George is initially ecstatic to be a free bachelor after the mourning period, only for Susan’s parents to give him a spot on the board of directors of a foundation dedicated to her memory. J Peterman flees the country, leaving Elaine in charge of the company. Jerry discovers that having been engaged makes him more attractive. Kramer is learning karate alongside children.

Written by: Alec Berg & Jeff Schaffer
Directed by: Andy Ackerman

Beloved commentor Raven Wilder remarked recently that George was driven in an episode by trying to avoid responsibility, and I think you can see that all over this episode, to the point of it being all over the show. You could almost see it as the basic theme of Seinfeld – how do I avoid as much responsibility as possible? Part of the big joke with George this episode is thinking that he was entirely free, only to be sucked into the work of running a foundation (or at least being on the board of directors – isn’t that one of those once-a-month jobs?). When you think about it, Jerry and George are actually already living their ideal lifestyle – having coffee, going on dates, going to the movies and baseball games, etc – except Jerry is pretty close to self-aware and George, uh, isn’t.

It even works with Elaine’s story here; she’s put in charge on Peterman’s catalogue, enjoys the feeling of power for a few days, and then collapses when faced with actual responsibility. Cartoonist Tim Krieder remarked one of the pitfalls of being an autodidact is that you don’t have someone to tell you that ‘you’re headed down a blind alley, straying far from your area of competence, or just talking out of your ass’; Elaine, whilst having about as much self-awareness as George, is generally smart enough to realise she doesn’t want to be the one to clean up after other people. There’s a certain freedom in not being the guy up the top, and that freedom is ‘being able to say or do whatever stupid idea comes into your head without dealing with the consequences’.

TOPICS O’ THE WEEK

• “I don’t mind cemeteries. In fact, now I see why people like golf. It’s nice to be outside in a well-landscaped area.”
• “I have mourned for three long months! Anyone can mourn in January!”
• “You don’t respect my work at all, do you?” / “No, I don’t.”
• I forgot Dolores comes back. Jerry obviously says her name as often as possible.
• “You most likely know it as Myanmar but it’ll always be Burma to me!”
• Great moments in blocking: Jerry reacting to everything Kramer says to encourage Elaine. George putting mustard in Jerry’s coffee (“Problem?”).
• “We’re all at the same skill level, Jerry!” I forgot how offended Kramer sounded when he said that. This subplot was based on a real friend Berg and Shaffer had, who bragged about being in a karate class but was, in fact, alongside children. Though I doubt he was actually fighting them specifically.
• “I want four new ideas from each of you at six o’clock. No, make that six ideas by four o’clock!”
• “I hope my parents go long before I do.”
• “This can’t be easy.” / “You know, it really can’t.”
• “Nobody sees the… cover.”
• This episode is dedicated to Marjorie Gross – writer of “The Fusilli Jerry”, “The Understudy”, “The Shower Head”, and “The Secretary” – at the age of forty, from ovarian cancer.

Biggest Laugh:

Next Week: “The Soul Mate”