George panics about his oncoming wedding to Susan and tries to convince her to postpone it to Spring; after initially failing, he finds crying convinces her. Elaine tells a rabbi friend about her anxieties over George getting married, and he ends up telling everyone she knows. Jerry and Kramer go to the movies, where Kramer spills coffee on himself.

Written by: Larry David
Directed by: Andy Ackerman

This shift in the status quo has led to some juicy new material. Famously, Jason Alexander got very frustrated with Susan’s actress Heidi Swedberg, because he found he couldn’t quite get into a comedic rhythm with her; he’s always been clear that it’s not because she was a bad actress, but that she wasn’t quite right for the material or the chemistry. I stand with people who say this was what makes her fun to watch for this arc, even as I can sympathise with how frustrating that must have been as an actor; Susan and Swedberg together are sincere and sympathetic, two things that don’t belong anywhere near Seinfeld.

Because of this, they both end up revealing more about the principles at the heart of the show. The way Susan ‘breaks’ a typical Seinfeldian conversation – first, by being reasonable, then by not wanting to finish the conversation is so funny on the show’s non-quite-meta basis, but it also reveals how there is a core of sympathy to George. I know he’s a buffoon and often a terrible person, but when he splutters “I think the subject should resolve itself based on its momentum,” I know exactly what he means and agree completely. I actually had this issue, with my cousin’s partner; I kept finding the rhythms of our conversation styles butting up against each other, because I’m so used to a Seinfeldian back-and-forth exchanging of ideas, and he was under the impression that a conversation is where he monologues to me endlessly and I sit there and listen.

The joy at the heart of Seinfeld is very New York, very Jewish, and very intellectual: being on the exact same rhythm as some other person and watching an idea bounce back and forth like a tennis ball (this is also at the heart of a Family Guy parody of Seinfeld). One has a certain detachment to ideas and a willingness to beat them up and even be wrong; Susan messes up the rhythm by placing agreeableness and conflict avoidance over that, not just in her solution to George’s problem but in her dropping the subject as soon as conflict comes up. It can often be weird for us intellectual wannabe types to deal with that.

TOPICS O’ THE WEEK

• “That’s not a system. That’s a complete breakdown of the system.”
• The Rabbi is a great Seinfeld weirdo. Unlike many Seinfeld weirdos, he actually does have a clear explanation – a mixture of being used to being a TV rabbi and having little social awareness.
• “Have I ever been less than forthright?”
• “See, now that I don’t care for.” This is a big Seinfeld meme, I notice, mostly because of its applicability.
• “That’s exactly what I said, except I said momentum!”
• This has the first reveal that Elaine isn’t Jewish, despite a vague assumption up until now. This will become much more relevant in “The Serenity Now”.
• Elaine feeling no joy at seeing her friend succeed is a quintessential Seinfeld character trait, and is a clear part of the ironic point of view of the show. It’s also something Always Sunny would run away with. Her feeling that George’s marital success reflects on her is also a very Seinfeld idea; as beloved commentor Raven Wilder points out, characters on this show are deeply concerned about what their actions say about them more than anything else, and this feels like the next level of that – the world I’m in says something about me too.
• A reference is dropped to “The Chinese Restaurant”, and Jerry finally gets to see Plan Nine From Outer Space.
• Jerry speculates on the notion of conjugal sex in prison. Could you imagine the characters in prison?
• “I recall the word ‘loser’ peppered throughout the conversation.”
• This kicks off the running plot of Kramer suing a coffee place because he spilled hot coffee on himself. This was based on the woman who sued McDonald’s for the same reason; it is, of course, now common knowledge that her lawsuit was completely justified and McDonald’s had been serving their coffee illegally hot, and that her burns including her genitals getting glued together from the heat. Nevertheless, the damage to the reputation of the American system of suing has been done (despite studies showing Americans are no more or less litigious than any other country; Germany and Sweden have them beat).
• “Elaine, if I could say a word about the Jewish people. That man in no way represents our ability to take in a nice piece of juicy gossip and keep it to ourselves.”
• Great expression on Elaine’s face that she freezes like a Looney Tunes character, when George accidentally hits on her insecurity.

Biggest Laugh: This is famous but yes, it still got to me. It’s such a realistic dumb conversation, and I love that it becomes a runner, with the climax of Jerry turning Kramer in at the theater.

Next Week: “The Maestro”