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Tear Jerker / 30 Rock

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  • Colleen's quiet death in a Central Park horse carriage. Jack during the entire episode thinks she's lying about dying. It isn't helped that she refuses to take an ambulance to the hospital (where her heart attack might have been prevented), but it seems at age 87 she simply felt she was holding Jack back. Elaine Stritch herself passed away a year and a half later.
  • The ending of A Goon's Deed in a Weary World has two moments, that also double as heartwarming. First, a wedge has come between Jack and Kenneth due to Jack wanting to pick a corporate shark to run NBC, leading Kenneth to tell Jack that he is not right to be in charge, since Kenneth believes someone in charge of a TV network should love TV. Kenneth comes to Jack's office to resign and Jack admits Kenneth was right, and he then names Kenneth as his successor, putting him in charge.
    • In the same episode, Liz has spent all her time and attention to save the show, even as the time to meet her and Chris' adopted children approaches, yelling at the cast and crew that she has been the only one who cared about the show first and everything else second for seven years. Eventually, everyone declares that they will quit rather than make Liz prioritize the show, giving her time to go to the airport with Chris and meet their new children-who turn out to be adorably similar to Tracy and Jenna, which makes Liz happy.
  • Trust 30 Rock to turn the ridiculously incomprehensible theme to the "Rural Juror" into an emotional and touching goodbye in the Grand Finale.
    Jenna: [singing] These were the best days of my...flerm
  • Tina Fey's final "Ask Tina" letter which asked, "Did you go to there?"
    Tina: Yeah, I think we did, Kate. I think we did." (Tina waved, and whispered, "Bye!")
  • Angie telling Liz in the Queen of Jordan episode that she misses Tracey and that she's worried he might not come back is heartbreaking.
  • Jack's heart attack in season one. Doubles as a heartwarming moment between him and Liz when she learns that she is his emergency contact.
    • Comes full circle when Liz gets a root canal on Valentine's Day to cope with still being single. Turns out Jack is her emergency contact. He picks her up while she's still on the anesthetic, drops her off at home, and puts her to bed without complaint.
  • Liz is genuinely upset to realize that rather than being the typical nerd being picked on by bullies, she was the bully picking on everyone. It's bad enough to begin with, but also a very demonstration of what often happens in Real Life, that someone being bullied can turn into one themselves.

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