JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
For a while in this one, I thought I was headed towards George but after the scene at the chiropractor, he pretty much went silent. So, with no quantity available, I went pure quality and that leads us to Kramer, who was great in his handful of scenes. His obsessive nature over topics leads to great lines and moments and his main objective here was shaming Jerry into buying fruit somewhere other than the supermarket and then demanding that he be allowed to return the crappy cantaloupe on Jerry's behalf. He was really becoming comfortable in what the character should be beyond just a weird, brooding neighbor.
Best Storyline
Again, I almost went with the main storyline of George's breakup but nothing here made me laugh more than Kramer and his issues with the fruit. I wish we got to see more of that story for sure, but even in its brief doses it was the best this episode had to offer.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Initially I thought the dilemma would be whether or not you should date your friend's ex, but then George was cool with it, so the dilemma easily solved. With that one put to bed, we turn to whether or not you should be able to return shitty fruit. As someone that worked behind the service desk at a supermarket for three years, I would probably say no. I am all about value and getting your money's worth but I agree with Jerry that fruit is a roll of the dice. You have to do your best to analyze at point of purchase and hope it holds up. Unless the store is a fruit only store that pushes its high quality, you would end up waging a losing war.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Jerry & Marlene didn't have much going on at all. She is barely with George in the episode, so we can't count that one. I feel her and Jerry could have had some chemistry, but things are quickly aborted after she sees his act. She was quite attractive, so you can understand why Jerry would become hypnotized, but this relationship was all sizzle and zero steak. Relationship Grade: 2/10
What Worked
Elaine's chemistry with George and Jerry is quickly improving, proven by the opening scene in the car where she spars with them and gets into their typeof minutia; Kramer is starting to get his own smaller stories and character development, which would good to see; The growing obsession with social interactions continues to be the hallmark of the show. In this episode, Elaine's beef centered around saying hello to a neighbor is in interesting internal debate many of us have, but here it is brought forward and analyzed and broken down as only the Seinfeld crew does best.
What Didn't Work
We still only get one main Jerry-centric storyline and because of that it feels like Elaine and Kramer are wasting away in the wings as ancillary characters; Jerry was bad with obviously fighting laughing in his scenes with Kramer, especially when Jerry is fretting over telling George about Marlene; Elaine's wardrobe is still a mess.
Key Character Debuts
The middle booth at Monk's
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- Jerry describes breaking up with a significant other like pulling off a band-aid
- Kramer's obsession with fresh fruit and golf
- "Fruit's a gamble, I know that going in" - Jerry
- "What's 75 bucks? What am I seeing Sinatra in there?" - George
- "I pay what I say." - George
- "You're a cashier!" - Jerry
Oddities & Fun Facts
None
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
Season two sadly picks up where season one left off, with a soft episode saved only by Kramer's antics and some funny one liners mixed in. As I have said before, without fleshed out B and C stories, if the main story falls flat, the episode is in trouble. There was promise in this type of story, with Jerry falling for George's ex but by the time we get to that part of it, things are wrapping up. They spent too much time having George get out of the relationship and had little time left for the true conflict. We really need those additional fleshed out storylines and more screen time for Elaine and Kramer to start showing up for Seinfeld to turn the corner. Final Grade: 3/10
Best Character
For a while in this one, I thought I was headed towards George but after the scene at the chiropractor, he pretty much went silent. So, with no quantity available, I went pure quality and that leads us to Kramer, who was great in his handful of scenes. His obsessive nature over topics leads to great lines and moments and his main objective here was shaming Jerry into buying fruit somewhere other than the supermarket and then demanding that he be allowed to return the crappy cantaloupe on Jerry's behalf. He was really becoming comfortable in what the character should be beyond just a weird, brooding neighbor.
Best Storyline
Again, I almost went with the main storyline of George's breakup but nothing here made me laugh more than Kramer and his issues with the fruit. I wish we got to see more of that story for sure, but even in its brief doses it was the best this episode had to offer.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Initially I thought the dilemma would be whether or not you should date your friend's ex, but then George was cool with it, so the dilemma easily solved. With that one put to bed, we turn to whether or not you should be able to return shitty fruit. As someone that worked behind the service desk at a supermarket for three years, I would probably say no. I am all about value and getting your money's worth but I agree with Jerry that fruit is a roll of the dice. You have to do your best to analyze at point of purchase and hope it holds up. Unless the store is a fruit only store that pushes its high quality, you would end up waging a losing war.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Jerry & Marlene didn't have much going on at all. She is barely with George in the episode, so we can't count that one. I feel her and Jerry could have had some chemistry, but things are quickly aborted after she sees his act. She was quite attractive, so you can understand why Jerry would become hypnotized, but this relationship was all sizzle and zero steak. Relationship Grade: 2/10
What Worked
Elaine's chemistry with George and Jerry is quickly improving, proven by the opening scene in the car where she spars with them and gets into their typeof minutia; Kramer is starting to get his own smaller stories and character development, which would good to see; The growing obsession with social interactions continues to be the hallmark of the show. In this episode, Elaine's beef centered around saying hello to a neighbor is in interesting internal debate many of us have, but here it is brought forward and analyzed and broken down as only the Seinfeld crew does best.
What Didn't Work
We still only get one main Jerry-centric storyline and because of that it feels like Elaine and Kramer are wasting away in the wings as ancillary characters; Jerry was bad with obviously fighting laughing in his scenes with Kramer, especially when Jerry is fretting over telling George about Marlene; Elaine's wardrobe is still a mess.
Key Character Debuts
The middle booth at Monk's
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- Jerry describes breaking up with a significant other like pulling off a band-aid
- Kramer's obsession with fresh fruit and golf
- "Fruit's a gamble, I know that going in" - Jerry
- "What's 75 bucks? What am I seeing Sinatra in there?" - George
- "I pay what I say." - George
- "You're a cashier!" - Jerry
Oddities & Fun Facts
None
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
Season two sadly picks up where season one left off, with a soft episode saved only by Kramer's antics and some funny one liners mixed in. As I have said before, without fleshed out B and C stories, if the main story falls flat, the episode is in trouble. There was promise in this type of story, with Jerry falling for George's ex but by the time we get to that part of it, things are wrapping up. They spent too much time having George get out of the relationship and had little time left for the true conflict. We really need those additional fleshed out storylines and more screen time for Elaine and Kramer to start showing up for Seinfeld to turn the corner. Final Grade: 3/10
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