JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
Kramer was at his best here, a force that takes over scenes and had multiple issues going on. The stuff with the Jockeys was really well done and him possibly knocking up Noreen was a good payoff to this mini arc. Honorable mention to the Costanzas, who were tremendous in their brief spurts. The cape argument and final fight were perfect.
Best Storyline
The divorce. It featured all the great Costanza scenes plus the man in the cape. George's fretting and the oven scene were great and I love that final fight when Estelle learns the truth about Chang.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Donna Chang knew what she was doing. It was sneaky and deceitful. But, advice is advice right? Estelle's reverse racism may be admirable to some, but at the end of the day this crazy girl from Long Island clearly struck a chord. Listen to your heart, Estelle.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Frank and Estelle are meant for each other. Who else will deal with either of them? Does Frank just want his own space? Is Estelle looking for some strange? Suck it up and make it work, for the sake of your fans. True love at its most Queens finest. Relationship Grade: Costanza/10
What Worked:
I like that Noreen hung around and has another awful boyfriend; The man with the cape!; I like Jerry & Elaine dodging Frank and also the reveal that Elaine was schlepping Jerry's groceries; Kramer's water line always makes me chuckle; Phone lines getting crossed sounds so weird in retrospect; George being perplexed about the cape is great; Really anything with the cape is awesome; Elaine dodging Paul is funny, whether is hanging up or talking for hours with the hair dryer to the phone in a true commitment to a lie; The second hand smoke dig by Jerry made me laugh; Kramer trying to pawn his Jockeys on Jerry was fantastic, just throw them away!; Frank's anger about Jerry and Elaine's snub; I loved how Donna broke the news of the divorce to George and that followed by him sticking his head in the oven was great too; The slow revelation that Kramer was free ballin' was well done; Elaine destroying two straight relationships for Noreen; While I didn't care for the mispronounced words, I did like the acupuncture and Confucius bits; Jerry tossing Elaine under the bus with Frank was great as was Estelle getting pissed that Donna wasn't Chinese; Kramer taking control of Noreen's life was a nice payoff; The final scene with Frank and Estelle deciding on the divorce was tremendous; I want footage of Frank and George playing Clue
What Didn't Work
The whole discussion around Kramer, George and Jerry knocking up women is really odd, none of them used protection? Weird storyline; I didn't think we needed Donna Chang blatantly mispronouncing words to get the point across, felt over the top; How often does Elaine call Noreen?
Key Character Debuts
Donna Chang
Paul the Long Talker
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "Why is Mr. Costanza with a man in a cape?" - Elaine "Well, it is good cape weather. Cool. Breezy." - Jerry "Yeah, why a cape? Who wears a cape? Where do you even get a cape?" - Elaine
- "Hey, it's George. I got nothin' to say..." - George
- "Should've talked to her. I love Chinese women." - Jerry "Isn't that a little racist?" - Elaine "If I like their race, how can that be racist?" - Jerry
- "Yeah, I think these Jockeys shrunk." - Kramer "I thought you wore silk underwear." - Elaine "No. Well, you know, I wore 'em for about a month but I couldn't stay with it. Yeah, I need the secure packaging of Jockeys. My boys need a house." - Kramer
- "Sperm count? Well how many sperm should I have?" - Kramer
- "She knew who I was! She saw me in a club one time! My first date ever with the Pacific Rim. I'm very excited." - Jerry
- "Well, but what if I am? I'm the last male Kramer! We're facing extinction!" - Kramer
- "No...go ahead...I second-hand smoke two packs a day." - Jerry
- "Well, she's...like you." - Jerry "Oh, how...disappointed you must have been." - Elaine "Well, it's false advertising, see? And the thing is, I think she likes people thinking she's Chinese. She suggests Chinese food. She always introduces herself as Donna Chang!" - Jerry "So why're you seeing her again?" - Elaine "Well, she is a woman." - Jerry
- "Boxers! How do you wear these things!! Look at that--they're baggin' up, they're rising in! An' there's nothing holding me in place! I'm flippin'! I'm floppin'!" - Kramer
- "Queens is full of mosquitoes." - Frank "So, Dad..." - George "Gnats, too. If I'm not mistaken." - Frank
- "Elaine, I can see, not sayin' hello. She's very--what's the word--supercilious." - Frank "So Dad." - George "How could Jerry not say Hello?!!" - Frank
- "Yeah, you know it's a shame his parents didn't get divorced thirty years ago. He could have been normal." - Jerry
- "Have you ever spent any time with these people? - Jerry "You know what this has to do with? The man in the cape. I bet you he is mixed up in this! I don't trust men in capes." - George "You can't cast aspersions on someone just because they're wearing a cape... Superman wore a cape... And I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand here and let you say something bad about him." - Jerry "All right Superman's the exception." - George
- Jerry's Superman obsession comes out for the first time in a while
- "The only thing between him and us is a thin layer of gabardine. Kramer, say it isn't so." - Jerry "Oh, it be so. I'm out there, Jerry, an' I'm lovin' every minute of it!!!" - Kramer "Don't you need a little...help?" - Jerry "Surprisingly, no. I'm free, I'm unfettered...I'm like a naked innocent boy roamin' the countryside!!" - Kramer
- "So she breaks up with him. Somehow picks up the pieces of her life. Miraculously meets: A New Guy! Ya bust that up! An' then, just as they're reconciling, you announce to the world: He's Boring." - Jerry
- "Who wears a cape?" - George "He's very independent; doesn't follow the trends." - Frank "He looks ridiculous in that thing." - Estelle "You have no eye for fashion!" - Frank "I have no eye for fashion?" - Estelle
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Larry David portrays the man with the cape
- Phone lines being crossed is a very 90s issue
- Boxers vs. Briefs is another very 90s issue
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
There were a lot of funny bits and moments and honestly many of them were classic ones. But...this was an odd case where tremendous parts didn't equal a great sum for whatever reason. Like, the individual scenes were all really good but as a whole it just never seemed to click for me. Some of the Chang stuff was forced as well, which took away from things. I adored the man in the cape and all things Costanza and Kramer's underwear foibles were fantastic. The pregnancy stuff was odd in many ways too. Like why are they proud about knocking up random women? Has Jerry done it before and then they have an abortion? A miscarriage? It was just an odd direction to go. Again, this grade feels low because of some of the classic moments here, but I just wasn't feeling the total...ahem...package. Final Grade: 7/10
Best Character
Kramer was at his best here, a force that takes over scenes and had multiple issues going on. The stuff with the Jockeys was really well done and him possibly knocking up Noreen was a good payoff to this mini arc. Honorable mention to the Costanzas, who were tremendous in their brief spurts. The cape argument and final fight were perfect.
Best Storyline
The divorce. It featured all the great Costanza scenes plus the man in the cape. George's fretting and the oven scene were great and I love that final fight when Estelle learns the truth about Chang.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Donna Chang knew what she was doing. It was sneaky and deceitful. But, advice is advice right? Estelle's reverse racism may be admirable to some, but at the end of the day this crazy girl from Long Island clearly struck a chord. Listen to your heart, Estelle.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Frank and Estelle are meant for each other. Who else will deal with either of them? Does Frank just want his own space? Is Estelle looking for some strange? Suck it up and make it work, for the sake of your fans. True love at its most Queens finest. Relationship Grade: Costanza/10
What Worked:
I like that Noreen hung around and has another awful boyfriend; The man with the cape!; I like Jerry & Elaine dodging Frank and also the reveal that Elaine was schlepping Jerry's groceries; Kramer's water line always makes me chuckle; Phone lines getting crossed sounds so weird in retrospect; George being perplexed about the cape is great; Really anything with the cape is awesome; Elaine dodging Paul is funny, whether is hanging up or talking for hours with the hair dryer to the phone in a true commitment to a lie; The second hand smoke dig by Jerry made me laugh; Kramer trying to pawn his Jockeys on Jerry was fantastic, just throw them away!; Frank's anger about Jerry and Elaine's snub; I loved how Donna broke the news of the divorce to George and that followed by him sticking his head in the oven was great too; The slow revelation that Kramer was free ballin' was well done; Elaine destroying two straight relationships for Noreen; While I didn't care for the mispronounced words, I did like the acupuncture and Confucius bits; Jerry tossing Elaine under the bus with Frank was great as was Estelle getting pissed that Donna wasn't Chinese; Kramer taking control of Noreen's life was a nice payoff; The final scene with Frank and Estelle deciding on the divorce was tremendous; I want footage of Frank and George playing Clue
What Didn't Work
The whole discussion around Kramer, George and Jerry knocking up women is really odd, none of them used protection? Weird storyline; I didn't think we needed Donna Chang blatantly mispronouncing words to get the point across, felt over the top; How often does Elaine call Noreen?
Key Character Debuts
Donna Chang
Paul the Long Talker
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "Why is Mr. Costanza with a man in a cape?" - Elaine "Well, it is good cape weather. Cool. Breezy." - Jerry "Yeah, why a cape? Who wears a cape? Where do you even get a cape?" - Elaine
- "Hey, it's George. I got nothin' to say..." - George
- "Should've talked to her. I love Chinese women." - Jerry "Isn't that a little racist?" - Elaine "If I like their race, how can that be racist?" - Jerry
- "Yeah, I think these Jockeys shrunk." - Kramer "I thought you wore silk underwear." - Elaine "No. Well, you know, I wore 'em for about a month but I couldn't stay with it. Yeah, I need the secure packaging of Jockeys. My boys need a house." - Kramer
- "Sperm count? Well how many sperm should I have?" - Kramer
- "She knew who I was! She saw me in a club one time! My first date ever with the Pacific Rim. I'm very excited." - Jerry
- "Well, but what if I am? I'm the last male Kramer! We're facing extinction!" - Kramer
- "No...go ahead...I second-hand smoke two packs a day." - Jerry
- "Well, she's...like you." - Jerry "Oh, how...disappointed you must have been." - Elaine "Well, it's false advertising, see? And the thing is, I think she likes people thinking she's Chinese. She suggests Chinese food. She always introduces herself as Donna Chang!" - Jerry "So why're you seeing her again?" - Elaine "Well, she is a woman." - Jerry
- "Boxers! How do you wear these things!! Look at that--they're baggin' up, they're rising in! An' there's nothing holding me in place! I'm flippin'! I'm floppin'!" - Kramer
- "Queens is full of mosquitoes." - Frank "So, Dad..." - George "Gnats, too. If I'm not mistaken." - Frank
- "Elaine, I can see, not sayin' hello. She's very--what's the word--supercilious." - Frank "So Dad." - George "How could Jerry not say Hello?!!" - Frank
- "Yeah, you know it's a shame his parents didn't get divorced thirty years ago. He could have been normal." - Jerry
- "Have you ever spent any time with these people? - Jerry "You know what this has to do with? The man in the cape. I bet you he is mixed up in this! I don't trust men in capes." - George "You can't cast aspersions on someone just because they're wearing a cape... Superman wore a cape... And I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand here and let you say something bad about him." - Jerry "All right Superman's the exception." - George
- Jerry's Superman obsession comes out for the first time in a while
- "The only thing between him and us is a thin layer of gabardine. Kramer, say it isn't so." - Jerry "Oh, it be so. I'm out there, Jerry, an' I'm lovin' every minute of it!!!" - Kramer "Don't you need a little...help?" - Jerry "Surprisingly, no. I'm free, I'm unfettered...I'm like a naked innocent boy roamin' the countryside!!" - Kramer
- "So she breaks up with him. Somehow picks up the pieces of her life. Miraculously meets: A New Guy! Ya bust that up! An' then, just as they're reconciling, you announce to the world: He's Boring." - Jerry
- "Who wears a cape?" - George "He's very independent; doesn't follow the trends." - Frank "He looks ridiculous in that thing." - Estelle "You have no eye for fashion!" - Frank "I have no eye for fashion?" - Estelle
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Larry David portrays the man with the cape
- Phone lines being crossed is a very 90s issue
- Boxers vs. Briefs is another very 90s issue
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
There were a lot of funny bits and moments and honestly many of them were classic ones. But...this was an odd case where tremendous parts didn't equal a great sum for whatever reason. Like, the individual scenes were all really good but as a whole it just never seemed to click for me. Some of the Chang stuff was forced as well, which took away from things. I adored the man in the cape and all things Costanza and Kramer's underwear foibles were fantastic. The pregnancy stuff was odd in many ways too. Like why are they proud about knocking up random women? Has Jerry done it before and then they have an abortion? A miscarriage? It was just an odd direction to go. Again, this grade feels low because of some of the classic moments here, but I just wasn't feeling the total...ahem...package. Final Grade: 7/10
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