Jack and Liz find themselves at odds over political satire at "TGS". Criss and Liz make a surprising relationship breakthrough. Meanwhile, Jenna, discouraged by the disappointing sales of her summer dance hit, is thrilled to learn that Kenneth's mother and her boyfriend still buy music.
Political satire peaks at 2.86 jokes per minute—73 gags in Governor Dunston's chaos.
Directed by Robert Carlock · Written by Robert Carlock
WAR
79.2
Wins Above Replacement
“Governor Dunston” ranks #90 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 83.5 — Elite. The episode packs 73 scored jokes at 2.9 per minute, averaging 7.3 on craft and 6.9 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
Pearline: Do you remember that kid in school who bullied you? Well, I ate that goat.
Pearline Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Pearline: Let me die in an emergency room with a treatable disease like an American.
Liz: I think I figured out what's been missing from my sex life. Organizing it.
Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Pearline: I remember the day he was born. He looked up at me and he said, 'mama, I am not a person. My body's just a flesh vessel for an immortal being whose name, if you heard it, would make you lose your mind.'
Pearline Absurdist Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jack: Just like BP did when they heroically tried to lubricate the Gulf of Mexico.
Jack Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 73 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Liz · Jack: Were you just skyping with a horse? Not 'a horse,' Lemon. Rafalca, Mitt Romney's champion dressage mare.
Liz Jack Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: She answers yes or no questions by eating either an apple for 'yes,' or a carrot for 'no.' If she eats both, that means 'life is full of unknowable gray areas.'
Jack Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: I saw the Today show. So I know how to make an autumn pizza that your teen will love.
Liz Observational Character Comedy Jack · Liz: Paul Ryan dropped out of the race last night. What? Wow, why? Turns out he was actually born in Kenya.
Jack: Sunday Night Football is just Cleveland Browns games.
Jack Observational Character Comedy Jack: I'm allowing Jimmy Fallon to use his real voice.
Jack Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: Yes, I have a reservation under 'black Hitler.'
Liz Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Liz: Criss and I have been taking the dump truck to the bone yard most nights.
Liz Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Jack: Criss looks like a little elf prince.
Jack Character Comedy Observational Liz: We'll just have to rely on observational humor. Like, um, 'table is a weird word.'
Liz Meta/Self-Referential Observational Liz: And you gotta wonder who came up with the door. Bunch of cavemen sitting around. 'Hey, gronk! Before we starve to death in here, let's make a door!'
Liz Observational Character Comedy Callback Pete: 'Cause you called me 'Mr. Clean's Gay Uncle' in front of my children.
Pete Character Comedy Observational Jenna: This is my first royalty check for my summer dance jam, 'Balls.' ♪ Balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls ♪
Jenna Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Jenna: you look like someone's been slowly poisoning Sally Field.
Jenna Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jenna: Read it and weep, you mouth breathing, vag repellers.
Jenna Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Pete Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Jenna: The FBI blamed it for a spike in summer sex crimes.
Jenna Dark/Subversive Escalation Jenna: Thanks to Al Gore's stupid Internet, people can just get music for free.
Jenna Character Comedy Observational Jenna: ♪ Despite my beautiful singing voice ♪ ♪ and my amazing songwriting... ♪
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Tracy: Fresh shave, elevated pulse, cologne. Mm-hmm. This man is here to do it on the desk.
Tracy Observational Character Comedy Liz · Criss: It's like I'm Don Draper and you're Megan. Okay, you're Don Draper. No, you're Glen and I'm Sally.
Kenneth: Then I would have seen Criss' muscular back. You think I care?
Kenneth Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Governor Dunston: Well, okey-dokey-doo, America.
Tracy: Did you guys see? I'm on TV but now I'm old.
Tracy Observational Character Comedy Tracy: I sat on my testicles earlier and the heft of my body smashed them to smithereens.
Tracy Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Jenna: I am having an actress side project crisis. So I'm not interested in whatever this is and whatever it thinks it's wearing.
Jenna Character Comedy Observational Ron: You know the only celebrity I've ever met was Evel Knievel's motorcycle. And that was just a picture.
Ron Character Comedy Escalation Pearline: Well, money's been tight ever since the market crashed into our house.
Pearline Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Ron: Do you know Evel Knievel's motorcycle picture?
Ron Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Governor Dunston: See, that girl was in my car because I was trying to talk her out of being a prostitute
Governor Dunston: Hang on. I'm caught on a nail here. Okay, now we can continue.
Liz: NBC.com had over 100 hits today.
Liz Observational Character Comedy Jack: Just like BP did when they heroically tried to lubricate the Gulf of Mexico.
Jack Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Tracy as Dunston: Are we better off now than we were four years ago? Not me. I now have herpes. And the Dixie mafia is trying to kill me.
Criss · Liz: Because you kept saying your Aunt Flo was in town. She was. Remember? I took her to MOMA and the cloisters?
Criss: I assumed those were all vaginal euphemisms.
Criss Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Criss: ♪ Your body is my garden of Eden ♪
Criss Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Criss · Liz: You just spoke in German. I don't think so, Criss.
Liz: I'm caught on a nail here. Caught on a nail.
Liz Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: Gift basket? Pears? Why?
Liz Observational Character Comedy Liz · Jack: You're supposed to say 'brava' to a woman. Oh, I am well aware of that.
Liz Jack Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Jack: Oh, did you hear that? That's the sound of honey boo boos piling up on your TiVo. No!
Jack Character Comedy Observational Jack: Oh, but how could you? He's so amazing. He rides the train.
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Pearline: I remember the day he was born. He looked up at me and he said, 'mama, I am not a person. My body's just a flesh vessel for an immortal being whose name, if you heard it, would make you lose your mind.'
Pearline Absurdist Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Pearline: Let me die in an emergency room with a treatable disease like an American.
Pearline: we don't have a stereo anymore, on account of our mayor, who's a meth addict, took it apart in a field.
Pearline · Ron: It just so happens Ron and I have been to Key West. Oh, yes, we have. It was on our honeymoon.
Ron: Look, Ken, I'm just trying to replace your dad... Oh, dang it. That's the wrong thing to say, isn't it?
Ron Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Frank: Well, Paula never opens her eyes. So what I do is look at a nursing school catalog I keep under my pillow.
Frank Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Liz: Tracy will be red, Jenna is blue, and I will be green.
Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Liz: If I had a column for my basal body temperature, then I could schedule around peak ovulation. Right there. Yes, that is the spot.
Liz: If we print it in landscape, the page will take it all. Oh, yeah. It'll take it all. Oh, my God.
Liz: I think I figured out what's been missing from my sex life. Organizing it.
Liz Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Jack · Cooter: Is that red wine with tonic water and olives in it? Yep. It's an old Spanish.
Cooter: just hanging out in hotel lobbies. If you wear a red vest, sometimes people think you're a valet and you can take a nap in their car.
Cooter Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Cooter: You know, just hanging out in hotel lobbies. If you wear a red vest, sometimes people think you're a valet and you can take a nap in their car.
Cooter Character Comedy Absurdist Jack · Cooter: Cooter, this is a puffy frog with googly eyes. Oh, no. I've been handing those out all day.
Cooter: His long-time sexual relationship with the Hank Williams statue outside Montgomery city hall.
Cooter Dark/Subversive Absurdist Jenna: If you're only in New York for a few days, find a way to see Amar'e Stoudemire's penis. It's worth it.
Jenna Character Comedy Observational Jenna: I'll have my Jews on you so fast, you'll think you're an Asian girl.
Jenna Character Comedy Observational Ron: ♪ without a daddy, he's in danger ♪ ♪ he needs an older male stranger ♪
Ron Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jenna: Ron, that was terrible. I'm going to be constructive here. You should kill yourself.
Jenna Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Pearline: Comparing Ron to our inconsiderate neighbors, the Dingleberrys, is something I can do. But you are not allowed to.
Pearline Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Pearline: Why, on the train right up here, I called you a bowling pin with a face drawn on it. A cheap albino lesbian. A finger with teeth. A hummel someone left on the radiator.
Pearline Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Pearline: Do you remember that kid in school who bullied you? Well, I ate that goat.
Pearline Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jenna: I think I just got an idea for a song. It's called 'rum-soaked tampon.'
Jenna Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Jenna: ♪ hey, girl ♪ ♪ me and you ♪ ♪ hey, baby ♪ ♪ this is just more proof ♪ ♪ that I am an amazing singer ♪
Jenna Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential Jenna: ♪ does this song make you wanna do it? you're welcome ♪
Jenna Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jenna: ♪ I just want to lick your face, eeh... ♪
Jenna Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Liz: Don't worry about the show. It's all scheduled. Look at this. Oh, yeah, mommy like.
Liz Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jack: you can kiss goodbye your Dusseldorf bus schedule sex. You'll be having Paris Metro sex. Long sessions of afternoon love-making, followed by talking and making circles with your finger in Criss' chest hair.
Jack Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Tracy as Dunston: There are nine types of legitimate rape. One... a Halloween party.
Tracy as Dunston: Our opponent would like you to believe that Mitt Romney is a merman. Now, I know Mitt Romney does not live in the sea. A mormon, governor. A mormon? Now, that's crazy.
