30 Rock Explains Relationships in Two Lines

On 30 Rock this week, there was a line that both made me laugh out loud and offered a key insight about relationships.

Liz: What makes a guy get bored in a dating situation?

Jack: Questions like that.

The only change I’d make is to replace “bored” with “lose interest in.” I say that because relationships don’t need to be constantly stimulating. If you rely on a relationship for all of your stimulation, you’re going to be disappointed.

However, it’s questions and discussions like the one above that make guys (and girls) lose interest in the dating situation. Especially long-distance dating situations. If you spend most of your time talking about the relationships, you lose sight of the other person and what excited you (intellectually) about them in the first place.

6 thoughts on “30 Rock Explains Relationships in Two Lines”

  1. My husband and I watched that together and laughed at that line because it is kind of true.

    “If you spend most of your time talking about the relationships, you lose sight of the other person and what excited you (intellectually) about them in the first place.”

    There’s something to be said about not being “ON” all the time. I like the comfort “I can be boring around you.”

    When in a relationship, I don’t think it’s healthy to be entertaining all of the time or pressured to be entertaining. Does that make sense?

    Reply
    • Well said: “I like the comfort of ‘I can be boring around you.'” That is a nice comfort for a solid relationship. And that’s what I’m saying–Liz’s line should be revised so it’s not about boredom. It’s about interest. And I know I lose interest quickly when a woman is more interested in talking about “us” and the relationship than talking about…well, pretty much anything but that! 🙂

      Reply
  2. I think comments like Liz asked shows an insecurity in the relationship. What has the guy done to make Liz question the relationship? Or Why does Liz have an endless hole in her faith in the relationship? I agree with Harley that a relationship does not always need to be entertaining – but that comes with security in the other person’s ‘love’. How many times do you see a couple in a restaurant eating and not talking? Do they look bored or content?

    Reply
    • Insecurity plays a HUGE part in it. I think a guy can always take measures (being considerate, communicative, and present) to cut down on a woman’s insecurity (or vice versa), but in the end, solving insecurity comes from within.

      Funny you should mention couples who don’t talk in restaurants. I never get that. I think it’s fine to be comfortable with silence in relationships, but it’s a little weird when you pick an activity that’s geared towards conversation–like sharing a meal in public–and you don’t end up talking. I saw a couple do that last night. They were out for a drink, but they weren’t saying a word to one another.

      Reply
  3. This episode is still on my Tivo. But did you notice a few weeks ago they used my name? When Jack shows up at the Microwave research center, and the researchers all say that American names are the same, and call him by the wrong name. That wrong name was me. I AM THAT WRONG NAME!!! This must be what Ray Kinsella felt link when he read his dad’s name in Terance Man’s story!

    Reply

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