An Analytical Episode Guide to:
Season 3, Part 3
Episode 11, Season 3
The Red Dot
Plot Summary-Elaine gets George a job at her office. At a party,
Jerry accidentally switches his drink with that of Elaine’s boyfriend which
causes him to fall off the wagon. Georg buys a cashmere sweater as thank you
gift for Elaine at a discount because it was damaged, a small red dot is
somewhere on the sweater. It gets caught right away by Elaine, and George ends
up losing the job after sleeping with the cleaning woman on his desk.
Best Quote-“Was that wrong?
Should I not have done that? I tell you, I gotta plead ignorance on this thing,
because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that
that sort of thing is frowned upon…”..George, this is one his best lines of the
whole series!
Nitpick of the episode-When George gives Elaine the sweater
she notices the dot right away. Why would he try the same thing with the
cleaning lady? This may be the first time George’s cheapness truly comes back
to haunt him.
Seinfeldism of the episode-Hennigans Scotch becomes a short
lived recurring gag in this episode.
Deleted Scenes-A scene with Elaine making out with her
boyfriend.
Episode Fun Fact-This is one of the only times that Jerry’s
stand-up bits actually become part of the story. This is done to show that the character who
fell off the wagon had in fact recovered.
Final Thoughts-This is a pretty good episode. George is classic
in this one, and his defense when his boss accuses him of sleeping with the
cleaning lady is priceless. Jerry’s story about accidentally switching drinks
with Elaine’s boyfriend who proceeds to become a drunk really isn’t funny, and
I never enjoyed that much. This episode has a distinct second season feel,
Kramer just gets a cameo but his appearance makes the whole episode.
Grade=C+, classic George episode marred by unfunny Jerry
story
Episode 12, Season 3
The Suicide
Plot Summary-Elaine has too fast for three days to take an ulcer
test. After Jerry’s neighbor, Martin, tries to commit suicide he ends up in a
coma, while Jerry starts getting hit on by his girlfriend Gina. Meanwhile,
George is advised by a psychic to cancel a plane trip, being only told that
something terrible would happen. Kramer takes the trip instead.
Best Quote-“I don’t get you, who goes on vacation without a
job? What do you need a break from getting up at 11?”…..Jerry to George
Nitpick of the episode- George mentions having a brother but
later on it’s clear he is an only child.
Seinfeldism of the episode-This is the famous Drake’s Coffee
Cake episode (I used to love those!), the first “Hello, Newman!”
Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.
Episode Fun Fact-First real appearance of Newman.
Final Thoughts-While this is a dark episode, it’s one that
manages to not make light of a serious subject to the point you get turned off.
The subject of course being attempted suicide. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is sooo
funny in this episode. George is just classic George again, worrying about something
a psychic tells him. He cancels the trip, and Kramer goes and has a great time.
Of course.
Grade=B, things get a bit farfetched with whole Cayman
island sub-plot
Episode 13, Season 3
The Subway
Plot Summary-Just as the title suggests, the four travel the
subway for an episode. George gets diverted when on his way to a job interview, Elaine is
the best man at a lesbian wedding but the train stalls on the tracks, Kramer is
headed to court but instead gets a hot tip on a horse, and Jerry is on his way
to Coney Island to pick up his stolen car. En route he talks to a naked man.
Best Quote-“Don’t whistle on the elevator,”….Jerry’s advice
to George, a line from Death of a Salesman.
Nitpick of the episode-Elaine says it herself. Why didn’t
she just take a cab?
Seinfeldism of the episode-The first time we see Kramer has
a gambling problem.
Deleted Scenes-Elaine was supposed to do more swearing at
the end, but Julia couldn’t stop laughing when they filmed it.
Episode Fun Fact-This is one episode where the four hardly
have any scenes together.
Final Thoughts-This is a classic along with “The Chinese Restaurant”
and “The Parking Garage”. I give the writers credit for making what could have
been a real boring show one of the series best. George often pays for his
worrying and lying, and boy does he pay in this episode! This may be the first
time we really cheer for Kramer, when at the end he is almost mugged but an undercover
cop suddenly intervenes. Jerry’s scenes with the naked man are brilliantly
written.
Grade=A-, the fact the regulars are apart for the majority
of the episode is the only downside
Episode 14, Season 3
The PEZ Dispenser
Plot Summary-At a piano recital for George’s girlfriend Noel,
Jerry puts a tweety bird pez dispenser on Elaine’s lap causing her to burst out
laughing in the middle of the performance. Kramer comes up with an idea for a
perfume that make you smell like you just came from the beach. He also joined
the polar bear club. Jerry is roped into holding an intervention for a friend
who has gotten himself hooked on drugs.
Best Quote-“A pre-emptive break-up?”….Jerry processing
Kramer’s idea.
Nitpick of the episode-George probably would have had better
luck if he had let Elaine apologize right away like she wanted to.
Seinfeldism of the episode- Jerry and George discuss how to
get “The hand”, in other words the upper hand in a relationship.
Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.
Episode Fun Fact-As Seinfeld did many times with things,
this episode brought Pez Dispenser’s back into popular culture.
Final Thoughts-How many sitcoms can find humor in a story
about a friend being hooked on drugs? This is what Seinfeld did best. In a
clever twist, Kramer tells George to break up with his girlfriend before she
could break up with him. This works and George gets the upper hand, until she
finds out how he lied to her. This is a very busy episode with many guest
actors, almost too many as the regulars kind of get lost in the shuffle toward
the end. This show worked best when it focused just on the four of them.
Grade=B-, starts
strong but the ending kind of gets weak
Episode 15 & 16,
Season 3
The Boyfriend
Plot Summary-Jerry meets Keith Hernandez in a locker room
and they strike up a friendship. This friendship is in conflict with Elaine
when she starts dating Keith. George tries to extend his unemployment benefits
by getting Jerry to lie for him. Kramer and Newman relate a story about how
Keith once spat at them after they heckled him at the end of game. Or did he? Also,
Jerry and Kramer finally see the baby of an old friend who used to live in the
building.
Best Quote-“And you want to be my latex salesman?”….Jerry in
one of the series classic scenes
Nitpick of the episode-Jerry’s whining about the fact Keith
hasn’t called in three days seems kind of, well, stupid. I like how Elaine has
to point out to Jerry that it’s a guy!
Seinfeldism of the episode-Not only do we get a Vandelay
reference, but Jerry uses his pseudonym Kel Varnson
Deleted Scenes-There is dialogue in the episode with George
discussing how he would like to sleep with a tall woman, there was an alternate
ending where the tall woman comes to the door and George rejects her because
she isn’t his type.
Episode Fun Fact-The first hour long episode.
Final Thoughts-One of The big laughs from this episode is the parody
of the JFK movie that they do, as Kramer and Newman relate how Keith spit on
them. Jerry then proceeds to point out that the spit had to come from someone
else, which of course it did. This is a truly brilliant scene and needs to be
seen to be appreciated. George is truly George in this one, as we get one of
the largest laughs when Kramer blows the lie he gave the unemployment officer,
and George rushes out of the bathroom with his pants around his knees. Jerry
then gives one of the best ad-libbed lines in any episode. The Elaine story is
kind of weak, it was these scenes they added to make the episode and hour and
it kind of shows. However despite that this is just a great episode, especially
for a one hour show when usually one hour shows kind of get boring.
Grade=A
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