Tracy challenges Liz by leading his own protest in defense of idiots everywhere. Jack faces off with Devin Banks yet again, and the Best Friends Gang is reunited when Kenneth and Jenna call for the help of Kelsey Grammer.
Four-minute escalation sequence launches 76 jokes at 3.2-per-minute pace, hitting 85.5.
Directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller · Written by Robert Carlock
WAR
80.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Idiots Are People Three! (2)” ranks #67 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 85.5 — Elite. The episode packs 76 scored jokes at 3.2 per minute, averaging 7.2 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
Liz: Oh, my God, I'm such an idiot.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kelsey Grammer as Lincoln: Where everybody knows your name.
Jack Callback Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: Water parks... no, I will not endorse water parks. They are a cesspool of disease and people boo you when you walk back down the stairs.
Liz Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: My ringtone is the chicken dance. If I answer it, I won't hear the whole song!
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 76 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Jack: We sent Elton and David a honey-baked ham. What more do they want?
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Devin · TV Host: I have seen you since Michael Kors' new year's Eve masquerade. Uh, I don't know what you're talking about.
Criss: Yesterday, that was the face, feet and colon of a pig.
Criss Dark/Subversive Observational Criss: All right, kids. Who wants some? Get in my van.
Criss Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Criss: Is there a problem, officer?
Criss Escalation Reaction Beat Liz: locally sourced pig sweepings
Liz Wordplay/Pun Observational Criss: Well, that's what she said, but...
Criss Meta/Self-Referential Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Criss · Liz: Wesleyan is the Harvard of central Connecticut. Yale is the Harvard of central Connecticut.
Criss Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Criss: Had that locked and loaded, didn't you?
Criss Reaction Beat Character Comedy Criss: You don't say cholesterol correctly. 'Chloresterole.'
Criss Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: You don't use the tab closures on cereal boxes. If you think those are doing anything to seal in freshness, you are living in a fantasy world, pal.
Liz Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Criss: What would Jack say about that? He'd say, 'good God, Lemon.' Locked and loaded.
Criss Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jack Callback Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: I'll have you know the last man who wore jeans in this office was named Theodore Wrangler. And you, Banks, could not even carry his trademark, floor-length, suede cape.
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Devin: Do you know what comes up on my phone when you call? [Shows photo of Jack in compromising position]
Devin Visual Gag Setup/Punchline Jack: The only copy of that photograph is in Stephanie Seymour's safety deposit box.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist Devin · Jack: We're new, we're called PEEN. And what is that an acronym for? Acronym?
Jack · Devin: The highest grossing movie of all time! The boat, not the movie, the boat!
Jack Devin Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy (on recording): Then she had teeth down there!
Jack · Devin: All right, you can watch me shower, but no touching. No touching just makes it hotter.
Devin: I want you to get my triplets into preschool... At St. Matthew's.
Devin Misdirection Setup/Punchline Devin: I head that during her interview she turned the class hamster into a dove.
Devin Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Kenneth · Kelsey Grammer · Kelsey: We should take two cars. You didn't tell me he was alive! Well of course he is. Pete's our friend, Kelsey.
Kelsey Grammer: Damn it! No names!
Kenneth · Kelsey: His office is on this floor, isn't it? Yes, but to get him there, you have to go through the backstage and the backstage is full of people.
Kenneth · Kelsey: How long is the show? I don't know. I've never done it before, baby.
Tracy · Assistant: Since its founding early this afternoon, the national association for zero intolerance, or Nazi... We should change that.
Tracy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Tracy: My ringtone is the chicken dance. If I answer it, I won't hear the whole song!
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: These microphones look like black ice cream cones.
Tracy Observational Character Comedy Jack: You can't tear up my checks, Criss. They're printed on Nixon's old bed sheets.
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: She's my subordifriend.
Jack Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: Damn it, Criss, stop talking to him, it's a trap! You said I won.
Liz Character Comedy Escalation Liz Reaction Beat Character Comedy Liz: The basket of shells was a nice touch.
Liz Character Comedy Visual Gag Criss: I go back to sleeping on the floor of my Uncle's mattress store
Criss Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jack: Well, I have to go get a bunch of gaybies into preschool before we all get sued
Jack Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Jack: I'll tell you, friendship is the one kind of ship that never sinks.
Jack Wordplay/Pun Setup/Punchline Douglas: Although, during my financial report I may be President of the bored.
Kathy: Hey, you. Hey, funny.
Kathy Character Comedy Awkward Silence Jack · News Anchor: Magellica the Unicorn. It's wondrous.
Tracy: I played a 'nucular' psychiatrist in a James 'Bong' movie.
Tracy Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Tracy: ♪ La piscine ♪ j'adore la piscine ♪ towels sunscreen bathing suits ♪ diving boards and towels ♪ those ladders ♪ towels
Tracy Absurdist Running Gag ★ Rewatch Kelsey Grammer · Kenneth: I couldn't find a Lincoln hat so I grabbed this chimney sweep hat instead. If anyone notices... We're dead.
Tracy: Idiots aren't just strippers or stay at home moms.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Devin · Jack: All the favors that you called in, you would have used next year for little lippy. Liddy. Is that even a name?
Devin Jack Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Devin · Jack: I wonder what Liddy will be doing with her degree from suny. Don't even say it. Oneonta.
Kenneth: Yeah, I guess you're right.
Kenneth Reaction Beat Visual Gag Callback Liz: I used an offensive term to describe a group of people who made America the great... continent that it is today.
Liz Character Comedy Misdirection Liz: Water parks... no, I will not endorse water parks. They are a cesspool of disease and people boo you when you walk back down the stairs.
Liz Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Crowd Member · Liz: Oh, I get it. She's naming awesome things. No, listen to me. Because of you, there may be an entourage movie.
Crowd: Hug it off, ma'am! Turtle, turtle, turtle!
Crowd Escalation Callback Callback Liz: You will make the same self-destructive decisions over and over and you will never really be happy. And your jaw will hurt all the time.
Liz Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: Perfect little weiner dog, you just need a little mustard on you like that. And a little bun, just boop, like that.
Liz Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Liz: No one will make you deutschepancakes, or welcome you home smelling of hot dog water and onion, or let you break out of jail when you play monopoly.
Liz Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: Oh, my God, I'm such an idiot.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kelsey Grammer: It's funny, in school all you learn about Abraham Lincoln is that he was a gay alcoholic.
Kelsey Grammer: Hit me in the face!
Tracy: In a lot of ways, you and I had similar upbringings. Terrible schools, broken homes... Thinking basketball was the ticket out. Being wrong.
Tracy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Tracy: I said creating a movement.
Tracy Wordplay/Pun Reaction Beat Tracy: In this country, anyone could be the next Jack Donaghy or the next Denise Richards.
Tracy Character Comedy Observational Tracy: This room... Is moving.
Tracy Character Comedy Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Devin: I had the best education in the world. Private kindergarten where I got straight check marks.
Devin Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Devin: Experimental boarding school in carmel where the students teach the teachers, and the teachers teach animals.
Devin Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Devin: Then on to Northwestern where I majored in confidence.
Devin Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack · Devin: She's already sorting objects by shape and color. At 11 months, I don't think so. She can count to ten if you say seven for her.
Devin · Jack: She gets five and nine? She can save five words. So. In mandarin.
Jack · Devin: She scored a 62 on the object permanence matrix. But that's an adult score.
Jack · Devin: And did I mention... She's using the potty. Surely just for wee-wee. No.
Jack Devin Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Criss: Oh, it's burning the backs of my eyes. Oh, it's burning my face now.
Criss Physical/Slapstick Escalation Pete: Kelsey Grammer! Kelsey Grammer did this to me.
Pete Character Comedy Escalation Liz: Really, Pete? Kelsey Grammer made you do this while he was performing his one man show about Abraham Lincoln?
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Kenneth · Liz: I look incredibly beautiful. The lighting is back to normal. Both switches need to be on, woman.
Kenneth Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Liz: The bulb wasn't even broken? None of this was necessary.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kelsey Grammer as Lincoln: So that's where that name came from.
Kelsey Grammer as Lincoln: Where everybody knows your name.
