sixmonthsofseinfeld

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 11: The Chinese Restaurant

You remember this one. You probably love it. How could you not I guess? This is one of the most beloved episodes of the series, and a classic “bottle episode.” Splitsider does a deep dive on this episode if you’re interested:

Still, NBC was unsatisfied and it took Larry David threatening to quit the show (with Seinfeld backing him up) to force NBC to finally allow the episode to be produced.

It surprised me that this episode came up so early in the nine season run. Everyone has their own thing going on here, and I couldn’t help but wonder while I was watching if this plot is a kind of sitcom adaptation of Waiting for Godot. 

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 10: The Baby Shower

George is outraged that a performance artist "drags me to BROOKLYN!”

This amazing line said by Elaine: “Epstein-barr with a twist of Lyme disease.”

Jerry can’t suffer Illegal cable. He just can’t handle the idea of it.

George definitely, definitely needs therapy.

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 9: The Deal

This episode is about whether Jerry and Elaine can sleep with each other casually and maintain their friendship. In 1991, this is lightyears ahead of Friends with Benefits and open relationships, and they basically conclude that it’s impossible. It is kinda sad at the end when Elaine can’t hold back her feelings for Jerry. 

Interestingly, you never see them kiss or do anything else. All the information is passed along in flirty banter that is really fun to watch. They talking about relationships and sex as “this” and “that,” in repartee that seems like it’s right out of the mouths of Nick and Nora Charles from the Thin Man movies.

Also, there’s a scene in Elaine’s apartment with her roommate talking about her improv class. I’d like to imagine that this is because all the standup comics working on the show think improv is the worst.

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 8: The Heart Attack

First, Larry David makes his first cameo as a late night TV monster.

Also, Stephen Tobolowsky appears as an Eastern medicine specialist. He’s supposed to be a real kook, and he is pretty funny. 

HOWEVER: His reasoning is sound about unnecessary medical procedures. He correctly describes the dynamic in which doctors end up pursuing treatments that are wasteful and extremely expensive. This episode is from 1991, but it seems especially prescient now in the wake of the debate over the Affordable Care Act. Don’t believe me? Read Dr. Atul Gawande’s amazing article on the subject in the New Yorker.

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 7: The Revenge

Newman, not an onscreen character yet, is introduced as a suicidal loser.

George trying to think of what job he could do now that he’s quit his job… sports, movies, talk show host, civil war, horses. 

George's extremely fucked up plan to get back at his boss is to put a date rape drug in his boss's drink!

Kramer is wearing the ruined suede jacket from S02E03: The Jacket.

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 6: The Statue

I have no memory of this episode, and it is super weird. There’s really weird Noir/Magnum PI thing going on here with really broad characters and statue theft. There’s a nice little conceit for each thing like Elaine’s friend being foreign, her boyfriend being an acting student, and Kramer getting a 50′s outfit from Jerry. 

Also, there’s another one of those made up children’s games! This one’s called Ink-a-dink, and it’s like eeny meeny miney mo. I love these, and I’m so perplexed by them.

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 5: The Apartment

More apartment scheming. This episode has the very first “get out” push by Elaine. Funny from the get-go.

The premise of this episode is that Jerry thinks it’ll be weird to have Elaine living above him. I mean, I guess. But really? They’re friends, in their 30′s. That sounds nice, and probably not as awkward as they think it could be.

Also, George declares: “For I am Costanza, lord of the idiots.” 

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 4: The Phone Message

Don’t worry! I haven’t given up. I’ve watched a host of episodes and saved up a bunch of drafts. I’ll start catching up... now.

This episode features George misinterpreting his companion asking him if he wants to “come up for coffee” at midnight, after a date. Of course he’s dumb, but she’s also dumb for using weird coded language for what she really wants. 

So of course there’s a crazy scheme where Jerry must switch the answering machine tapes. These kind of things have such an effect on me that I must get up and half-leave the room, peeking around the corner to see what happens. I would bet this is the direct influence of Larry David because this happens most to me when I watch Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

Also, we learn Jerry is lactose intolerant. Really?

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Frank Macchia (@frank_macchia)

Been watching an irresponsible amount of #Seinfeld since it went up on Hulu. Had to get some George animation out of my system.

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 3: The Jacket

The premise revolves around the idea that the perfect jacket would be a suede dad jacket. I just can’t relate to this idea.

Also, this episode has me wondering... Do they drink? George and Jerry are stuck along with Elaine’s super gruff and intimidating dad. They have the opportunity to order a drink and they both get non-alcoholic stuff. You’d think they would want a drink in exactly that situation. THAT is the time to relax and loosen up. 

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 2: The Pony Remark

This episode does not make any sense on paper, and that’s why it’s excellent:

Jerry accident offends an elderly distant relation at a dinner when he says that he hates anyone who had a pony growing up. She is offended (”I had a pony!”) and walks out. Then she dies and Jerry has to choose between going to his softball team’s championship game and the funeral of the woman who’s death he may have had some part in. 

Also, this show is very good at sneaking in bits of Jewish life and tradition in. For example, Jews often have funerals very quickly after death because the dead are traditionally not embalmed. It just happens to work for the premise of this episode!

Also, LEVELS (like ancient Egypt):

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 2, Episode 1: The Ex-Girlfriend

This episode features a virtuoso performance from George after breaking up with Marlene, who is way too hot for George. She is a weird character who’s kinda like a female Matthew Mcconagha. It culminates in the above clip where, in a twist, Jerry is dumped because of his comedy act.

The highlight of the episode, is when George, apropos of nothing, swallows a fly in the dinner and asks a stranger, “what could happen?”

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 1, Episode 5: The Stock Tip

This episode starts with Jerry and George arguing: Would Superman be funny? Jerry says that why wouldn’t the yellow sun of Earth affect this ability to be funny like anything else? George disagrees. They take it so seriously. Later in the episode, Elaine is chastised for her poor Superman knowledge.

I’m not so sure Superman would have a good sense of humor. I think he’s got nothing to complain about, and he’s always dealing with threats of violence. Plus, his personality seems wholly formed by his parents who raised him on their farm.

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 1, Episode 4: Male Unbonding

This episode features Kevin Dunn, who’s amazing on Veep, as Jerry’s “friend” Joel. The central question is a good one: What do you do with a friend who you used to be closer with but you don’t want to hang out anymore? This isn’t easy, but Joel lost me as soon as he was rude to the waitress.

Also, Kramerica Industries makes a first appearance, with an idea that I think would actually work. A place where people can make their own pizza. 

Jerry: “I can’t imagine anyone in any circumstance, wanting to make their own pizza pie.”

And, George can’t deposit all his change at the bank. He has to put it in rolls. Coinstar doesn’t exist yet. But I think he might hate it because of the percentage they take.

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 1, Episode 3: The Robbery

This episode has Jerry’s apartment getting robbed while Eliane is apartment-sitting for him. If he doesn’t seem too worried, maybe it’s because, as he says during a stand-up interlude, it’s 18th time being robbed. DUDE THAT IS TOO MANY TIMES. 

Amusingly, Jerry doesn’t have renters insurance because he spent extra money on a fancy deadbolt called the Clacko D-29.

Briefly:

It’s weird that the comedian is the wealthy friend, right?

Isn’t a three year lease very long by any standard?

They have a super weird version of rock paper scissors called “choose.” Has anyone ever heard of this before?

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 1, Episode 2: The Stakeout

Almost all of the familiar elements are now in place. When we first see Elaine, she and Jerry are looking for VHS movies at a video rental store and we learn that they were already a couple in the past. I think that’s an interesting to do, to establish these characters with some ambiguous dating backstory. 

Also in this episode we hear Jerry’s interior voice-over narration. Trying to remember if this ever shows up again, but it definitely jumped out as weird.

Jerry’s Dad is Philip Bruns in this one, who knows how long he’ll last before being recast into the Morty Seinfeld we all remember. 

Interestedly, Elaine is described as being “from Maryland” by Jerry’s mom. Julia Louis-Dreyfus grew up in Maryland. Her dad is a billionaire. Her character on Veep, Selina Meyer, was a senator from Maryland.

Finally, this episode features George’s creation of Art Vandelay, the imagined import-export businessman, during George and Jerry very creepy date-stakeout. 

[sixmonthsofseinfeld]

Season 1, Episode 1: The Seinfeld Chronicles

It seems impossible to ignore: nine seasons of Seinfeld released for streaming on my birthday, June 24th, 2015. My last name is Kramer. Meant to be. So I’m going to give this a try: I’m going to watch every episode of what I used to call my favorite show by the end of the year. Also I’m a cartoonist so occasionally I’ll draw stuff. Here goes!

Pilots are a weird thing. It’s weird that this pilot was rejected by NBC and revived a year later for four episodes. Weirder still, this aired in 1989. There plenty of moments that genuinely make the show feel dated, which I imagine will continue I as keep watching the show. 

But still! In this episode George and Jerry pick up a lady at JFK airport. Not only do they meet her at the gate, but they all literally leave her bag unattended! Is it weirder that they did that in 1989 or that it jumped out to me in 2015?

Something else I noticed in this pilot: there’s some backstory for Kramer that I think gets changed later. I don’t remember and will have to look for this as I watch, but I noticed these lines (emphasis mine).

Jerry: “You haven’t been out of the building in ten years.” (Kramer agrees.)

Kramer: “I was almost a lawyer.” (Holding his fingers apart like ‘this close.’)

Yes, it’s funny. And most of the little differences are amusing: Pete’s Tavern is the restaurant and the waitress is a character named Claire (Lee Garlington, the original female lead, not Julia Louis Dreyfus); the apartment is different. It’ll be interesting to note the differences between this and the second episode. I won’t always write this much, but sometimes I will.