Jerry and George have a conversation about how childlike they feel, which leads George to impulsively marry Susan, only to be disappointed when Jerry doesn’t follow through with his own girlfriend. Elaine enlists Kramer and Newman in a scheme to stop a barking dog.
Written by: Larry David
Directed by: Andy Ackerman
This is yet another turning point in the show. What separates the great comedies from the merely funny is a willingness to constantly evolve; this whole thing was a creative impulse of Larry David, returning to the story arcs of earlier seasons with two crucial differences. Firstly, he had no idea how exactly the situation was going to resolve when he started it. Secondly, and more importantly, this is a vast shift in content. Changing up the status quo is nothing new, even if you limit yourself to George’s life; in a way, this is no different from him taking a job with the Yankees. Except it’s completely different, because now he’s trapped by societal convention as never before.
In a way, this is an escalation of the basic comic premise of the show. What is marriage but a series of expectations and favours? In fact, it becomes another way to separate Jerry from George for a while; Jerry can continue to have the free-spirited bachelor life, while George has the crushing weight of having to do things. This new situation also brings new substance to the show, which is ironic because it’s specifically about how shallow the characters are. I’d even say this shows how Jerry and George are shallow in different ways; Jerry’s the one who has the temporary insight into his life, a thoughtful consideration of where he is and what he wants, and George is the one to run away with it.
Jerry and George move through the world with a deep sense of shame. They’re looking to seize the one set of actions that will make the world make sense, and the world does not operate like that; instead, it’s a Rube Goldberg machine bouncing from cause to effect with no moral connection between one or the other. Jerry, for the most part, is comfortable with this, because he knows what he wants (to do standup). This grounds him in a way it doesn’t George, who is seized by his emotions and must desperately fulfil them.
SCATTERED NOTES
- “I’m much more comfortable criticising people behind their backs.”
- The scene that kicks off the premise is also another example of the show’s just-short-of-fourth-wall-breaking self-awareness.
- “Yeah, like I don’t know that I’m pathetic.”
- There’s a very small runner – just two beats – of the ‘happy pappy’ comment.
- Elaine’s plot is also great, where she’s as smart as Jerry but as impulsive as George.
- Part of what makes this so funny is that Jason Alexander plays George’s introspection so sincerely.
- “Frank, come here!” / “You come here!”
- “It took a couple hours of convincing, but I was persistent!”
- “That’s a deal where I come from!” / “We come from the same place!”
- I enjoy that Kramer’s dream of the dog has him in a very Tom Sawyer slice-of-Americana situation.
- A great note that Jerry immediately figures out Newman was involved with such a weirdly specific joke about his weight.
- “What took you so long?”
Biggest Laugh: George’s rage increasing during this whole scene is great. “She scooped the niblets?”
Next Week: “The Postponement”.