister.
Liz Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Liz · Kenneth: Kenneth, we were just out on the Plaza, and four flaming horses rode by. / Reverend Gary says super-gay horses are one of the signs of the apocalypse.
Tracy: I started a camp for underprivileged kids last summer. We have to drive upstate to see if any of them are still alive.
Tracy Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Tracy: Okay, how about this? I'm changing my name. From now on everyone has to address me as 'the gentleman formerly known as rectum.'
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: I just got an honorary sheriff's badge, and I'm going to start making real arrests.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: I just realized, I haven't paid taxes in 30 years.
Tracy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Tracy: You're not doing your job. You're laughing at rectum jokes, you're leaving early. Did we switch brains? Why am I not feeling your boobs? Baah!
Tracy Character Comedy Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna: The only show I've ever been on that got a 10.2 was when Mickey Rourke threw me onto the field during the Super Bowl.
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist d'Fwan: B.B. Gun. [as a catchphrase suggestion for Jenna]
Jack: I haven't seen such a unanimously negative response since the Frasier spin-off, hey, Roz.
Jack Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm Jenna: No, Jack. They love to hate me.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Liz: Look, according to Tracy, people are switching minds around here. That's obviously what's happened. So whoever you are, show me Jack's penis.
Liz Absurdist Character Comedy Callback Jack: That's for you. [Jack shows something to Liz off-camera, reaction implied]
Jack Reaction Beat Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: Damn, I've got to get more of these. [Liz's reaction after seeing Jack's... something]
Liz Reaction Beat Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: After 6 years, I've cheered up Miss Lemon. That was on your list?
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Kenneth: Well, enjoy it while you can, because tomorrow, you're going to women's hell. Uh, also, FYI, women's hell is the same as aroused dog heaven.
Kenneth Absurdist Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack · Kenneth: Have you ever been in love? / Only while playing tennis. / I'm kidding. I've never played tennis.
Kenneth: Well, does falling off a bridge in a horse cart count? [when asked if Kenneth has ever been in an airplane]
Kenneth · Jack: Sir, I've never even seen the ocean. / Never? Kenneth, that's insane.
Jack: You know what? I have seen the ocean on a can of tuna. Newsflash, Kenneth! Everybody get down!
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Lutz · Kenneth: Aah! Redire ad abyssum! Princeps tenebrarum! Ow! It's me, Lutz.
Jenna · Tracy: Tracy, how do nice people dress? / Socks on their hands, no belt, roller skates.
Jenna: Breathtaking. You're the wind beneath my wings. [Jenna, now being 'nice' to kids]
Jenna Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort d'Fwan: Because I will not go back to putting hair extensions on dogs.
d'Fwan Character Comedy Absurdist Jack: Next week Jay-Z was going to do a duet with one of the spinning chairs from the Voice, and the chair just pulled out.
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: Did you see what happened here? We turned an argument into an opportunity to become better friends.
Jenna Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Kenneth: You're at work before Miss Lemon? Now, that's a sign of the apocalypse.
Kenneth Observational Character Comedy Callback Callback Jack: Jack explains to Liddy that Variety called the show 'Boffo' and 'they don't throw that word around lightly' — treating a trade publication review as an infant's required reading
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist Jack: And if you think I'm going to turn my back on a 10.2/4.2 in the demo just because I feel bad... just because those kids had the same scared look on their faces that you had when that dog got too close to your stroller.
Jack Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Jack: What are you doing, Liddy? Are you touching my hand because you're a baby and you're developing your fine motor skills? Or are you trying to tell me something?
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Liddy · Jack: Mommy. / Did you say 'money'? / Mommy. / Yes, money. Are you telling me that money's more important than doing what's right? That I should keep on doing the show? / I want mommy. / I want money too!
Liddy Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Unknown: Hey, think how disappointed I am. I mean, I'm the one who had to nude-baptize all those teens.
Kenneth: Make fun of the super-handsome guy who believed too much.
Kenneth Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Liz: You three are in a time-out. Everybody in the van!
Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Kenneth: You three are in a time-out. Everybody in the van!
Kenneth Character Comedy Reaction Beat Tracy · Jenna: Liz Lemon is a crack whore. / Probably not, but continue.
Tracy: She went down to Penn Station. And not the fun stationery store up on the Upper East Side. The skeezy one with trains.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna: Are you sure it was Liz Lemon and not present day Sally Field?
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Tracy · Jenna: She's been acting all weird. All relaxed and not angry. Well, it has been two days, and she hasn't once stormed in here carping about how all the destructive hurricanes get female names.
Jenna: Oh, Tracy, this is dexoprex. My mother takes it for joint pain. Her wrist was starting to bother her from slapping busboys.
Jenna Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Tracy: So it's not the Bandito Blanco? A name for cocaine I just made up?
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: The Manhattan center for penis enlargement? I know because my friend goes there. His name is Tracy.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the WNBA's most popular dance team, 'the Timeless Torches.'
Jenna: Oh, God! So much grapevining!
Jenna Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth · Tracy: It's so beautiful. A mermaid! / Dude, those are diapers.
Liz: The joy of movement, exercise, 10% off arena snacks with your torch card.
Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jack · Liz: You're going alone, to the 9:10 showing of Garry Marshall's New Year's Eve. You've waited five weeks to see it, to make sure that you wouldn't contribute to it being the number one movie in America. You'll say you're seeing it ironically, and yet you'll tear up when Ashton Kutcher kisses Lea Michele. / You know me. / I love it when the swarthy girl gets the guy.
Jack Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: You'll say you're seeing it ironically, and yet you'll tear up when Ashton Kutcher kisses Lea Michele.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Observational Bob · Joyce · Liz: My name is Bob. I'm 61 years old. My favorite move is the shoulder shake. / My name is Joyce. I'm 63 years young. My favorite move is the Dougie. / I'm Liz. I'm 39, for the third time, and my favorite move is sunset arms.
Lewis · Liz: Hi, I'm Lewis. I'm a grandfather from the Dominican Republic, and my favorite move is the lift. / Sorry, Lewis.
Lewis Liz Setup/Punchline Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Unknown Torches Member: Nice try, Liz. Dance like nobody's watchin'!
