Fed up with New York City after being mugged, Jack sets out to protect the safety of the city's elite by announcing his run for mayor. Meanwhile, Liz revels in sacrificing the good of the city to look out for her own interests, and Jenna and Paul are thrilled by the perversion of acting like a normal couple.
Absurdist momentum drives 73 jokes in 23 minutes—nearly triple the show's baseline density.
Directed by John Riggi · Written by Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan
WAR
162
Wins Above Replacement
“The Tuxedo Begins” ranks #22 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 100.0 — Elite. The episode packs 91 scored jokes at 4.0 per minute, averaging 7.8 on craft and 7.7 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
Liz: Plastic cups go on the top rack of the dishwasher so they don't melt. Otherwise, no rules.
Liz Character Comedy Absurdist Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Paul: It's a whole new fetish called... Normalling.
Paul Character Comedy Absurdist Misdirection ★ Rewatch Jenna · Paul: What we're doing is so sick, right? How many times have you climaxed? Zero. Me too. Bathroom organizers! Oh!
Jenna Paul Character Comedy Running Gag Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna: New York City. Villains and heroes. The 1% and the 99. 8 million people in this crazy, beautiful city, and I, Jenna Maroney, am going to go to town on every last one of them.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: 'Concrete bunghole where dreams are made up. There's nothing you can do.'
Liz Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 91 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Jack: Fifth Avenue is closed for a joint pain walkathon. It's only four blocks but they are so slow.
Jack Setup/Punchline Observational Liz: My subway ride was the standard amazingness. No, that's not how it works. Let people off first, otherwise... The train's going express for no reason.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Observational Liz: Next stop, one millionth street and Central Park jogger memorial highway.
Liz Absurdist Dark/Subversive Liz: Am I the last one in this city still following the rules of being a person?
Liz Character Comedy Observational Liz: # Three bucks, two bags, one me #
Liz Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Unknown passerby: Say, where does a young prostitute get started in this town?
Jack: Lemon, we live in the world capital of culture, finance and King Kong attacks.
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: I quote, 'she is a thug in a cocktail dress.' Alex McCord, Real Housewives of New York.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Mugger / Liz: Give me your wallet. Now, technically that was about Luann being a bitch at Sonja's art show.
Liz: But hey, you never let me talk about h-wives this long.
Liz Character Comedy Reaction Beat Liz: I don't know if Sonja's ever gonna finish that toaster oven cookbook, but if she does, I am gonna buy it.
Liz Character Comedy Observational Liz: Ugh, I can actually feel myself getting sick. Am I the only person who saw Obama's press conference on how to sneeze?
Liz Character Comedy Observational Kenneth · Liz: Oh, what is that smell?! The gym said the odor was attracting bugs that were attracting bats that were attracting bat-hawks.
Liz · Jack: Unlike the d-bag who let the elevator door close on me this morning. It was funny because you were so mad.
Liz Jack Character Comedy Reaction Beat Pete: Boy, when I move on to my new job I'm sure gonna miss you two and your whole Sam and Diane thing.
Pete Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Liz: Uh, Sam and Diane are the lesbian couple in my building who murdered each other.
Liz Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: It's in my contract that I only play blondes, non-Irish redheads, or bald sex robots.
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna · Liz: Well then have Liz do it. She already has the frown lines. There, there they are.
Jenna Liz Character Comedy Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Liz: As always, I will step up and help because without people like me, civil society collapses completely.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jenna: Oh, don't be so dramatic. That's my thing. And if you take it away from me, I will kill myself. And then you.
Jenna Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Tracy: I won an Oscar, so now I get to do real art. Begins no dogs phase.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Jack · Liz: This lamp is you. Ow, hot!
Jack Liz Physical/Slapstick Reaction Beat Tracy: How black was this dude? On a scale from Lisa Bonet to Dotcom.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Jack: My assailant was a middle-aged white man wearing a button down shirt and Dockers. Dockers! Not some drug addict or gang aficionado. His knife was from Eddie Bauer.
Jack Character Comedy Observational Escalation ★ Rewatch Jack: Please interrupt me. This is a sign. The lower classes are getting cranky about the rich earning all of their money away from them. Can't they see this is in their best interest? How could we pay their salaries without using their money?
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Liz: It's Ghostbusters 2 all over again.
Liz Character Comedy Misdirection Jack: It's the original Ghostbusters all over again.
Jack Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: 'Concrete bunghole where dreams are made up. There's nothing you can do.'
Liz Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Tracy: That's a wrap. That commercial parody is gonna be hilarious. What's a commercial?
Tracy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Liz: Hopefully it's not an important parg of my blurn.
Liz Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Jenna: Paul's finally coming home tonight. And his sexpectations will be high.
Jenna Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Jenna: Maybe I should wear this home. Show Chris what he'll be looking at in 40 years. Looser skin, same underwear.
Jenna Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Pete: I can't order you a car unless it's after 9:00, or you have a note from your killer.
Pete Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Tracy: I have a criminal skull shape.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Jack: Commissioner Kelly and I are friends. We have competing columns in Irish Arguments Weekly, America's only all-caps magazine.
Jack Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Len: I was part of a special task force of very young-looking cops who infiltrated high schools.
Len Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Len: I'm not embarrassed. I get all my outfits at Ann Taylor Loft. Their clothes fit my body and my budget.
Len Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jack · Len: What do you make? 40 grand a year. But don't let the woman who's blackmailing me know that.
Jack Len Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jack: Despite the hundreds of dollars I pay every year in taxes.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Liz: No, if I sneeze, I'll do it like the president taught me. [Liz demonstrating the sneeze technique]
Liz Callback Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: I'm pregnant with a kitty cat.
Liz Absurdist Character Comedy Liz: Those are my popsicles!
Liz Character Comedy Reaction Beat Jenna: I'm wearing an edible nightgown. It's breadstick flavor and it comes with a dipping sauce.
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Paul: Uh-oh, yawns are contagious. Like all the Thai STDs my penis is about to give you.
Paul Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Paul: The sex monkey I bought in Jakarta.
Paul Character Comedy Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Jenna: Did we mix up our days and accidentally both roofie each other? Or did we just fall asleep? What, like some boring, normal, sit-com couple? Like Mr. Brady and Tiger the dog?
Jenna Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential Absurdist ★ Rewatch Paul: It's a whole new fetish called... Normalling.
Paul Character Comedy Absurdist Misdirection ★ Rewatch Paul: And I put that Afghan all over you because I thought your feet might get chilly. So chilly.
Paul Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna: We go out as a couple to Bed Bath and Beyond and shop for home necessities. In front of everybody.
Jenna Character Comedy Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Paul: Normalling in public? You delicious whore.
Paul Character Comedy Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Really, Trump? My idea is stupid? Well, you make your hair every morning by sticking your head in a cotton candy machine.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack: Even Tommy Hilfiger turned me down, and you'd think that he, of all people, would understand the lower classes can ruin something.
Jack Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: Plaxico Burress just called our idea 'poorly thought out'. Then hung up by shooting his own phone.
Tracy Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Liz: Did anyone cheer me, or name a sandwich after me that would maybe be Turkey, pastrami, Swiss, Russian dressing, Cole slaw and potato chips?
Liz Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: Yes, a native American paradise! [In response to Jack saying 'New York was once great']
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Liz: Anyhoo, Tracy, in the dog boner sketch.
Liz Character Comedy Misdirection Jack: I hereby officially announce my candidacy for the office of Mayor of the city of New York. Vote for Jack Donaghy. Slogan to come.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jenna · Paul: You know if we got cloth place mats then we could just throw them in the laundry. Well, these vinyl ones say dishwasher safe, that's easy. Yeah, easy for the person who never does the dishes.
Jenna Paul Character Comedy Running Gag Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna · Paul: What we're doing is so sick, right? How many times have you climaxed? Zero. Me too. Bathroom organizers! Oh!
Jenna Paul Character Comedy Running Gag Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: Do you know anyone who wants to be called Daryl Weenus?
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Jack: I just registered the domain name for my campaign website... Jack-Donaghy-is-running-for-mayor-2013-new-York-this-is-the-website.com. That's as close as I could get. Everything else was already pornography.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist Kenneth: I also got you these goofy water balloons my mom's friend Ron used to always send me out to buy.
Kenneth Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Misdirection ★ Rewatch Jack: Thank you, Kenneth. I know they're condoms.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: Hang on... have you not left this building since you were mugged?
Tracy Character Comedy Reaction Beat Tracy: All I had was a Chewbacca costume made out of used hair extensions.
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Tracy: Perfectly-executed Chewbacca sounds! [Tracy makes Chewbacca noises to demonstrate]
Tracy Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Callback Tracy: Then I'm gonna say to you what I say to all my sharks right before they die. Let's go outside.
Tracy Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Absurdist ★ Rewatch Pete · Jenna: Oh, Jenna, I have a friend... / Yeah, well I have a million friends. I get so many birthday cards it's embarrassing.
Liz · Pete: This is normalling. It's a weird sex thing. Paul and I do things like reboot the Internet... and discuss whether the chair would be better over by the window where there's more light?
Liz Pete Character Comedy Running Gag Misdirection ★ Rewatch Callback Pete: Hey, you and Paul should come by the house sometime. We'll have dinner, play Scattergories.
Pete Character Comedy Running Gag Callback Kenneth: Oh, you smell like when the Stone Mountain tire fire joined up with the corpse fire, and then swept through the downtown manure district. It was our fault for letting those high schoolers dance at their prom.
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: I'm gonna clear out that whole theater and watch a sneak peek of The Hunger Games by myself. It'll be my greatest triumph. There's a Q&A afterwards with... eh, the screenwriter? Bleh.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Liz: Plastic cups go on the top rack of the dishwasher so they don't melt. Otherwise, no rules.
Liz Character Comedy Absurdist Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Liz: Well, well, well. If it isn't the tuxedo himself. Shouldn't you be outside, fixing the city?
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack · Liz: Well, you look even closer to death than usual. What happened to you? Are you scared? The back of the 'B' train certainly was. I had the whole car to myself.
Jack Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack · Liz: Is that your gym bag? Aren't you a human woman? It's these new microfibers. They keep you dry but it all has to go somewhere.
Jack Liz Character Comedy Observational Jack: I've always wanted to say that, and I can't believe I've wasted it on you.
Jack Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: The old Liz would have agreed with you. But that was two days ago. Now, I don't cross lines, I just make 'em... disappear.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jenna: But if Daryl Weenus is right, if we're just a couple, why don't we hate it?
Jenna Character Comedy Callback Callback Paul: I always imagined this kind of thing would make me wanna tear my hair out and rip my skin off. But with you, it feels as natural as... having someone tear your hair out and rip your skin off.
Paul Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Paul: We spend the next three months alone, doing every depraved thing we can think of with as many people as we can and if this, right now, is still the happiest we can make ourselves, we'll stay together forever.
Paul Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Liz: Gym bag, check. Tupperware vat of steamed broccoli, check. Talking to myself to seem crazy... moo-goo!
Liz Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Jack: You've skied Mount St. Helens, made eye contact with Michelle Bachmann, been trapped under a Boulder for 128 hours. You're not scared of anything.
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist Escalation Liz Misdirection Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Onlookers: You caught that lunatic that's been terrorizing the subway. The worst criminal in #N-Y-C.
Onlookers Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Callback Jack: You're the only woman I could ever fight to regain my manhood.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Liz: They're cheering you for stopping me. Old Liz was right. People do want rules!
Liz Character Comedy Callback Irony/Sarcasm Callback Liz · Jack: So, are you still running for mayor? The city no longer needs me. For now.
Liz Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback Jack: Reminds me of us. I'll never forget the first time you dressed up like an old lady and I threw you into some garbage.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Good-bye, my love. For now.
Jack Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Jenna: New York City. Villains and heroes. The 1% and the 99. 8 million people in this crazy, beautiful city, and I, Jenna Maroney, am going to go to town on every last one of them.
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback 