Jerry is trying to entertain a friend in the hospital. George is dating a woman he’s considering breaking up with, only for a mutual friend to warn her about him, causing him to double his efforts to keep the relationship working. Elaine dates a man who flashes his penis at her. Kramer and his friend Mickey are standins on a television show; Mickey is under fire for using lifts to match his actor’s growing height.

Written by: Larry David
Directed by: Tom Cherones

One fascinating element of this show is its low-key somewhat feminist approach. A friend of mine has observed that many of Elaine’s romantic problems come off very effectively because she dresses just as dogshit and every-day as the male characters; people have remarked that Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is more attractive the older she gets, which is largely down to the fact that Elaine dressed like an asshole, and my friend’s argument is that, because Elaine is not presented as attractive, her problems can’t be ‘blamed’ on her appearance, but on men just treating her like shit. My addition onto this is that Elaine’s very traditionally female problems are treated just like any other problem on the show – not only lifted from reality as ruthlessly as possible, but explored to the extent that it’s funny with no commentary.

JLD makes an entire meal out of the plot; not just her incredible reaction to It being Taken Out, but her deeply exasperated delivery of the story of how It got Taken Out. I find myself wondering who had the idea to have her breathe on her glasses, the perfect underlining of her controlled rage. Jerry’s baffled reaction (and later, George’s) is so funny to me too, as a representation of those of us who simply would not have thought to do that – I find myself thinking of the first time I heard about unsolicited dick pics, where more than anything I was baffled who told them to do that.

(I also love that Kramer, unlike Jerry, immediately grasps the meaning of “He took it out”.)

Meanwhile, the stuff with Mickey is incredibly amusing and strikes me as very Larry David; it’s hilarious that he would assume an elaborate system of rules and unspoken codes about little people working in the film industry, probably not incorrectly even if the precise rules probably aren’t about lifts. Like many of Larry David’s social rules, there is a weird logic to it – wearing lifts feels unfair to the other little people, right? Though if I understand industries, when losing one job to growing actors, the powers that be that you’re reliable for will tend to pass you along to another.

TOPICS O’ THE WEEK

• Jerry’s opening tirade against busses is such an American argument. I don’t know why Americans hate the concept of a bus so much.
• Jerry and George open this episode discussing how they can make conversation out of nothing to talk about.
• George’s remark that he can’t help but make sick people feel his pity was relatable; I have a recent story of running into a friend after he left the hospital due to a serious medical issue and remarking slightly too bluntly that he looked like shit. That comment would have made me feel better!
• Eggs are eggs!”
• The subplot of Jerry trying to make his sick friend laugh is such a great riff on the way having a skill tends to lead people to ask you to perform party tricks on cue.
• I enjoy Kramer’s wild, unnecessary overacting. Especially off Mickey’s underacting.
• “I don’t know what he’s going to do with all that potato salad!”
• “Well, you know, maybe it needed some air.”
• “I spent so much time trying to get their clothes off, I never thought of taking off mine.”
• Phil being offended by public breastfeeding is such a perfect note to end that plot on.

Biggest Laugh:

Next Week: “The Wife”