30 Rock Thinks Rape Is Hilarious

[Trigger warning for sexual assault, spousal abuse, clergy abuse.]

Several people emailed me or mentioned in comments that last night's episode of 30 Rock, which was the season five premiere, contained a rape joke/scene of rape. I don't normally watch the show, so I didn't see it—but I watched the whole episode in its entirely on Hulu this morning, and there was not one, but three rape jokes in it.

1. At 2:12: Jack (Alec Baldwin): "In order for this merger to stay attractive to our friends at CableTown, we have to seem like a sexy, profitable company—and we're almost pulling it off. The Harry Potter theme park is huge hit with both anglophiles and pedophiles."

2. At 12:45: Pete (Scott Adsit): "This Jenna promotion is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Do you understand how much free time I have now? Yesterday, I went to the gym. And, this morning, I made love to my wife. And she was still asleep, so I didn't have to be gentle." [Cut to a sleeping woman being raped by her husband, from his perspective, but it's hilarious because she's fat and her boobs are bouncing around and she's snoring.] Liz (Tina Fey): "That is one of the most upsetting things I have ever imagined." Pete: "Are you sure? Think about it again." [Cut to the scene of the woman being raped again.] Liz: "Yes!" (TW: Shaker Andy emailed this gif that breaks down the scene.)

3. At 19:00: Liz says to her boyfriend Carol (Matt Damon): "How do we move this forward in the time allotted?" Carol says, "All right, let's each say one thing about ourselves that the other person doesn't know, on the count of three. All right, ready? One, two, three." Liz says: "I'm on a waiting list to adopt a kid," while Carol says, "Touched by a priest; it's fine."

It's #2 that people are talking about this morning, because it actually depicts the rape, no less from the rapist's perspective. But it's also bookended by two jokes about child rape.

I don't even know what to say anymore.

[Rape is Hilarious: Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, Thirty-Three, Thirty-Four, Thirty-Five, Thirty-Six, Thirty-Seven, Thirty-Eight, Thirty-Nine, Forty, Forty-One, Forty Two, Forty-Three, Forty-Four, Forty-Five, Forty-Six, Forty-Seven, Forty-Eight, Forty-Nine, Fifty, Fifty-One, Fifty-Two, Fifty-Three, Fifty-Four.]