Episode Diary 2-6: The Chinese Restaurant

Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy at work. I will finish up season two's remaining episode diaries, then intermittently add some fun stuff as I continue. Anyway, on with "The Chinese Restaurant".

Storylines: Elaine, George and Jerry get stuck waiting in a Chinese Restaurant while trying to catch a movie. Elaine becomes extremely hungry, George loses his patience while waiting to use the phone and Jerry recognizes someone, but doesn’t remember who she is.

Personal Take: Ah, the Chinese Restaurant. The episode that became famous, or infamous, depending on how you look at it. This is why Seinfeld became known as “The show about nothing.” It’s about three people waiting to eat in a restaurant. That’s it. For 23 minutes, the audience is literally watching three people wait for a table. The fact that the show was done in real time was the icing on the cake. It’s really just one long scene. I mean, how do you do that in television and get away with it? Not only is this another first for Seinfeld, but they did it in style.

It is surprising how much actually happens (or at least gets discussed) in this episode. Considering the whole episode is one take and there are no set changes or anything like that, the three of them still have their own substantive little plots. This episode is one of those this-could-happen-to-anyone kinds of things, where it’s relatable to everyone because we’ve all had to wait our turn to be seated at a restaurant.

Other notes:

-The bathroom situation George describes to Jerry really could only happen to him. Who else would lie to get out of the awkward situation of having to go to the bathroom within audible distance of a person in the next room? It reminds me of a scene in an episode of “That 70s Show” where Eric is running through the living room because he has to go to the bathroom, but he’s shy about doing so with Donna in the next room. “Don’t stop loving me,” Eric shouts as he goes through the room. It can be quite a hilarious predicament, that’s for sure.

-The two jobs of policemen and garbage men absolutely should be combined into two jobs (okay, that’s a joke….sort of).

Gaps in Society: This episode is a gold mine. First off, why do people treat pay phones (or at least, why did they, since no one uses pay phones anymore) like their own personal phones? Sometimes people have a blatant disregard for the urgencies and problems of a fellow individual. So please, if you have a chance to help someone by not being such a complete butthead, take that opportunity.

I don’t mean to be racist or stereotype people, but it is absolutely annoying to go to a store or restaurant or whatever and try to communicate with someone who barely speaks English. I don’t care if it’s a Chinese restaurant or not, it shouldn’t be hard to communicate with someone who has to talk to every customer that comes in. Furthermore, there’s just a certain understanding of basic customs most Americans understand, but dealing with people who don’t get it is painful.

Jerry’s bits: Jerry opens with a bit on the phone company calling you back at a pay phone, demanding more money (seriously, who’s going to do that?). His other bit is about cannibalism. “Wow, this is really good. Who is this?”

Best Lines:

Elaine: I feel like just walking over there and taking food off of somebody’s plate.

Jerry: I tell you what, there’s 50 bucks in if for you if you do it.

…Elaine: Should I do it George?

George: For 50 bucks? I’d put my face in their soup and blow.

George: So I’m dressing, and she’s staring up at me, struggling to compute this unprecedented turn of events. I don’t know what to say to reassure this woman, and worst of all, I don’t have the time to say it.

Tidbits:

The guy who takes too long on the pay phone makes another appearance on the show as a photographer in “The Puffy Shirt”….This is one of two episodes in which Kramer doesn’t make an appearance, with the other being “The Pen.” The reason was because, at the time, Kramer didn’t usually go out with the group....Jerry mentions he has a sister in this episode, but she is never mentioned again. Believe it or not, though, the show never mentions that Jerry is an only child, though we’re sort of led to believe that.

Running jokes/references/connections:

This is the first mention of “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” the movie the group doesn’t get to see because of the restaurant fiasco. After seeing a poster for the movie, Jerry mentions to Kramer how he never got to see the movie in “The ???”…In deleted material of the episode, Jerry asks George why he is limping, and George tells him it’s because he tried to untuck bed sheets while in a hotel, a problem that occurs again in Season 3’s premiere, “The Note”….Jerry mentions to the restaurant host that he and Elaine used to date….Jerry and George use the storyline of this episode as a pitch to the NBC Executives in Season 4’s “The Pitch.”

Episode Diary 2-5: The Jacket

Storylines: Jerry buys a really expensive suede jacket. Kramer tries to get someone to watch his car while it’s double parked so he can pick up some doves. Elaine invites Jerry and George to have dinner with her father, who’s an intimidating alcoholic writer, but Elaine is late, leaving George and Jerry to fend for themselves against Mr. Benes.

Personal Take: This episode gives us a good insight to one facet of Kramer’s psyche. After Jerry buys his new, expensive jacket, Kramer kind of haggles Jerry into taking his old jacket. Not only does he rarely have a job on the series (or maybe because of that fact), but Kramer often times is a freeloader. The show also gives us the first of several pieces of evidence that Kramer has no concept of time. He tells Elaine to watch his car for two minutes while it’s double-parked, but it ends up being more than 20 minutes. All of this leaves us to wonder, “What exactly does Kramer do with his time?” One of many reasons why Kramer is the oddball of the group.

Other notes:

I think it’s funny that Jerry feels totally comfortable wearing a pink-striped jacket when he flips it inside out….

Gaps in Society: First off, why the heck do jackets cost so freakin’ much? At least Jerry isn’t getting it for some sense of societal status. He certainly isn’t conscious about the jacket when he decides to turn it inside out, putting the pink and white stripes on full display (again with pink!). Apparently, Elaine’s father thinks highly enough of himself to not want to be seen with someone who looks like a fool. That’s pretty ridiculous, but I’m sure there plenty of people in real life who are just like that.

Jerry’s bits: He starts by saying how he doesn’t like putting together outfits every day, but it doesn’t matter, because at some point in the future, we’re all going to decide to wear the same outfit since that’s how people the future or other planets are. His second bit is about how intimidating fathers can be. He ends the episode with a bit wondering why suede gets ruined in the rain, but cows don’t, since suede is made of cow skin.

Best Lines:

Elaine: I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Where’s dad?

George: He’s in the baaa-troom (bathroom; when George says this line, he imitates Elaine’s dad’s scraggly voice).

Tidbits: The tile of the book that Elaine’s father wrote is titled “King’s Road,” which is the same name as a street Jerry once lived on in Hollywood….There’s a little blooper in this episode. While George is putting on his jacket, he’s wearing his glasses, but in the next shot when he turns to look at Jerry, his glasses are off, then are back on in the very next shot.

Running jokes/references/connections:

Elaine watches Kramer’s birds, which Kramer talks about a few episodes later in “The Stranded.”…While waiting for him, the car gets towed because Kramer has thousands of unpaid tickets, which he goes to pay in “The Subway” in season 3….This is the second reference to Elaine being from Maryland, the first being in “The Stakeout”. The show’s co-creator Larry David attended the University of Maryland.

Episode Diary 2-4: The Baby Shower

Storylines: Elaine wants to use Jerry’s apartment to host a baby shower for a woman who once went on a date with George. On this date, George gets chocolate syrup spilled on him with no apology from her. Jerry runs into a girl with whom he once went on a date, but he never called her back. Kramer convinces Jerry to install illegal cable.

Personal Take: The baby shower and the illegal cable aren’t exactly exciting storylines. But they’re made exciting with some great directing. One of the coolest, rather unique scenes in the show is when Jerry’s dreaming about getting caught for using illegal cable. The FBI busts him, but Jerry decides to make a run for it. All of a sudden, the show goes 80s-gangster-movie/Quentin Tarantino by going in slow motion as Jerry gets taken down in a shootout. Stuff like this was practically cutting edge for its time, and really was one of the first of many scenes to explore and try crazy things on the set.

Gaps in Society: In the dating world, there are just some occasions when it’s obviously not going to work out. But because neither person is all that familiar with each other, it’s hard to be truthful, even blunt, about the situation. Most people tend to be too polite and just say things like “See you around,” an example Jerry gives, or “I’ll give you a call sometime,” which Jerry actually did to a girl in this episode. With that said, it’s understandable why someone would be hesitant to just come out and say “I don’t think we’re right for each other,” or “I don’t think I want to pursue this relationship.” Instead, one person will just hope the other will read between the lines when he/she says “I’ll give you a call sometimes,” which really translate into “I don’t want to see or talk to you again.” Why do we make things so complicated for ourselves?!

Jerry’s bits: He opens with how men just flip through channels, while women will stop and see what a show is before going on because men hunt and women nest. He also said that kings, emperors, pharaohs and such had multiple storytellers so he could still flip back and forth. His last bit is about trying to figure out what to say to someone you know you’ll never want to see in your life ever again. “Take care now,” he says. “Take off, isn’t that what you really want to say? ‘Take off now. Get out of here’.”

Best Lines:

Jerry: I’m not getting illegal cable.

Kramer: The Mets have 75 games on cable this season.

Jerry: Put it in.

Kramer: Let me go get him. It’s the 90s, man. It’s Hammer time.

Tidbits: Jerry quotes makes reference to a Robert Frost piece when he says “Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason….The actress who plays Leslie, the woman who the baby shower was for, returns to play the saleswoman in “The Pie.”…This episode is the first in the series to connect all four characters’ stories at the end.

Running jokes/references/connections: This episode has the first of several references to the Kennedys….There’s another reference to Elaine’s roommate….Jerry mentions how George making an airport run is a big deal, a topic of discussion with none other than Keith Hernandez in “The Boyfriend.”…George mentions that his shirt is covered in bosco, the chocolate syrup he uses for his bank code in “The Code.”…Elaine says she once saw John Kennedy Jr. while on a bus. She wanted to get off, but the bus didn’t stop. It’s okay, because Elaine later sees him in “The Contest.”…This episode makes the second reference to Jerry’s affection for the Mets, the first being in “The Seinfeld Chronicles."

Return to action

Sorry everyone, I've been out of town the last five days. I will add a new post sometime Tuesday and get back to a consistent schedule. I've been trying to put up a new post every other day or three days a week, so I will try to stick to that loose schedule. Keep checking back for updates, and don't forget to sign up to get emails for new-post alerts. Thanks for reading!

Episode Diary 2-3: The Busboy

Storylines: George puts out a fire, which leads to a bus boy getting fired. George and Kramer visit the bus boy’s apartment, only to leave the door open for his cat to run away. Elaine has a houseguest who drives her crazy. Elaine’s houseguest and the bus boy get in a fight after a scuffle in the hallway.

Personal Take: Elaine’s monologue about her trip to beat the Van Wyck with a shortcut and get her houseguest to the airport is some of the best acting the series ever sees. She’s dramatic, then sorrowful after she tells that her trip wasn’t successful. Her facial expressions were captivating. Even throughout the rest of the episode, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has some of her earliest moments of brilliance. She also has a great scene when she scrambles to get her houseguest dressed and ready to leave for the airport.

I personally am lukewarm on how much I like this episode. The bus boy is just a stupid character that was poorly executed. Having said that, it’s still a great episode in that the trend it sets for the series after making the connection of two different storylines becomes a staple of the show and its great writing.

Other notes:

I love how the opening dialogue unfolds, culminated by the analogy of Seattle being the Pesto of cities. Clever little bit of dialogue.

Gaps in Society: This episode just goes to show that you can’t be too careful about whom you let come in as a houseguest. Whether today’s society really frowns upon it or not (which it doesn’t), having someone of the opposite sex (non-spouse) live with you, if even for a week, can create awkward, uncomfortable situations that people shouldn’t get themselves into. Elaine has to come up with a fib about being on her period because she doesn’t want to have sex with him, which is ironic considering that most people these days would just assume that sex is a part of the situation, already adding tension to a stressful situation.

Jerry’s bits: He confesses that he has stolen foods off of tray tables in hallways at hotels, after mentioning that people shouldn’t be so picky about their food. He later mentions that he’s most afraid of missing his flight. “Sorry, we don’t have another plane. We do have a canon, though." He closes with how boxers fight despite not having any prior arguments.

Best Lines:

George: How did you get this?

Elaine: Does the word ‘charm’ mean anything to you?

Jerry: No.

Tidbits: Jerry’s apartment is labeled 3A in this episode, not 5A like it is for most of the series.... The building where the bus boy lives is the same building where Kramer’s holistic healer lives in “The Heart Attack.” ... This is the first time Kramer is seen outside of his apartment building. It’s also the first time he’s seen without Jerry.

Running jokes/references/connections:

For some reason, the group doesn’t have good luck with alarm clocks. This is the first of a few occasions where the alarm clock doesn’t wake them up; Elaine oversleeps the morning she wanted to take her houseguest to the airport. One of a few other alarm-clock fiascos is in “The Hot Tub” episode.... This is the first time we get an understanding of George’s knowledge of great bathrooms and other bathroom-related aspects (i.e. toilet paper, private bathrooms).

Episode Diary 2-2: The Pony Remark

Storylines: Jerry incidentally kills a relative after upsetting her for saying he hated anyone who had a pony when growing up. Jerry and George play in a softball championship game.

Personal Take: Though even Larry David gives credit to "The Busboy" for helping shape the way future Seinfeld episodes would be written, “The Pony Remark” was the first Seinfeld to connect two different storylines by making one affect the other. Though this isn’t a novel idea necessarily, Seinfeld eventually developed quite a pattern of well-written storylines that would intersect at some point. As the series went on, the stories were more and more intricately woven together, and Seinfeld became recognized as one of, if not the best, written shows in TV history. Connecting Jerry’s pony remark and the ensuing death of Manya becomes prevalent in Jerry’s other story of how he and his softball team made it to the championship game. To me, simple things like this are what made the show shine.

We get a glimpse into a characteristic of Jerry’s that's rather unsettling, though more in a comical sense than anything. Despite the fact that there’s a scheduling conflict between the championship game and the funeral, Jerry tries to rationalize not going to the funeral, even if he may have a point. “If the situation was reversed, and Manya had some Mahjong championship, I wouldn’t expect her to go to my funeral, I’d understand,” Jerry says. I love how juvenile Jerry gets about things like this, though in his mind, he has perfectly legitimate reasons for acting immaturely or selfishly. George adds to it by saying dead people don’t know they’re having a funeral, and that their spirits wouldn’t hang around the funeral home saying “I can’t believe Jerry didn’t show up.” Good stuff. But he does end up going to the funeral. As it turns out, the game gets rained out, so there was good karma for him, at least initially. The final scene reveals that Jerry has the worst game ever. Revenge from the grave for Manya? Maybe.

It’s also hilarious that George randomly points out he can’t envision a situation in which he’ll ever get to have sex again. Typical George.

Gaps in Society: A lesson to be learned. You can’t just make flippant remarks without considering who you’re talking to, because you might offend someone. But on the flip side of that, people can be overly sensitive about generic, blanket statements that aren’t meant to insult anyone so much as they’re are to complain or point out injustices. Of course, today’s society is full of overly sensitive, whining cry babies who force the rest of us to be careful about every single stinking word we ever utter out of our mouth. Seriously, people, get some thick skin and move on once in a while.

Jerry’s bits: He opens with one of his more famous bits about his parents going to Florida, where old people go and wear white belts, white pants and white shoes. His second bit is about how ridiculous it is that we give dead people pillows in their coffins. His final bit is about how useless ponies are.

Best lines:

Jerry: I made an incredible play in the field. It was a tag-up at third base. I threw the guy out, from left field on a fly. We’ll be in the championship Wednesday game because of me. It was the single greatest moment in my life.

Helen: This is your greatest moment, a game?

Jerry: Well no, Sharon Besser, of course.

Jerry: I hate anyone that ever had a pony when they were growing up.

Manya: I had a pony!

Jerry: It was the single worst moment of my life.

George: What about Sharon Besser?

Jerry: Oh, of course, 1973.

Tidbits: This episode earned a directing and writing nomination for the Emmy awards.

Running jokes/references/connections: Jerry’s dad Morty first mentions how he worked for Harry Fleming and came up with the idea for the beltless trench coat, which we find out in season 5’s “The Raincoats.” ... Kramer first mentions how he’s going to build levels in his apartment, and gives detailed dialogue (and hand motions) that gets reused later in the series when Jerry and George are hosting auditions for the Kramer character for the pilot episode of “Jerry” in season 4....This is the first episode that alludes to Kramer’s gambling problem....On his way out the door, Morty says “good-bye Mr. Kramer,” the first indication that Kramer isn’t his first name, a truth we don’t find out about until “The Switch.” ...Morty mentions how his plane tickets were supersavers, which are non-refundable, then later talks to a doctor trying to a get note for a bereavement fare, both of which play a part in “The Implant,” when George tries to cheat an airline to get frequent flyer miles on his credit card.

Episode Diary 2-1: The Ex-Girlfriend

Storylines: George goes through a tough breakup process with his girlfriend, with whom Jerry starts a little fling afterwards. Jerry recommends that George goes to his chiropractor. Elaine inspires Jerry after dealing with an acquaintance that slowly drifted apart. Kramer raves about the cantaloupe he buys and is disgusted by the fruit Jerry buys.

Personal take: Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a fine actress, and her monologue about her encounter with the guy who stopped talking to her is the first true insight to her abilities. She does a great job of delivering the speech and putting her own personal “Elaine” touch/motions on the descriptions. I love the whole "Flesh and blood" joke that Jerry uses on George, and later Kramer uses on Jerry. Also in this episode is the continuing notion that Kramer is not a normal person, and that his views on how to handle certain situations is slightly skewed. 

Gaps in society: Is there a true etiquette for dating a friend’s ex? Probably not. But if ever there were a way to put a strain on a friendship and create awkward (though probably humorous) situations, dating your friend's ex is it. It's actually a little intriguing when Kramer suggests it's better for a friend to date your ex than a total stranger. If it's a friend, you can sort of know what your ex is up to and have intel on the post-break-up relationship. I think the way Jerry handled it was best. He goes to George and tells him upfront he wants to go out with George's ex. I personally never would want a friend to do that because it means I may have to deal with the ex far more than planned (since generally you don't want to see your ex after breaking up). But in some ways, it's a more mature way to handle the situation for both parties.

What can happen, though, is the ex will be flirty and such right in front of you simply to illicit responses from you. An ex dating your friend might be doing so simply to get back at you, depending on how things went down. At that point, the friend should get of the situation, but in all likelihood, he won't, thus causing the aforementioned strain on the friendship. Staying friends after being in a relationship is hard enough. Do so when your ex is dating friend is darn near impossible.

Bottom line: I don't think it's likely to work, and it generally is understood among people that a friend's ex is sort of off limits. But if handled properly, and if everyone for some reason can handle the situation, it's not totally impossible.

-Jerry talks about how hard it is to get off the phone with Marlene. This is an epidemic that needs to be stopped. People need to be sensitive of other people’s time (and minutes on their phone plan) and realize when they need to stop blabbing and get off the phone. Or at least try to pick up on cues from the other person that your time is up. It's actually conceited of the people calling to think that the person on the other line has nothing better to do than listen to them blab about whatever they want to.

 

Jerry’s bits: He’s always in traffic with “lane experts,” who are terrible drivers.

-His second bit about going to the doctor’s office is one of my five all-time favorite bits. From having to wait in the waiting room simply because it’s called the waiting room to being chosen to going to the next waiting room, the littler waiting room, is all just so funny. I laugh every time I see it.

His final bit is about how women need to like the guy’s job (which is why men make up the phony bogus names for their job) while guys often aren’t concerned with a woman’s job.

Best lines:

Jerry: You should do it like a band-aid, one motion, right off!

Jerry: Have you reread those books, by the way? You know, the second time you read “Moby Dick,” Ahab and the whale become good friends.

Tidbits:

Jerry’s buzzer tone was changed from season 1 to the one used the rest of the series....To this point, Kramer still hasn’t been seen outside the building....Marlene is played by the same actress who plays the waitress George tries to get with in “The Soup."

Running jokes/references/connections:

Kramer talks about Joe’s Fruit Stand, a place that makes a couple of returns throughout the series, most notably in “The Mango.” ... George leaves his books at Marlene’s apartment and really wants them back, though in Season 6’s “The Couch,” he can’t even get through the 90-page book “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Later in Season 8’s “The Fatigues,” George can’t read books at all, instead needing books on tape....Jerry mentions theatre operating rooms, which is where Kramer and Jerry go to see an operation in “The Junior Mint.” ... This is the first episode that shows Kramer’s love for golf when he takes an imaginary swing with a club.

Top 5 Moments of Season 1

(For future reference, this feature probably will be combined with the season wrap-up)

Season 1 may have only five episodes, but that doesn't mean there weren't several classic moments to remember. Here's a list of my top 5:

5) "When you're dead, you're dead. That's it, you're not going anywhere." - Old lady in video store in "The Stakeout". This was in reference to Jerry's material in a previous episode, something that became not only a trend on Seinfeld, but a staple of the show.

4) "Jerry, I have to tell you something. This is the dullest moment I've ever experienced." - George, in "The Seinfeld Chronicles" while he's staring at laundry being done. It's literally so boring to George, it's funny to us.

3) After Jerry gets robbed in "The Robbery", he and the police officer are talking about what's going to happen next.
Policeman: Well, we'll let you know if we find anything.
Jerry: You ever find anything?
Policeman: Nah.

2) The entire scene with Jerry and George staking out the lobby of the law office where Vanessa worked in "The Stakeout" was funny. From George first coming up with his fake character Art Vandelay to Jerry's and Vanessa's exchange to close the scene:
Jerry: So uh, do you date immature men?
Vanessa: Almost exclusively.

1) ""So they’re showing me on the commercial how to get out blood stains. Is this is a violent image to anybody, blood stains? You know, you've got a t-shirt with blood stains all over it, maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem right now. You might want to get the harpoon out of your chest first!" - Jerry, during a bit in "The Seinfeld Chronicles."
I've mentioned it before, but this is truly one of the best bits of his that I've ever seen. It's the perfect blend of material and delivery style that make for a funny moment. It's a little ridiculous, sure, but it's still hilarious.

What are some of your favorite moments from Season 1?

Season 1 Wrap-up

After the pilot, Seinfeld’s four-episode season was viewed as a terrible sign for the show. It was still in its infancy stage. Jerry and Larry didn’t know what the show was really going to be or the true direction it was going.

The fact that, for its time, Seinfeld was such a different show was probably the best thing it had going for it. To that point, sitcoms were all about cheesy setups and punch lines, and a show’s success was determined by how funny it was based on those. Seinfeld took a very different approach to humor. Jerry has said before he’s never known people to have that perfect punch line the way they’re seamlessly delivered on all other shows. Instead, he tried to make comedy about the storylines: where they’d go, how they’d get there, how they’d tie in together, and how relatable they would be to the audience. Of course, he’d work in some funny lines, but they seemed authentic. That really became the identity that made the show stand out from the rest.

No other shows had continuing storylines. No other shows broke away to stand-up routines that connected to the show. There were a couple risqué topics of conversation throughout the first five episodes that weren’t really said on TV. But Seinfeld became a show that went where no other show had gone before (no, I’m talking about Star Trek). As the seasons wore on, more and more taboo subjects were discussed. But they were done so in a way that was harmless and non-offensive, which is surprising for a show about how a comedian gets his material. Jerry became the kind of comic that both a mass audience and another group of comedians would be able to listen to and enjoy. He translated that to the show very well.