Tracy and Jack engage in a battle of wits after Tracy depicts Jack as a villain in his latest project. On Jack's advice, Liz puts her own needs ahead of those of "TGS." Meanwhile, Jenna tries to shield Kenneth from Hazel's manipulation but her own selfishness gets in the way.
Just shy of greatness with 73 jokes across absurdist character clashes, but impact dips in act two.
Directed by Don Scardino · Written by Luke Del Tredici
WAR
141.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Aunt Phatso Vs. Jack Donaghy” ranks #42 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 99.1 — Elite. The episode packs 86 scored jokes at 3.7 per minute, averaging 7.7 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
Tracy Jordan: 'Bad news, Jack. War's my favorite card game. And I win about half the time.'
Tracy: Tracy's wise woman advice: 'Respect these boobies!'
Tracy Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Hazel: Hazel's comeback: 'I'd rather make like the father I never had and stay.'
Hazel Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Philharmonic Announcer: Philharmonic announcement: tonight's Debussy and Rachmaninoff program will be replaced with 'a four-hour rendition of the theme song from Sanford and Son.'
Tracy: Tracy: 'I'm friends with Phil Harmonic, the worst rapper of all time.'
Tracy Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 86 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Jack: Jack: 'Why am I suddenly an object of derision in your community? I've championed diversity on NBC. I mean, we've got football. That's pretty black, right?'
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jack: 'Gabe, Google: Jack Donaghy and black laughter.'
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Tracy (as Aunt Phatso) · Leslie Van Vondervann (as Jack Donaghy): The Aunt Phatso movie clip: Jack Donaghy villain threatens to turn the community center into a garbage dump unless they raise $25,000 in two days.
Hazel: Hazel: 'I accidentally wore my tap shoes today. Well, might as well do my act.'
Hazel Character Comedy Absurdist Jenna: Jenna recites what she said the last time Hazel tried to audition: 'Aah, who's there? Please don't hurt me. The safe's in my children's room.'
Jenna Character Comedy Misdirection Hazel: Now imagine I'm wearing underwear.
Hazel Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jenna: Jenna: 'Why don't you make like a woman driver and get lost?'
Jenna Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Hazel: Hazel's comeback: 'I'd rather make like the father I never had and stay.'
Hazel Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Kenneth · Unknown (likely Frank or Lutz): Kenneth mentions someone 'sucks on old baby wipes to get the alcohol out of them' — and someone in the room immediately responds 'Who does that? That's my thing!'
Hazel: Hazel's 'time bomb' comeback: 'Well, you know what else ticks? A time bomb. So, yeah, Jenna, tick tock.'
Hazel Character Comedy Absurdist Liz: Liz's bunion backstory: 'The podiatrist said the only possible explanation is that one of my ancestors mated with a dinosaur.'
Liz Absurdist Character Comedy Writer (likely Frank): The writers' explanation for not writing anything: 'Liz, we spent a long time trying to come up with a good excuse for why we didn't write anything, but we failed.'
Liz: Liz: 'They had to saw me out of my sneakers... I need quadruple-bunion surgery... I would stomp off right now, but my doctor says I need to walk like this.'
Liz Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Jack: Jack watching Liz shuffle away: 'Delightful... Charlie Chaplin. You have the moustache and everything.'
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Tracy: Tracy walks into Jack's office wearing Aunt Phatso costume and asks 'What's the matter, Jack Donaghy? Did somebody accidentally swing a wrecking ball...'
Tracy Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Jack: Jack: 'A foot illness or fell running for food?' — diagnosing why Liz is limping.
Jack Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Liz: Cerie errand story: 'The one time I did send her on an errand she met some guy who flew her to Paris, and then she started modeling. And then she ended up being the reason why the French soccer team did so badly in the 2010 World Cup.'
Liz Absurdist Character Comedy Escalation Tracy: Tracy to two white men: 'Get me a black coffee, by which I mean, a Sunkist.' When they object, he says: 'I don't see race, you white bastards.'
Tracy Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Aunt Phatso character: Movie clip: 'Jack Donaghy, don't you know in this neighborhood you got to take your tires with you?'
Tracy: Tracy: 'That's Leslie Van Vondervann. He used to be on Knots Landing. My twin is dead.'
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Jack: Jack: 'After all I've done for you... I've brought you back from the dead and revived your career. And this is how you thank me? You will respect me. And you will respect these boobies.'
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jack Donaghy · Tracy Jordan: 'Oh, it's terrible.' / 'We made $50 million... In Atlanta.'
Jack: Jack: 'I want every DVD of this movie removed from stores, burned, and melted into a statue of you apologizing to me.'
Jack Character Comedy Escalation Jack: Jack: 'The only statue that movie will be turned into is an N.A.A.C.P. shame award.'
Jack Setup/Punchline Irony/Sarcasm Pete: Pete: 'Hey, is there another one of these coming out? Because I think I saw an ad for it in Urban Butt magazine. They have an excellent word jumble.'
Pete Absurdist Character Comedy Tracy: The sequel title: 'Tracy Jordan's Aunt Phatso's Jack Donaghy's We At It Again.'
Tracy Absurdist Character Comedy Tracy: Tracy: 'You can't order me around. Who do you think I am? Liz Lemon?'
Tracy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack: Jack's counter-response: 'I will not have you talk to me like I'm some kind of Liz Lemon.'
Jack Character Comedy Callback Callback Tracy: Tracy: 'Whatever. I'll speak at both your funerals.'
Tracy Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Tracy · Jack: Tracy: 'Typical Jack Donaghy, giving me no respect. I'm the CEO of my own company. I'm rich. I'm just like you!' / Jack: 'Just like me? I went to Princeton. I neglected a tiger. I'm on the board of the New York Philharmonic.'
Tracy: Tracy: 'I'm friends with Phil Harmonic, the worst rapper of all time.'
Tracy Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack · Tracy: Jack: 'Think about that during your five-night appearance on Watch What Happens Live.' / Tracy: 'No! Andy Cohen is so catty!'
Jack (or interviewer) · Kenneth: Kenneth confessional: 'So tell me about your day, Kevin. I mean, Todd.'
Kenneth: Kenneth: 'This morning Miss Lemon had one of her meltdowns.' / Interviewer: 'About what?' / Kenneth: 'Because she can't balance work and personal life. But I mean, after seven years and hundreds of these episodes, it's like, let's move on.'
Kenneth Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Hazel: Hazel, offering coffee: 'I wasn't sure how you take your coffee, so mouth or enema?'
Hazel Character Comedy Absurdist Hazel · Liz: Hazel: 'I know you're trying to get pregnant because I think about it all the time. You on top, your hair whipping around.'
Hazel Liz Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Hazel: Hazel: 'But what if you do have a kid and you have to leave work because your daughter shot her choir teacher's husband? I mean, that's the kind of stuff my mom had to deal with.'
Hazel Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Hazel: Hazel reveals a mini-freezer 'full of candy bars so cold they'll crack your jaw, you bitch.'
Hazel Character Comedy Absurdist Liz: Liz: 'You got it unstuck from the chair!' — reacting to Hazel successfully washing her sweatshirt.
Liz Character Comedy Reaction Beat Philharmonic Announcer: Philharmonic announcement: tonight's Debussy and Rachmaninoff program will be replaced with 'a four-hour rendition of the theme song from Sanford and Son.'
Hazel: Hazel got Liz's health plan to cover surgery by learning 'what to say to them, like their children's names and what they wore to school today.'
Hazel Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Hazel: Hazel's gymnastics backstory: 'I was good until I hit puberty and the coaches said I got too pregnant.'
Hazel Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Hazel · Jack · Liz: Hazel performing as Liz's assistant: intercepting Jack on the intercom — 'Get off this channel! This is a military frequency.' / Jack: 'Jack Donaghy to see Liz Lemon.' / Hazel: 'A Mr. Donaghy here for you.' / Liz: 'You can go in.'
Liz: Liz describing her post-surgery feet: 'Right now, my feet are kind of like babies. I have to swaddle them, and they need ointment, and, like, six times a day brown stuff comes out of them.'
Liz Character Comedy Absurdist Liz Lemon: Liz describes her bandaged feet like babies: 'Right now my feet are kind of like babies. I have to swaddle them, and they need ointment, and, like, six times a day brown stuff comes out of them.'
Jack: He ruined a wonderful evening at the Philharmonic, paying them to play the same song over and over again for hours. ♪ I can't remember... I can't remember what it was.
Jack Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Jack describing Tracy's philharmonic revenge: 'He ruined a wonderful evening at the Philharmonic, paying them to play the same song over and over again for hours. ♪ I can't remember... I can't remember what it was ♪'
Jack Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Jack compares letting go of the feud to 'using Mick Jagger to lure Roger McGuinn and David Crosby to my birthday party.'
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist Jenna: Jenna to Kenneth: 'I take in 50 calories a day and I'm using them all up just trying to help you.'
Jenna Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Tracy: Tracy enters Jack's meeting: 'No, thank you. I prefer to lie down.' / Presents lawyers: 'One is German, one is Japanese. And you don't bring these guys together to play Patty-cake. This is war.'
Tracy Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Jack: Jack: 'War's my favorite card game. And I win about half the time.'
Jack Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Tracy Jordan: 'Bad news, Jack. War's my favorite card game. And I win about half the time.'
Tracy's Lawyer: Tracy's lawyer: 'Everything Jack Donaghy does in the movie, I've seen you do in real life.'
Jack · Tracy: I'm gonna take every Penny you have. / Not the ones I've swallowed.
Jack Tracy Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Jack: Jack admits to cancelling Tracy's 'Uncle Tracy's Black Teletubbies Rip-off' because 'like you, it was overly sexual and impossible to understand.'
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack Donaghy: 'It was my Saturday morning kid's show, Uncle Tracy's Black Teletubbies Rip-off. I cancelled it because, like you, it was overly sexual and impossible to understand.'
Tracy (as Aunt Phatso): 'Grabalujah!' — Tracy's exclamation during the 'Aunt Phatso' wheelchair ramp scene.
Tracy (as movie Jack Donaghy): Tracy: 'I bought all the wheelchair ramps in this city. And I'm turning them into more profitable stairs!'
Jack · Tracy's Lawyer: Jack: 'When have I ever verbally accosted an old woman in a wheelchair?' / 'Liz Lemon, 20 minutes ago.'
Tracy: Tracy: 'You're right. I put that [orphanage scene] in just to have a part in there for a little girl in my movie. I'm Willow Smith-ing my daughter. Her album drops next week. Christmas. Blankie.'
Tracy Character Comedy Absurdist Dark/Subversive Jack Donaghy: 'That is what she said.' (Jack, responding to 'the climax of this monstrosity')
Jack: Jack: 'Checkmate. Game, set, match. Rumbledy-goo... which is what you say when you win in polo.'
Jack Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna: Jenna pretending to listen to Kenneth: 'You're doing amazing. I wish you could see how sexy your listening face is. For Halloween, you should go as a slutty ear.'
Jenna Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna: Kenneth starts talking; Jenna immediately begins singing a song about herself listening, drowning him out
Jenna Character Comedy Running Gag Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Hazel: Hazel: 'Oh, I would slap you if I didn't think it would lead to a kiss. This is about priorities. What if those feet were real babies? Would you walk on them to work? What kind of mother are you, you beautiful monster?'
Hazel Character Comedy Absurdist Hazel: Hazel: 'Criss calls it [the sweatshirt color] 'old-timey football.''
Hazel Character Comedy Observational Liz: Hey, is that me? Okay, no, that can't be... Oh, brother, that's me!
Liz Reaction Beat Character Comedy Hazel · Pete: Hazel's plan unravels: Pete is playing an OLD episode on the feed instead of the live show, while Hazel is about to put herself in the cold open.
Liz: Liz, stranded on the couch in post-surgery state: 'Why are my arms so weak? It's like I did that push-up last year for nothing.'
Liz Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Liz: Liz falls off the couch trying to get to the show — physical comedy of her struggling in post-surgery state.
Liz Physical/Slapstick Escalation ★ Rewatch Liz: Liz wakes up disoriented: 'Oh, Pete roofied me.'
Liz Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Hazel: 'Oh, where am I? Oh, Pete roofied me.'
Hazel Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Pete: Pete defends using Hazel, citing an email from Liz: 'P-Dog, let's use Hazel in the cold open. Don't call me about this. Catch you on the flippy-floppy.'
Pete Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: Liz: 'You people killed my foot babies. My foot babies died because of this show!'
Liz Character Comedy Callback Callback Hazel: Hazel: 'You can't fire me. You don't even know my real name.'
Hazel Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jenna: Jenna, confronted by Kenneth about what Hazel told her: 'Oh God, what do I do? Help me, me. This one's on you, bitch.'
Jenna Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Liz: After all the chaos — Liz says 'Oh, yeah. They didn't write anything.' — the show goes live and the writers have nothing.
Liz Callback Deadpan/Understatement Callback Jack Donaghy · Tracy Jordan: Tracy arrives to give Jack an invitation: 'I thought you'd be at home licking your wounds.' / 'No, that's why they put that cone on me.'
Tracy · Jack: Tracy's genius trap: donating Aunt Phatso movie profits to the orphanage so that shutting down the movie ACTUALLY closes the orphanage — the movie IS libelous because Jack would close an orphanage.
Tracy Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jack · Tracy: Jack: 'That's... genius.' / Tracy: 'You win, Tracy. You bested Jack Donaghy. Now you finally respect me. And that's all I ever wanted.'
Jack Tracy Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Leslie Van Vondervann (as movie Jack): Movie reveal: in the end of Aunt Phatso, Jack Donaghy character says 'You win, Aunt Phatso. You bested Jack Donaghy. Now you finally respect me. And that's all I ever wanted... Except maybe that hot little body of yours.'
Jack: Jack: 'Great Caesar's ghost!' — reacting to movie-Jack's advance on Aunt Phatso.
Jack Character Comedy Reaction Beat Jack: Jack: 'Hm. Our thing sure is playing out just like the movie.'
Jack Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm Callback Liz: Liz's crisis: 'I will never be able to have a family and work at TGS. It's just not possible.'
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jack: Jack: 'Don't ask me. Tracy's the genius here.'
Jack Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback Tracy: Tracy's wise woman advice: 'Respect these boobies!'
Tracy Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback