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

An opinionated Viewer's Guide to :

 

Season  2, Part 2

Episode 6, Season 2

The Chinese Restaurant

 

Plot Summary-Jerry, George, and Elaine are trying to catch a movie but end up getting stuck waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant (that’s pretty much it!).

Best quote-“You know we’re living in a society! We’re supposed to act in a civilized way!”….an exasperated George.

Nitpick of the episode-This is a very hard episode to nitpick, but I will mention that Jerry refers to a sister. What sister?  

Seinfeldism of the episode-This is classic Seinfeld, the quintessential show about nothing.

Deleted Scenes-George discusses pulling his hamstring when kicking out the sheets in a hotel bed, this same dialogue makes it into a later episode.

Episode Fun Fact-Kramer never left the apartment in this point in the series, which is why he is absent from this episode. Michael Richards was reportedly upset about this. Also, let’s just say NBC wasn’t too excited about the premise for this one.

Final Thoughts-I remember hearing about this show ages ago, and like everyone else wondered “what? An episode about three people waiting for a table?” What can you say about this episode? Just a perfect show, talk about a slice of life. Even “The Parking Garage” later had to have some contrivance added to make the story watchable; here the story is plain and simple. Jerry recognizes someone he can’t place, George is waiting for the phone, and Elaine is starving. Brilliant script and quite simply one of the best episodes of the series.

Grade=A, The only thing missing in this is Kramer

Episode 7, Season 2

The Phone Message

 

Plot Summary-Jerry and George both have dates on the same night. George is doing well, until he misses the point of Carol asking if he would like to go up to her place for some coffee. This bothers him until he leaves a foolish answering machine message on her machine. Jerry’s date goes well until he mentions hating a certain commercial that his girl really liked. George decides to sneak into Carol’s apartment and switch the answering machine tape (wow, is that dated!) so she never hears the messages and gets Jerry to help. Elaine and Kramer have no story.

Best Quote-“I don’t know what your parents did to you”….Elaine to George

Nitpick of the episode-I never understood why George worries about his gaffe so much. I mean, it was a first date. If she was turned off, then just right it off and go on to the next one.  I guess this was still early in the series, since George gives basically that same advice to Jerry much later in “The Serenity Now”. He acts like he just destroyed a serious long term relationship. (Yes, I know this is George I am talking about),

Seinfeldism of the episode-This may be George at his most neurotic

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.

Episode Fun Fact-This was a replacement episode for another which was scrapped. The scrapped episode involved Elaine buying a gun, and was considered way to dark for a Seinfeld show.

Final Thoughts-It’s amusing how dated this show is now, but unlike The Baby Shower it’s still funny and clever. I remember this episode making me laugh out loud when it first aired, especially the line about George’s father wearing sneakers in the pool. That was a great moment. The downside is while this is a great Jerry and George episode, Elaine and Kramer has little to do.

 Grade=B, good episode but not above average

Episode 8, Season 2

The Apartment

 

Plot Summary-Jerry gets Elaine an apartment in his building right above him, and then instantly regrets it because he is afraid Elaine will be over all the time. He worries about how to tell Elaine, until Kramer steps in and solves the problem for him by getting an even more annoying tenant for the apartment. George borrow Kramer’s fathers engagement ring to test the theory that women are drawn to men with engagement rings.

Best Quote-“My censor quit two years ago. Checked into a clinic, emotionally exhausted”….George to Jerry

Nitpick of the episode-I think Jerry is overreacting to the idea of Elaine moving in. Would it be so hard to establish some ground rules? I mean, really, what’s the difference she’s over his place all the time anyway!

Seinfeldism of the episode-First time Elaine shouts “Get out!”

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.

Episode Fun Fact-Jerry’s apartment is finally 5A.

Final Thoughts-This episode doesn’t work but it really tries to. It’s like they realized they can’t just have Jerry do a nice thing, so first they have him do the nice thing which makes no sense, and then they make him worry about it until it’s finally undone, but not before it costs him. This would be fine, but it’s so transparent here that it takes the fun out of the story. Same with George’s story, his experiment with the ring blows up in his face. Of course Kramer again barely has a story but he does get involved with the plot at least. As for the end of the episode, that is a stretch.

Grade=C

Episode 9, Season 2

The Stranded

 

Plot Summary- Jerry and Elaine accompany George to a party for a co-worker. After being forced to mingle with boring party guests, George leaves with a girl leaving Jerry and Elaine stranded. Kramer comes to pick them up, at about 2:00 in the morning infuriating the hostess. A week later, the host of the party shows up at Jerry’s apartment. Since Jerry has made plans, he takes off and thanks to Kramer; the host of the party gets a hooker which Jerry is caught with.

Best Quote-“Maybe the dingo at your baby”….Elaine to a snooty party guest.

Nitpick of the episode-Why does Jerry give the host his home address? He sure pays for it. I also love how the guy doesn’t buzz in first.

Seinfeldism of the episode-Elaine’s feelings about fur (which fade later on) comes up here, and George’s cheapness is in full force. After he believes he was shortchanged at a pharmacy, he attempts to steal some medicine to even the score. It doesn’t work very well.

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.

Episode Fun Fact-Larry David was so dissatisfied with this episode that he shelved it for a year.

Final Thoughts-This episode starts out real strong, Jerry and Elaine get stuck at a party because Kramer takes forever to pick them up. However, the second half sort of takes a nose dive. The whole thing with the hooker in Jerry’s apartment is a little hard to swallow. The host, played by Michael Chiklis, is truly obnoxious when he just barges in on Jerry and then gets involved with a hooker. The whole last ten minutes of the episode gets kind of stupid.

 Grade=C-, this show goes right downhill after the first half

Episode 10, Season 2

The Statue

 

Plot Summary-Elaine has been assigned to work on a manuscript for a new writer named Rava, whose actor/student husband has agreed to clean Jerry’s apartment. George finds a statue he broke as a child, and is all excited to let his parents know. When Jerry and Elaine visit the writer and her husband, they see the same statue Jerry had in his apartment. Jerry and George are unable to get the statue back, and Elaine loses the assignment over the dispute. Kramer takes matters into his own hands to right the wrong.

Best Quote-“Shouldn’t you be out on a ledge somewhere?”….Jerry to Ray

Nitpick of the episode-So, did Ray take the statue or was it a coincidence? This is never really made clear. Also it seems that the series had yet to establish Jerry is a neat freak.

Seinfeldism of the episode-First mention of Elaine’s boss, Mr.Lipman

Deleted Scenes-None in this episode.

Episode Fun Fact-Kramer kind of breaks out as a character in this one with his Joe Friday bit, slowly he was becoming more than a just a punch line.

Final Thoughts-This is an interesting episode because we see the three main character of Jerry, George, and Elaine just being dumped on. Jerry gets his statue stolen, Elaine loses an assignment over it, and George is unable to rectify the mistake he made when he was young. Then it’s Kramer to the rescue and in the end when all seems to happily resolved, the statue breaks! This episode is a stand out example of how these four characters are just never allowed to have positive experiences. This is one time when the supporting characters of also fascinating, Rava and Ray are certainly unique people.

Grade=A-, the only downside is there is no clear resolution to whether or not Ray took the statue, although Ray gets his comeuppance anyway in one of Kramer’s first really great scenes.

Next week we will conclude our look at Season 2, including the one episode of Seinfeld I hate!!!