Jerry schemes to meet his girlfriend in-between shows, only to be harangued by an overly-helpful assistant. Elaine tries to quit her job, but her boss reveals he plans to put her in his will, only for her actions to make it look like she’s trying to kill him. George tries to look good in front of his boss by making a black friend, only to be George. Kramer becomes embroiled in gambling on arrivals at the airport.
Written by: Tom Gammill & Max Ross
Directed by: Andy Ackerman
Jerry is often dismissed as the least interesting member of the group; as the straight man who mainly comments on the action, lacking the extreme behaviour of George and Kramer and the proto-girlfailure attitude of Elaine, he can come off bland. I’ve said before that I think this understates his personal weirdness and speaks as to how well he fits into the fabric of the show’s worldview, but I also think it ignores just how good Jerry is at being the Straight Man (the comic archetype, not the sexuality and gender). Frankly, I don’t think there’s a better example of the Form; stranger and more specific examples, like Lisa Simpson; warped parodies of the concept like Dennis Reynolds; and of course, many straightforward examples of the form like Brian Griffin.
But to my eye, nobody simply is a Straight Man like Jerry, and I have to say, much of it is down to Seinfeld (comedian) and his performance. Seinfeld is clearly always having a ball as Jerry, and this means he projects an air of calm and serenity that comes from not taking any of this remotely seriously; even his freakouts have a playful edge to them, and this episode is built entirely around one long, slow freakout. I wonder how much of Seinfeld’s pleasure in making the show was being ‘naughty’; the barbs and insults he throws around, the casual sociopathy, and losing his temper at people without real consequence. Probably the closest I can think of to Jerry are Bill Murray’s characters – Stripes, Ghostbusters – before Harold Ramis started bringing out the sadness in them in Groundhog Day.
TOPICS O’ THE WEEK
- “I’ve done the march in. Best feeling in the world!” / “How ‘bout the march out?” / “Not as good.”
- This episode shows how much the interconnectedness matters to this show by limiting it much more strongly; the connections are few and almost obvious for this show, and they’re all hilarious.
- “I suppose we all look alike to you, Mr Costanza.”
- A white character trying to prove they’re not racist with a black friend is obvious; George trying to prove he’s not racist by desperately combing through every black person he’s ever met, no matter how tenuous, pushes the concept into absurdity. I particularly enjoy the desperation embedded in the attempt to appeal to the guy he tried watching Breakfast At Tiffany’s with.
- Jerry being mistaken for a pharmacist by Mr Pitt is classic Seinfeld. I love that it comes after Jerry observing that he never actually met the guy.
- Katie – played by TV mainstay Debra Jo Kupp – is such a great character with a touch more personality than most Seinfeld weirdos get.
- This was the first episode filmed with no studio audience.
- This is also a great episode for the music. Jonathan Wolff elegantly carries us through the plot without a pause.
- “Jerry? Yes, I suppose he is white.”
Biggest Laugh:
Next Week: “The Face Painter”