Liz looks for a new best friend after discovering that Jenna has traded their friendship for fame. Tracy contemplates mortality as Dotcom and Grizz scramble to show him that life is still worth living. Meanwhile, Jack decides to end the page program in order to impress Hank Hooper.
Kenneth's origin story mines character comedy gold across 52 rapid-fire jokes in 22 minutes.
Directed by Jeff Richmond · Written by Matt Hubbard
WAR
56.7
Wins Above Replacement
“The Ballad Of Kenneth Parcell” ranks #76 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 84.6 — Elite. The episode packs 52 scored jokes at 2.3 per minute, averaging 7.2 on craft and 7.0 on impact, with Liz landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Kenneth: Steve Allen, Regis Philbin, Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, John Wayne gacy...
Kenneth Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Jenna: And not the fun kind where you dance while U.S.C. football recruits throw hot coins at you.
Jenna Absurdist Character Comedy Jenna: Did you hear about how my fecalist murdered my kabbalist?
Jenna Absurdist Character Comedy Dotcom: You already have everything. I mean, you just bought Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's bones, and he's not even dead.
Liz: You're supposed to be so vacant and self-absorbed that you just let me vent without piling on. I need Jenna.
All Jokes — 52 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Unknown: Sounds like you have a dream.
Jack: She's bigger than Maulik Pancholy on Whitney.
Jack Observational Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Jack · Liz: Besides the greatest power of all? The ability to gestate life.
Jack Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Liz: No, I like to keep "boss Liz" and "friend Liz" separate, because "boss Liz" is all "paperwork, paperwork," but "friend Liz" is all "my feet hurt, I'm staying in tonight."
Liz Character Comedy Observational Jack: For what it's worth, CIA analysts have confirmed that she is, indeed, "keeping it tight."
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy Jack: With texting and email, a multi-million dollar system of pleasure slaves is no longer needed.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Liz: He always scratches that weird part of my back that I can't reach. Unless... Oh! That's the business! Now who's in charge, winter dryness?
Liz Physical/Slapstick Cringe/Discomfort Jack: He's still difficult to read, much like that memoir Reagan wrote the week before he died. It's, uh...scattered.
Jack Dark/Subversive Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Tracy · Dotcom: "Give to charity please, no presents"? No, Dotcom! I said, "give to charity? Please, no. Presents!"
Dotcom: You already have everything. I mean, you just bought Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's bones, and he's not even dead.
Jenna: Did you hear about how my fecalist murdered my kabbalist?
Jenna Absurdist Character Comedy Jenna · Liz: What are those? Leeches. They're good for your skin, and I've lost tons of blood weight.
Jenna: You? Famous? That's hilarious.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jenna: Plus, it makes P.E.T.A. furious, and if P.E.T.A. doesn't love you or hate you, you're a nobody, like a soldier, or a teacher.
Jenna Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Tracy: It was on the corner of Malcolm X Boulevard and guy who shot Malcolm X Boulevard.
Tracy Absurdist Wordplay/Pun Liz: Should we get another one? If you eat four, you get a T-shirt. So one more, and that's two T-shirts.
Liz Character Comedy Observational Jenna: And not the fun kind where you dance while U.S.C. football recruits throw hot coins at you.
Jenna Absurdist Character Comedy Jenna · Liz: Would you like a chance to be famous, Liz? Naturally. Always.
Jack: The good news is for a different group of people.
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Jack · Pages: Everyone knows that Dalton is the most popular page. Dalton! Dalton! Dalton!
Kenneth: That virgin was my sister. And her son, Lyle, has a learning disability.
Jenna: we became friends because I felt bad for you, standing alone at that party like a loser.
Jenna Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Liz: Derek thought I was a guy, and I didn't want to ruin what was happening between us.
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jenna · Liz: 'Cause guess what? The back of your neck does look weird. Why would you say that? You know I can't see it.
Jenna Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jenna: You see? Charlie from Charlie bit my finger and Knob Kardashian just texted me. They're my new besties.
Jenna Absurdist Character Comedy Liz: Look out, New York, Liz Lemon is 41, covered in paint, and looking for a new best friend.
Kenneth: Steve Allen, Regis Philbin, Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, John Wayne gacy...
Kenneth Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch NotkKenneth: Daniel Day-Lewis as gay benchpress guy.
Sue: I hope you dream of your death.
Sue Dark/Subversive Reaction Beat Hank: Oh, really? Was it invisible?
Hank Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Hank: I drove all the way up here from Philadelphia listening to Garrison Keillor and just getting psyched for a fun day.
Hank Character Comedy Observational Jack: Phillie phanatic, get away from him.
Lutz: He's just like us. He's no better than I am. He's just got a suit.
Lutz Character Comedy Observational Lutz: He looks scared, like Lutz on an escalator. Twinsies!
Jenna: I'd like to bite his finger. Charlie.
Jenna Meta/Self-Referential Wordplay/Pun Liz: Man, do my feet hurt in heels sometimes, and other things that women talk about.
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Women · Liz: And then we were like, # What you want? Baby, I got it # Shut up! That's horrible.
Liz: To the Barnes & Noble bathroom. Occupied! God. I know it is. By my new best friend.
Liz Character Comedy Escalation Hank: What Jack did is a "whoopsie-daisy," like a baby or a woman would do.
Hank Character Comedy Dark/Subversive NotKenneth: My fault, a short-lived NBC game show in which homeless people won money by confessing to crimes they didn't commit.
NotKenneth: Dam you.A beaver goes to college in this 1987 anima...
Amy: Uhh! I hate it when they put the movie poster on the cover of the book that the movie is based on.
Amy Observational Character Comedy Amy: Uhh! I hate it when they put the movie poster on the cover of the book that the movie is based on.
Amy Observational Character Comedy Amy: Also, Ethiopian is out, because I don't want to see a man with a beard eat with his hands.
Amy Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Amy: I saw a headline about those amoebas that eat your brain, but I didn't read the article.
Amy Character Comedy Observational Liz: You're supposed to be so vacant and self-absorbed that you just let me vent without piling on. I need Jenna.
Tracy: They say people who kill themselves never regret it.
Tracy Dark/Subversive Absurdist Tracy: I already have a room full of old black women.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Jenna: I need someone who has so little going on in their life, she lets me get all the attention.
Jenna Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Liz: You had me at "I was wrong, I do need."
Liz Wordplay/Pun Meta/Self-Referential Jack: You thumb with a wig, those gifts were supposed to go to the 60th floor.
Hank: Good job, Jack. Blame it on an albino. Classic, 'cause it works.
Hank Dark/Subversive Character Comedy 