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.
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