After being accepted at Princeton, a worried Carlton changes his life plans and retreats to a place where everybody knows his name - the bowling alley.
WAR
23.8
Wins Above Replacement
“I Bowl Buster” ranks #110 of 148 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 73.4 — Solid. The episode packs 49 scored jokes at 2.6 per minute, averaging 6.6 on craft and 6.4 on impact, with Will landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Geoffrey: No. It just seemed the right thing to say.
Geoffrey Deadpan/Understatement Meta/Self-Referential Vivian: It is a sad, sad day when Will Smith becomes the voice of reason.
Vivian Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Will: I mean, I know this might be a bad time, but you got some spare change?
Will Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Callback Carlton: Oh, sure, it offered a quick high, cheap thrills and fast women, but who wants that?
Carlton Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Hilary: We were startled by a deer, swarmed by butterflies. And I have such a headache from that babbling brook.
Hilary Character Comedy Absurdist All Jokes — 49 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Will: Boom, in Clyde's face. Ten bucks. Now give me my money, Pee Wee.
Carlton · Will: This isn't just a video game, Dad. This is the new 32-bit super system...with digitized sound, VGA graphics and full-motion video. Yo, and it's real cool too.
Will: You've been rejected your whole life. You should be used to it by now.
Will Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Carlton · Will: Somebody, pinch me. Ow!
Uncle Phil: Well, you see, you two left the TV on, and... And, well, I, you know...
Uncle Phil Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Uncle Phil: You want a piece of me?
Will: What about that piggy bank in your closet...under them issues of Big Butted Butler Babes?
Will Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Geoffrey: That was just a lucky guess, man.
Geoffrey Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Uncle Phil: Carlton's going to Princeton and you're panhandling. It's nice to see that everybody's reaching their potential.
Will Deadpan/Understatement Uncle Phil: Well, just keep them away from my car. I just got it waxed.
Hilary: Planned? I don't know. I thought I'd just watch them run around.
Hilary Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Carlton: Crash through the line of blue... Fight, fight For every yard. Princeton's honor to defend. Rah-rah-rah!
Carlton Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Will: So I guess that makes Pokey here the crème of wheat.
Will Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Uncle Phil: What's this? A Twinkie.
Will: A Afro pick. I wonder who this belonged to.
Will Observational Character Comedy Will: I don't think you wanna be shaking hands with President Johnson right now.
Will Wordplay/Pun Setup/Punchline Will: I mean, I know this might be a bad time, but you got some spare change?
Will Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Callback Will: Hey, look, Carlton, we're in a public place, man. Now don't embarrass me.
Will Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Will: Get out of here before I hurt you, girl.
Will Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Carlton · Will: Six and a half. Oh.
Carlton · Will: These look like they've been worn before. Carlton, take the shoes and come on. Fine.
Will · Carlton: Dude, you rolled a 130. That's good. You know what that means? That I'm a natural? No. You gotta buy lunch. Huh?
Blue Birds · Will: It's not Big Birds, Big Ears. It's Blue Birds. Big Ears. That's funny. I'm gonna remember that when cookie time roll around.
Hilary: Geoffrey, can you give us a ride to nature?
Hilary Character Comedy Absurdist Uncle Phil · Will: Heh, heh. That's your Aunt Viv. Yeah, uh, her facial hair was different back then.
Hilary: We were startled by a deer, swarmed by butterflies. And I have such a headache from that babbling brook.
Hilary Character Comedy Absurdist Will: What, the adapter for your inflatable doll came in?
Will Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Uncle Phil: Oh, so you're going to bowl? Ha-ha-ha. Well, that's very different. You certainly don't need Princeton for that.
Carlton: For the first time in my life, I'm standing on my own two feet filling my own two shoes.
Carlton Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Uncle Phil: Shut up, Will.
Vivian: It is a sad, sad day when Will Smith becomes the voice of reason.
Vivian Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Geoffrey: No. It just seemed the right thing to say.
Geoffrey Deadpan/Understatement Meta/Self-Referential Will: Pins? What is that short for, pinhead?
Will Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Carlton: I used to dream that I was being chased by hot dogs and doughnuts. But it's just a dream. It means nothing.
Will: The man's hopped up on a 25-year-old Twinkie.
Will Callback Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Carlton: Will, you're suffering from Pins envy.
Carlton Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Bowling Alley Employee: And by the way, I have a coffee break in 15 minutes.
Will: Oh, yeah? Well, why don't I not and say I did?
Will Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Will: Let's just grab our balls.
Will: Wait a... All right. Wait a minute. My shoe. My shoe... My shoe stuck. But... That's a do-over. That's not... No, hold up. No, that's a do-over. That's... No. Somebody paged me right when I went... Right when I was... Right when I was doing this, somebody paged me.
Will Physical/Slapstick Cringe/Discomfort Hilary: Last one in the sauna is gonna get clogged pores.
Hilary Character Comedy Visual Gag Will: I kind of took a different approach. I kind of, like, steered right at him, you know what I'm saying? I think I may have strengthened his resolve to throw his whole life away.
Will Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Will: But then I had found out bowling ain't no sport.
Will Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Uncle Phil: Will, I find out that you contributed to my son not going to Princeton... you will be picking my shoe leather out of...
Will: You're darn skippy, we should.
Will Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Carlton: Oh, sure, it offered a quick high, cheap thrills and fast women, but who wants that?
Carlton Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Carlton: Dad, I can beat you at bowling.
Carlton Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Uncle Phil: You want a piece of me?
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