Analytical Episode Guide-Seinfeld (Season 7, Part 1)

 

An Analytical Episode Guide to:

 

Season  7, Part 1

It must have been obvious that Season 7 needed a new direction. So Larry David created the inspired idea of getting George engaged. The result was new stories regarding relationships which would have never been conceived before. It also shook up the dynamic between the friends a bit, as we saw how a relationship changes many things. This was a rich new area to explore, and that is what the arc in the season deals with. The one problem I had with this season was with Elaine, gone was the sweet character and slowly emerging was someone shrill and mean. Why did this happen?  Basically I think Julia Louis-Dreyfuss started to hate her character (not hate playing her just hated who she was) and those feelings spilled into her performance. We will discuss that more as we go. All in all, this was a great season, and started with a very strong episode.

Episode 1, Season 7

The Engagement

 

Plot Summary-Jerry and George agree to start acting like grownups. However, while Jerry gets talked out of it by Kramer George decides to spontaneously propose to Susan. When George finds out Jerry dumped his girlfriend he accuses of him or reneging on their pact. Meanwhile, Kramer and Newman plan to eliminate a dog whose barking has been keeping Elaine up at night.

Best Quote-“They're prisons! Man-made prisons. You're doing time! You get up in the morning, she's there. You go to sleep at night, she's there. It's like you gotta ask permission to use the bathroom. "Is it all right if I use the bathroom now?"”….Kramer on marriage, love this speech.

Nitpick of the episode-This is actually a hard episode to nitpick, but I guess I can point out how foolish the idea of kidnapping the dog is. They couldn’t anticipate the result, which of course was the dog safely returning?

Seinfeldism of the episode-“The pact” which Jerry insists never happened, and Jerry breaks up with his girlfriend because she eats her peas one at a time.

Deleted Scenes-The scene with Elaine, Kramer, and Newman stealing the dog was longer

Episode Fun Fact-The end of the episode has George and Susan watching an episode of Mad About You, the same show Kramer appeared on a few years earlier. Weird. Elaine has a raw voice in this episode which wasn’t act, Julia lost her voice filming the scenes of her screaming at the dog.

Final Thoughts-This episode is like a breath of fresh air to the series, and is very well done. The whole thing works, from the brilliant opening scene with the agreement in the coffee shop to the reasons why Jerry and George went different directions with it. It is also real nice to see Susan again, as I said last time she was a nice addition to the cast, she fit in very well. Kramer becomes part of Elaine’s story is which is kind of weak but not enough to ruin the episode. Elaine is still teetering on the sweet side here, but that won’t last long. This episode is full of cute little moments including George calling his parents to tell them he is engaged, Kramer talking about how he doesn’t wear watches, and a callback to “The Fix-UP” when Jerry asks if Susan has the pinkish hue that George likes in women.

Grade=A, good start

Episode 2, Season 7

The Postponement

 

Plot Summary-George discovers the power of tears, other and his own. Elaine has mixed feelings about George’s engagement and shares them with a rabbi. Jerry and Kramer try to see Planet 9 from Outer Space but Kramer ends up spilling hot coffee on himself when trying to sneak it into the theatre.

Best Quote-“You see those tears streaming down you don’t know what to do. It’s like she was on fire and I was just trying to put it out”….George describing Susan’s tears

Nitpick of the episode-Nice to see Kramer got over his thing about rules in “The Big Salad”. Since I already went on that rant, I’ll just point out that Jerry still didn’t get to see that film with one of his friends. I can understand George’s worries since he got engaged to be married in three months and live with his fiancée in the span of, what, a week?

Seinfeldism of the episode-This episode has the rabbi with a very big mouth

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode

Episode Fun Fact-The story of Kramer suing a company because he burned himself by spilling coffee on himself was of course inspired by an actual lawsuit involving McDonald’s.

Final Thoughts-A great follow up to the previous episode. It is so funny to watch George squirm and worry about the situation he has found himself stuck in. George learns very quickly why men work so hard to not disappoint women. This is a very relatable situation for anyone who has been in some kind of relationship.  We also get a nice call back to “The Chinese Restaurant” as Jerry finally gets to see Plan 9. Elaine’s attitude about George’s engagement is actually pretty believable; it’s just too bad Elaine chose to discuss things with rabbi.

Grade=A-, Jerry’s story is flimsy

Episode 3, Season 7

The Maestro

 

Plot Summary-Kramer consults a lawyer regarding the coffee burn, George obsesses about a security guard who stands all day, Elaine goes with a maestro who insists on always being calls a maestro. Jerry becomes obsessed with proving the maestro wrong about vacancies in Tuscany.

Best Quote-“That’s why I’m different. I can sense the slightest human suffering”…George

Nitpick of the episode-The maestro is a huge jerk, I wouldn’t call him anything else but Bob if I knew him in real life. He’s a maestro, so what? I can think of at least a dozen more respected jobs and the people who do them don’t demand people refer to them by their title rather than their name.

Seinfeldism of the episode-Jackie Chiles has his own catchphrases which begin here including the discussion on balms

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode

Episode Fun Fact-The first appearance of Jackie Chiles, one of the best characters the show would produce.

Final Thoughts-While anyone with any sense can tell where the story of the security guard is going, it’s still funny when we see the guy sleeping. It’s funny because we see how much George messes things and people up, even with good intentions. It’s a classic George moment even though he isn’t in the scene. All of the stories in this episode just kind of quit through the episode. Kramer’s story is great in the first half but vanishes in the second. I find it hard to understand why Jerry obsesses about Tuscany, even George points out that he shouldn’t care. Another example of neurotic Jerry. We get a  Poppie reference, but no cameo? What a disappointment. Finally, the Maestro is not very likeable it’s no wonder he only returned on more time.

Grade=B -, The first three episodes almost make one complete episode. However as installments go this one is the weakest.

Episode 4, Season 7

The Wink

 

Plot Summary-Jerry accidentally squirts juice in George’s eye which causes him to involuntarily wink. The wink causes trouble with a co-worker and causes Kramer to sell a card meant for Steinbrenner. Jerry dates a woman who likes meat while Elaine gets involved with the guy who runs her wake up service.

Best Quote-“Salad, what was I thinking? Women don’t respect salad eaters”…Jerry

Nitpick of the episode-Easy one, if Jerry is swearing off meat and his girlfriend is a meat lover, what makes him think the relationship is actually going to go anywhere? You’d think the first time he had to hide the meat would have been enough to end the relationship. And by the way Jerry, I agree that ordering a salad on a date was a huge mistake.

Seinfeldism of the episode-George’s incessant winking

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode

Episode Fun Fact-Jerry becomes a health nut in this episode.

Final Thoughts-The stuff with Kramer and the sick child is handled so well that it comes off as really funny rather than offensive, a real testament to what good writing can do. George’s story is strong but once it sets the other stories in motion doesn’t really go anywhere. I do like how the plot ties Elaine’s story about the wake up service into George’s story about his boss, clever. Elaine’s story also kind of falls flat and that last scene of the episode is so weak that it almost feels as if they just gave up and said “ah, let’s just end this thing”.

Grade=B+, Good episode with a lousy ending

Episode 5, Season 7

The Hot Tub

 

Plot Summary-A runner is staying with Elaine and Jerry takes over making sure that the guy wakes up for the race. Kramer installs a hot tub in his apartment. George’s boss thinks that he is stressed out. Elaine tries to come up with an idea for a piece about a walking shoe.

Best Quote-“A wake up call! These people never fail; they sit in a room with a big clock all night long. Just waiting to make that call”….Jerry

Nitpick of the episode-The blackout is a bit contrived. I can buy that the generator blew out the fuses, but in the four 1/2 hours between 4:02 and 8:47 neither Jerry nor Jean Paul woke up once and noticed the time? A little hard to believe.  And apparently Jerry never learned how to put batteries in his clock radio so it will keep running if the power should go out. By the way, I had to ask, how do you oversleep at the Olympics???

Seinfeldism of the episode-Elaine’s problem with alarm clocks comes back to haunt her

Deleted Scenes-A scene with Elaine and Jean Paul visiting George in his office, and a return of the rabbi (I see what that scene was cute it slowed the whole show down)

Episode Fun Fact-Finally this season we start to get more than passing glimpses of Kramer’s apartment, as seen in this episode.

Final Thoughts-I loved the ending of this episode. Yeah, it’s kind of an old gag but I thought it was really funny. It’s amusing to see Jerry get so worried about waking Jean Paul up, it’s kind of the reverse of his usual worrying because this time he is obsessed with someone else. They do a great job with Jean Paul, we actually feel bad for him and maybe that’s why the ending works so well. George’s story is the bad one, it’s just not interesting and the end tag with George and Steinbrenner in the hot tub was lame. Kramer’s story is classic Kramer, as he winds up freezing all the time. It’s amazing the ailments he gets over the course of the series he loses his sense of taste, roasts himself, and suffers from hypothermia among other things.

Grade=B

Episode 6, Season 7

The Soup Nazi

 

Plot Summary-Jerry, George, and Elaine deal with an angry soup vendor. Jerry and his girlfriends have annoying nicknames; Kramer gets mugged by two odd men for an armoire which Elaine had purchased.

Best Quote-“You can’t eat this soup standing up your knees buckle”…..Jerry

Nitpick of the episode-I would say how ridiculous the idea of the soup Nazi is in real life, except that he’s based on a real person!

Seinfeldism of the episode-“No Soup For You!”

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode

Episode Fun Fact-Of course, the Soup Nazi was based on a real man who did not appreciate the attention this show created for him. At one point even demanding an apology from Seinfeld. Of course all that attitude did was make the characterization in this episode even more true to life.

Final Thoughts-This episode has some good stuff in it, but almost all of that is Soup Nazi related. The rest of it is really weak. Elaine’s story about the armoire is not bad, since it leads to the end of the Soup Nazi. Kramer meets Bob and Cedric, who come back a few more times. I never cared much for these guys, although they are kind of funny. George’s story doesn’t even really start until the second act, when his attempts to show Jerry how annoying he had been with his girl only makes Susan even more amorous toward him, to his chagrin. Jerry gets back together with his girlfriend to pad the show out since he has broken up with her a few short scenes later. Bania and Newman are wasted, but the Soup Nazi steals the show with the memorable performance yelling and staring the way he does in this episode.

Grade=C+, Yeah the soup Nazi is funny but that’s about all this episode offers