February 11, 2012

Analytical Episode Guide-Seinfeld (Season 3, Part 2)




An Analytical Episode Guide to :
 

Season  3, Part 2

Episode 6, Season 3
The Parking Garage
 
Plot Summary-Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer can’t find their car in a parking garage. Yep, that’s it. Ok, there is a little more. Jerry and George get busted for urinating in the garage, Elaine worries about her fish, and Kramer struggles with an air conditioner.
Best Quote-“let me say this. If I am not in front of my building at 6:15 when my parents get there, they gonna put me on an aggravation installment plan that will compound with interest for decades”.
Nitpick of the episode-This episode is hard to nitpick, but why is Jerry coming up with stupid excuses after he is caught urinating? And why does it take so long for the cop to fine him? Oh, I know, to make the episode longer.
Seinfeldism of the episode-Jerry claims to suffer from “Uromisitisis”
Deleted Scenes-There was some dialogue of Elaine complaining about bad drivers
Episode Fun Fact-The garage in this show was a set on the same soundstage Seinfeld is shot every week. The normal sets had to all be removed and mirrors were used to create the illusion of a garage. In the beginning of the episode we can see the gang reflected in one of the mirrors. Also, the final scene was not supposed to end with the car not starting. Look closely and you can see Jason Alexander and Julia Louis Dreyfuss starting to laugh.
Final Thoughts-This is a great episode, I think I’ve seen it a hundred times. Who hasn’t been in a situation like this? My only gripe is that unlike The Chinese Restaurant, the writers clearly had to write in a plot device to keep the story going. That would be Jerry getting busted for urinating, which kind of spoils an otherwise classic episode. I understand the idea of just having these guys wandering around a garage would be hard to write for, but that sub-story doesn’t work for me. In The Chinese Restaurant the plot devices seemed natural (bumping into someone you know, waiting for a call, and just being hungry) but here the whole bathroom bit felt a tad forced. Aside from that, this is one of the best episodes of the series!
Grade=A-, despite my little gripes this episode is a classic!

Episode 7, Season 3
The Cafe
 
Plot Summary-Jerry obsesses over a café named which is not getting any business. He attempts to help the owner named Babu, but his advice only runs the guy out of business. Meanwhile, Elaine helps George cheat on an IQ test while Kramer is determined to keep a jacket which had been left over his mother’s house.
Best Quote-“Never been a guinea pig. Been a sheep.”….Jerry
Nitpick of the episode-Elaine isn’t that smart, or she wouldn’t have taken the IQ test at the Dream Café. At least she got it right the second time, until Kramer screwed it up.
Seinfeldism of the episode-Jerry was a “bad man, very very bad man”, according to Babu
Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.
Episode Fun Fact-Babu was supposed to have a wife but she was written out.
Final Thoughts-This episode is pretty funny. Once again, Jerry watches something he does turn out disastrously. Of course, in the final episode they will make it sound like Jerry did these things maliciously. I hated that about the finale, but we will have the discussion when we get to it. For now, let’s talk about this one. George’s whole thing with the IQ test is classic, but Kramer’s story is really kind of weak. I never understood why he got this jacket arc which will carry into the next episode.
Grade=B-

Episode 8, Season 3
The Tape
 
Plot Summary- Jerry is listening to an audio tape of his show when suddenly a woman comes on saying some very explicit things. This gets all the guys excited, and when George discovers that the voice was actually Elaine he suddenly feels attracted to her. George calls China for a so-called bald cure while Jerry tries to track down the owner of the voice.
Best Quote-“Why do I do anything?”…George’s answer to Jerry asking why he is wasting his time with the so called bald cure.
Nitpick of the episode- Why does George become attracted to Elaine after hearing the tape? Wasn’t he aware she was a woman before?
Seinfeldism of the episode-Jerry and Kramer try to use a horrible cockney accent.
Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.
Episode Fun Fact-We meet Ping, the Chinese delivery boy who will reappear next season.
Final Thoughts-This episode seems designed to remind us that Elaine is, in fact, an attractive woman. For some reason it always had a season 2 feel to it. Elaine doesn’t tell Jerry the voice was her to have a little fun with him, but there is never any pay off. Kramer is just kind of around to comment on the events, the closest thing to a story he gets is the video camera he uses through the episode, although the jacket is brought up again. That arc will conclude in the next episode.
Grade=C, George suddenly falling for Elaine never worked for me.

Episode 9, Season 3
The Nose Job
 
Plot Summary-George is dating a woman named Audrey with a rather large nose. Jerry is dating a beautiful woman with a horrible personality. After Kramer suggests a nose job for Audrey, George talks her into going through with it to horrible results. Jerry wants to break up with his girl, but his so attracted to her he can’t find the strength to do so. Kramer’s story arc about the jacket continues as he and Elaine (posing as his fiancée) attempt to get the jacket back.
Best Quote-“Well you’re as pretty as any of them. Just need a nose job,”….Kramer in one of the series first insensitivies.
Nitpick of the episode-George is right when he says Audrey would be out of his league if she had a normal nose. So why doesn’t he just enjoy being with her? I know, I know. Because it’s George.
Seinfeldism of the episode-Can’t put into print the analogy Jerry uses for why he can’t break up with Isabelle, let’s just say it involves his brain facing another part of his body in a chess match.
Deleted Scenes-At the top scene with George and Jerry, we were supposed to actually catch up with Elaine and Audrey but instead the scene cuts to the apartment.
Episode Fun Fact-The scene with Kramer and Elaine took quite a few takes because Julia Louis-Dreyfus couldn’t stop laughing, much to Michael Richard aggravation.
Final Thoughts-This episode is presented in a slightly different style than others, as we see flashbacks to earlier scenes rather than just getting the scenes all in sequence. After being mentioned in the last four episodes, the story arc about Kramer’s jacket finally ends here. The whole idea of George obsessing about his girlfriend is classic George and as usual he pays the price for his worrying in the end. Also, we get one of the first classic Elaine and Kramer scenes when Elaine helps him get the jacket back.
Grade=B+, Good but not above average

Episode 10, Season 3
The Alternate Side
 
Plot Summary- Jerry’s car gets stolen, forcing him to rent a new one. George volunteers to move cars from one side of the street to the other. Unfortunately, this goes about as bad as it can go and results in Jerry’s rental getting smashed up. Meanwhile, Elaine dates a guy named Owen who is much older and who has a stroke before she can break up with him. Kramer gets a role in a Woody Allen movie.
Best Quote-“You know how to take the reservation, you just don’t how to hold the reservation.  And that really is the most important part of the reservation, the holding”…..Jerry
Nitpick of the episode-The fact that George smashes Jerry’s car out all of the cars he is moving is almost too much of a coincidence. Also, at the end Elaine notes that Owen is fully recovered from his stroke. From personal experience I know people don’t “fully recover” from serious strokes.
Seinfeldism of the episode-“These pretzels are making me thirsty!”
Deleted Scenes-Elaine goes into further detail on why she doesn’t enjoy being with Owen, also further discussion about Woody Allen.
Episode Fun Fact-Jerry has a conversation with the thief who stole is car, the voice was provided by Larry David.
Final Thoughts-My nominee for worst title of any Seinfeld episode. Title aside, this is a pretty good episode. George is probably at his most crazed, and we love watching him in this one. This episode also started the very short lived (thankfully) trend of originating a catchphrase and then repeating it throughout the episode. Elaine’s story is kind of lame, and the scene where she is feeding her boyfriend beans was, to me, a low point for the series. Since Woody Allen frequently films in New York, having him as a plot device in Seinfeld makes perfect sense. Having Kramer get a role is just gold.
Grade=A-, very solid episode

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