Jerry, George, and Kramer play basketball with a man named Jimmy who refers to himself in the third person. George and Jimmy try and go into business together selling weighted shoes; this creates a misunderstanding when George eats spicy food before being questioned about missing equipment from his job. Elaine also misunderstands Jimmy and ends up going out with him because of it. Jerry has dental work done by Tim Whately and is disturbed by both his waiting room magazines and the possibility that Tim assaulted him.

Written by: Gregg Kavet & Andy Robin
Directed by: Andy Ackerman

Now this is a bit of a weird one. This has a gag about Jerry possibly being sexually assaulted by a dentist and his hygienist, and it glides over it in the usual way while being very clear about what’s happened, and it creates a very odd tone that’s very typical of Seinfeld. I think the fact that Elaine is so blase about it because it’s happened to her is what swings it around into something both horrifying and funny; it’s very in-character for Elaine, when no force is acting on or observing her, to be unsympathetic, and conversely it creates a weird sympathy for anyone who has ended up in this situation. I think it’s also the fact that it happened to Jerry specifically makes this interesting if not funny; it’s not the first time Jerry has been thrown into a, uh, undignified position, but his relative blankness compared to everyone else makes it strange and funny.

Meanwhile, the eponymous Jimmy is such a specific character simply for committing to a single bit. If you ignore that annoying way of talking, he’s actually fairly ordinary in his actions and motivations; but then, his annoying way of talking ends up generating plot when Elaine misunderstands him. In this case, I think Jimmy’s behaviour is so clear that his psychology – so rarely something of interest to the show – is actually fairly obvious, where he started talking like that because he thought it was interesting and made him stand out, and it became habit for him.

Having George absorb this is an act of brilliance. He is, of course, insecure enough to leech off the confidence of someone else; the fact that he doesn’t even realise he’s doing it is what makes this so funny. He’s habitually and thoughtlessly stealing the behaviour of others, like a child imitating the cool kids. The fact that Jimmy is annoying is both funny and kind of revealing; he’s successfully made himself someone memorable and of note, in spite of being so annoying.

TOPICS O’ THE WEEK

• “You gotta eat before surgery. You need your strength.”
• “I can’t watch a man sing a song. […] They get all emotional, they sway, it’s embarrassing.” This is the most bizarre thing Jerry has ever said.
• “He’s a doctor! It’s supposed to be like a sterile environment!”
• Great moments in blocking: Kramer standing near the door when George enters, scaring him.
• “Will you stop with the Jimmys?”
• It says something that I remembered significant chunks of this episode – the Jimmys, the spicy chicken, Tim Whately’s dentistry practices – but forgot, like, half of it, like Kramer been mistaken for a disabled man and George selling weighted shoes.
• “Jimmy’s down!”
• “He was very impressed by what I do!” / “What you do? You don’t do anything.”
• Tim taking a shot of nitrous was improv on Cranston’s part.
• “George is gettin’ upset!”

Biggest Laugh:

Next Week: “The Doodle”