JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
I thought everyone was pretty solid here but nobody really stood out above the pack. Tony's rant at Jerry was perhaps my favorite scene of the episode, right up there with Jerry and George talking out Downtown but I think I will go with Kramer and Newman. Watching them slowly sort out the plan throughout the episode and actually having it all come together was neat, as was watching it all melt down at the end. Plus, Newman's calculator.
Best Storyline
The bottle scheme takes it for me here, as it had all the planning scenes and one liners plus the absurdity of them stumbling across Jerry's stolen car. The scene where Newman reveals the plan to Kramer is great.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
What happens when your boss lays out details on a project and you miss the details? Just ask him, George. Tell him you really want to get it right this time so you want to review it again. And then tell him to read a book on the shitter instead of holding meetings, jackass.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
I want an alternate reality where Newman marries the farmer's daughter and lives with her and her pappy. Newman the Farmer could have been a hell of a spin off. Relationship Grade: $.10/10
What Worked:
The opening scene with Wilhelm thinking George was listening to his project instructions while taking a shit is strong start; I enjoy when Jerry makes shit up about past political figures; Kramer's missing steering wheel; I love that Newman thinks you have to pay five cents to recycle and then calling hobos deranged; Welcome back, Miss Mishke!; Sue Ellen is savage, forcing Elaine through the roof on the clubs; I love that Newman and Kramer stored groceries under the fucking hood; The picture of Newman's mother is glorious and I love the the is using a turn of the century calculator to crunch his numbers; "Newman, you magnificent bastard!"; The can and bottle collecting montage is well done; Jerry and George walking through the lyrics of Downtown is one of my all time favorite scenes, especially when Jerry mocks him at the end; Tony tearing into Jerry about his car maintenance is fantastic; "THE WASHER FLUID IS NOT FINE!"; The detective is funny, saying this is normal with mechanics and then grilling Jerry about his treatment of the car; Elaine telling the detective that her and Jerry used to date cracked me up; The scene in the warehouse was well done all around; Kramer and Newman stumbling upon Tony and the Saab is inspired writing and a super fun coincidence; The farmer's daughter, hache mache; The mutton callback is great; Newman saying "I nautilus"; Deena seeing George in the sanitarium is another good callback; "Norman"; Good payoff with Peterman thinking the clubs were damaged due to JFK's temper
What Didn't Work
Can a car really run at all with loads of groceries jammed under the hood?; Where is David Puddy, a true mechanic??; LaFarge's sweater is almost as his pathetic as his crying; How does Jerry not know his license plate number? Grow up Jerome; Why couldn't Kramer and Newman just call the cops and tell them where Tony was and then head on their way? That should be enough; Things go a little off the rails and get too unbelievable at the end
Key Character Debuts
- Tony the Mechanic
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "It was the Peace Corps that gave me my start in this business. Clothing the naked natives of Bantu Besh." - Peterman "The pygmy pullover." - Elaine "Sotheby's is having an auction of JFK's memorabilia. One item in particular has caught my eye. The presidential golf clubs. To me, they capture that indefinable romance that was Camelot." - Peterman "Whatever." - Elaine
- "Why didn't you take your car?" - George "Ah, the steering wheel fell off. I don't know where it is." - Kramer
- "Well, what d'you think the hoboes are doing?" - Jerry "I don't know, they're deranged." - Newman
- "No, an eighteen-wheeler's no good. Too much overhead. You got permits, weigh-stations, tolls... Look, you're way outta your league." - Kramer
- "The Triple-A guy said I was this close to sucking a muffin down the carburetor. What were you thinking?" - Jerry
- "No, no, no, no no. Listen to me. Most days, the post office sends one truckload of mail to the second domestic regional sorting facility in Saginaw, Michigan." - Newman "Uh-huh." - Kramer "But, on the week before holidays, we see a surge. On Valentine's Day, we send two trucks. On Christmas, four, packed to the brim. And tomorrow, if history is any guide, will see some spillover into a fifth truck." - Newman "Mother's Day." - Kramer "The mother of all mail days. And guess who signed up for the truck." - Newman "A free truck? Oh boy, that completely changes our cost structure. Our G and A goes down fifty percent." - Kramer "We carry a coupla bags of mail, and the rest is ours!" - Newman "Newman, you magnificent bastard, you did it!" - Kramer
- "Jerry, motor oil is the lifeblood of a car. Okay, you put in a low-grade oil, you could damage vital engine parts. Okay. See this gasket? I have no confidence in that gasket." - Tony "I really wanna..." - Jerry "Here's what I wanna do. I wanna overhaul the entire engine. But it's gonna take a major commitment from you. You're gonna have to keep it under sixty miles an hour for a while. You gotta come in, and you gotta get the oil changed every thousand miles." - Tony "How much money is this gonna cost me?" - Jerry Huh. I don't understand you. It's your own car we're Talking about. You know you wrote the wrong mileage down on the form? You barely know the car. You don't know the mileage, you don't know the tyre pressure. When was the last time you even checked the washer fluid?" - Tony "The washer fluid is fine." - Jerry "The washer fluid is not fine!" - Tony
- "Maybe somebody did it and didn't take credit for it. Maybe it was already done and didn't need doing in the first place. I have no idea who did it, what they did, or how they did it so well. And you know what? Jimmy crack corn and I don't care." - George
- "How d'you do. Thanks for coming down." - Detective "This is Elaine Benes." - Jerry "We used to date, but now we're just friends." - Elaine "I see." - Detective
- "Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine bottle and cans in the trunk, nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine bottles and cans. At ten cents a bottle and ten cents a can, we're pulling in five hundred dollars a man. Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight bottle and cans in the trunk, nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight bottles and cans. We fill up with gas, we count up our cash!!..." - Newman & Kramer
- "What about drugs? You doing some of that crack cocaine? You on the pipe?" - Steinbrenner "No sir." - George "Are you seeing a psychiatrist? Bcause I got a flash for you young man, you're non compos mentis! You got some bats in the belfry!"- Steinbrenner
- "They're gonna take you away to a nice place where you can get some help. They're very friendly people there. My brother-in-law was there for a couple of weeks. The man was obsessed with lactating women. They completely cured him, although he still eats a lot of cheese." - Steinbrenner
- "Jerry! We've lost the fat man, and we're running lean. We're back on track, buddy!" - Kramer
Oddities & Fun Facts
- The song Downtown was recorded by Petula Clark and released in 1964. It eventually hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Mary Beth Whitehead had some serious issues, similar to Tony
- The farmer makes Newman mutton for dinner, a call back to The Wink (S7, E4)
- Per Wikipedia, The farmer's daughter's cry of "Goodbye, Norman! Goodbye!" at the end of the episode was not originally scripted. Actress Karen Lynn Scott forgot that Wayne Knight's character was called Newman and accidentally called him "Norman", but the goof actually made the scene funnier, so it was kept in.
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
Man, I really want to like this one but it fell apart quite a bit at the end. The pieces were all there but things got a little to out of hand and derailed the tight stories down the stretch. This could have been an all time classic if it were a half hour and they cut the extraneous stuff out. Most of the George stuff was aimless, really all of it outside of the Downtown scene. And I hated the end where he just ends up in a mental institution. That tagged up with the whole golf club attack and Kramer ditching Newman after chucking bags of bottles and cans onto a highway took me out of the episode a bit. There were some really strong scenes here but too much superfluous content to make it much of a winner. I will say though, I really could go for a Mello Yellow. Final Grade: 6/10
Best Character
I thought everyone was pretty solid here but nobody really stood out above the pack. Tony's rant at Jerry was perhaps my favorite scene of the episode, right up there with Jerry and George talking out Downtown but I think I will go with Kramer and Newman. Watching them slowly sort out the plan throughout the episode and actually having it all come together was neat, as was watching it all melt down at the end. Plus, Newman's calculator.
Best Storyline
The bottle scheme takes it for me here, as it had all the planning scenes and one liners plus the absurdity of them stumbling across Jerry's stolen car. The scene where Newman reveals the plan to Kramer is great.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
What happens when your boss lays out details on a project and you miss the details? Just ask him, George. Tell him you really want to get it right this time so you want to review it again. And then tell him to read a book on the shitter instead of holding meetings, jackass.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
I want an alternate reality where Newman marries the farmer's daughter and lives with her and her pappy. Newman the Farmer could have been a hell of a spin off. Relationship Grade: $.10/10
What Worked:
The opening scene with Wilhelm thinking George was listening to his project instructions while taking a shit is strong start; I enjoy when Jerry makes shit up about past political figures; Kramer's missing steering wheel; I love that Newman thinks you have to pay five cents to recycle and then calling hobos deranged; Welcome back, Miss Mishke!; Sue Ellen is savage, forcing Elaine through the roof on the clubs; I love that Newman and Kramer stored groceries under the fucking hood; The picture of Newman's mother is glorious and I love the the is using a turn of the century calculator to crunch his numbers; "Newman, you magnificent bastard!"; The can and bottle collecting montage is well done; Jerry and George walking through the lyrics of Downtown is one of my all time favorite scenes, especially when Jerry mocks him at the end; Tony tearing into Jerry about his car maintenance is fantastic; "THE WASHER FLUID IS NOT FINE!"; The detective is funny, saying this is normal with mechanics and then grilling Jerry about his treatment of the car; Elaine telling the detective that her and Jerry used to date cracked me up; The scene in the warehouse was well done all around; Kramer and Newman stumbling upon Tony and the Saab is inspired writing and a super fun coincidence; The farmer's daughter, hache mache; The mutton callback is great; Newman saying "I nautilus"; Deena seeing George in the sanitarium is another good callback; "Norman"; Good payoff with Peterman thinking the clubs were damaged due to JFK's temper
What Didn't Work
Can a car really run at all with loads of groceries jammed under the hood?; Where is David Puddy, a true mechanic??; LaFarge's sweater is almost as his pathetic as his crying; How does Jerry not know his license plate number? Grow up Jerome; Why couldn't Kramer and Newman just call the cops and tell them where Tony was and then head on their way? That should be enough; Things go a little off the rails and get too unbelievable at the end
Key Character Debuts
- Tony the Mechanic
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "It was the Peace Corps that gave me my start in this business. Clothing the naked natives of Bantu Besh." - Peterman "The pygmy pullover." - Elaine "Sotheby's is having an auction of JFK's memorabilia. One item in particular has caught my eye. The presidential golf clubs. To me, they capture that indefinable romance that was Camelot." - Peterman "Whatever." - Elaine
- "Why didn't you take your car?" - George "Ah, the steering wheel fell off. I don't know where it is." - Kramer
- "Well, what d'you think the hoboes are doing?" - Jerry "I don't know, they're deranged." - Newman
- "No, an eighteen-wheeler's no good. Too much overhead. You got permits, weigh-stations, tolls... Look, you're way outta your league." - Kramer
- "The Triple-A guy said I was this close to sucking a muffin down the carburetor. What were you thinking?" - Jerry
- "No, no, no, no no. Listen to me. Most days, the post office sends one truckload of mail to the second domestic regional sorting facility in Saginaw, Michigan." - Newman "Uh-huh." - Kramer "But, on the week before holidays, we see a surge. On Valentine's Day, we send two trucks. On Christmas, four, packed to the brim. And tomorrow, if history is any guide, will see some spillover into a fifth truck." - Newman "Mother's Day." - Kramer "The mother of all mail days. And guess who signed up for the truck." - Newman "A free truck? Oh boy, that completely changes our cost structure. Our G and A goes down fifty percent." - Kramer "We carry a coupla bags of mail, and the rest is ours!" - Newman "Newman, you magnificent bastard, you did it!" - Kramer
- "Jerry, motor oil is the lifeblood of a car. Okay, you put in a low-grade oil, you could damage vital engine parts. Okay. See this gasket? I have no confidence in that gasket." - Tony "I really wanna..." - Jerry "Here's what I wanna do. I wanna overhaul the entire engine. But it's gonna take a major commitment from you. You're gonna have to keep it under sixty miles an hour for a while. You gotta come in, and you gotta get the oil changed every thousand miles." - Tony "How much money is this gonna cost me?" - Jerry Huh. I don't understand you. It's your own car we're Talking about. You know you wrote the wrong mileage down on the form? You barely know the car. You don't know the mileage, you don't know the tyre pressure. When was the last time you even checked the washer fluid?" - Tony "The washer fluid is fine." - Jerry "The washer fluid is not fine!" - Tony
- "Maybe somebody did it and didn't take credit for it. Maybe it was already done and didn't need doing in the first place. I have no idea who did it, what they did, or how they did it so well. And you know what? Jimmy crack corn and I don't care." - George
- "How d'you do. Thanks for coming down." - Detective "This is Elaine Benes." - Jerry "We used to date, but now we're just friends." - Elaine "I see." - Detective
- "Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine bottle and cans in the trunk, nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine bottles and cans. At ten cents a bottle and ten cents a can, we're pulling in five hundred dollars a man. Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight bottle and cans in the trunk, nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight bottles and cans. We fill up with gas, we count up our cash!!..." - Newman & Kramer
- "What about drugs? You doing some of that crack cocaine? You on the pipe?" - Steinbrenner "No sir." - George "Are you seeing a psychiatrist? Bcause I got a flash for you young man, you're non compos mentis! You got some bats in the belfry!"- Steinbrenner
- "They're gonna take you away to a nice place where you can get some help. They're very friendly people there. My brother-in-law was there for a couple of weeks. The man was obsessed with lactating women. They completely cured him, although he still eats a lot of cheese." - Steinbrenner
- "Jerry! We've lost the fat man, and we're running lean. We're back on track, buddy!" - Kramer
Oddities & Fun Facts
- The song Downtown was recorded by Petula Clark and released in 1964. It eventually hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Mary Beth Whitehead had some serious issues, similar to Tony
- The farmer makes Newman mutton for dinner, a call back to The Wink (S7, E4)
- Per Wikipedia, The farmer's daughter's cry of "Goodbye, Norman! Goodbye!" at the end of the episode was not originally scripted. Actress Karen Lynn Scott forgot that Wayne Knight's character was called Newman and accidentally called him "Norman", but the goof actually made the scene funnier, so it was kept in.
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
Man, I really want to like this one but it fell apart quite a bit at the end. The pieces were all there but things got a little to out of hand and derailed the tight stories down the stretch. This could have been an all time classic if it were a half hour and they cut the extraneous stuff out. Most of the George stuff was aimless, really all of it outside of the Downtown scene. And I hated the end where he just ends up in a mental institution. That tagged up with the whole golf club attack and Kramer ditching Newman after chucking bags of bottles and cans onto a highway took me out of the episode a bit. There were some really strong scenes here but too much superfluous content to make it much of a winner. I will say though, I really could go for a Mello Yellow. Final Grade: 6/10
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