JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
This was Jerry's episode from top to bottom. He was fantastic with his manic obsession with helping Jean-Paul and blending that with his constant digs at everyone about everything was aces. He nailed every line and it crested with him fucking everything up with his paranoia. I will never not laugh at him bobbing his head to the music on the alarm clock.
Best Storyline
Jean-Paul Jean-Paul. That poor son of a bitch just wants to run and the world is out to fuck him.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Is it rude for Jean-Paul to turn to Jerry in his time of need? He eventually does out of pure necessity but I do think he could have pulled the trigger earlier. Elaine showed him no reason to be trusted and this was his livelihood. Dump the broad that can't even heat up a muffin and hook your wagon to the OCD maniac. Trust the process.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Jerry and Jean-Paul were a great pair. They played off each other like an all time great comedy duo, especially in the hotel room. I wish JP moved in with Jerome on a permanent basis. Relationship Grade: 10/10
What Worked:
Jerry poking fun at Elaine's writing and George's tip about looking annoyed get us off to a strong start; Trinidadian & Toboggan; Wilhelm's head shake as George smacks the fly gets me every time; Jerry's line about the hot tub matching the coffee temperature and his answer to George asking about Kramer's running water are fantastic; Jean-Paul is immediately great as is Jerry explaining why the knobs are separate; Why separate knob?; Elaine burning the muffin; Those sons of bitches from Houston are so damn great; Frozen Kramer; Jean-Paul's "This son of a bitch is ice-cold." may be the greatest line in the whole series; George getting caught swearing at the Houston boys on the phone makes me laugh out loud every time; Jerry bobbing his head to the jazz is another all time favorite of mine; Kramer setting his mental alarm; Elaine's epiphany about the walking shoes; Nice callback to the Rabbi by Jerry; The finish is cruel but a great callback to Kramer burning himself with coffee earlier in the season
What Didn't Work
Take a soak and enjoy the perfection
Key Character Debuts
- Jean-Paul Jean-Paul
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "So did you come up with a little stupid story for the Himalayan walking shoe yet?" - Jerry
- "He's from uh...Trinidad and Tobago, right?" - Jerry "Yeah, he's Trinidadian and...Toboggan." - Elaine
- "Alarm clocks? I never use 'em. Don't trust 'em." - Kramer "What do you do?" - Jerry "I have a uh...mental alarm. I set my head for... quarter to seven and...I get up!" - Kramer "Always works?" - Jerry "It never fails. See, it's based on your body clock. See, your body has an internal mechanism. It knows what time it is." - Kramer "Uh-uh. What's with the bucket?" - George " Lomez, he sold me his hot tub." - Kramer
- "The water's gonna get over 120 degrees!" - Kramer "Is that tolerable?" - George "Oh...it's tolerable!" - Kramer "Isn't that the same temperature the coffee that scalded you?" - Jerry "Oh, I think it's a little cooler than that..." - Kramer "He uh...doesn't have any running water?" - George "I don't ask those kind of questions anymore." - Jerry
- "Yes, separate knob. Why separate knob?! Why separate knob?!" - Jean-Paul "Some people like to have the radio alarm a little louder than the radio." - Jerry "Oh, please, man, please!" - Jean-Paul
- "Hey, Jean-Paul. How was your soak? Was a good soak?" - Jerry "Ah, man, very good soak. The soak o'the year!" - Jean-Paul
- "Come on, I'm tellin' you, it's great. I opened up all the windows... the air is cold, the tub is boiling hot... It's like Sweden, man. Sweeeeden!" - Kramer
- "I like your organization, George. We've been talkin' to a really friendly son of a bitch in the front office. Wilhelm, I think his name." - Gardner
- "I'm saying "get the hell outta there"! Let me put you in a hotel. You'll be comfortable, you'll be near the starting line, and most importantly... you'll have 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
- "This son of a bitch is ice-cold." - Jean-Paul
- "You tell that son of a bitch no Yankee is ever comin' to Houston! Not as long as you bastards are running things!" - George
- "You are mama's little bastard, aren't you?" - Jean-Paul
- "What kinda music you wanna wake up to? Top 40, classical..." - Jerry "Man, whatever!" - Jean-Paul "How about adult contemporary?" - Jerry "Fine, adult contemporary. Just pick one! " - Jean-Paul
- "Ohhh, I'm exhausted. I've been on this street a thousand times! It's never looked so strange! The faces...so cold! In the distance, a child is crying. Fatherless...a bastard child, perhaps. My back aches...my heart aches...but my feet...my feet are resilient! Thank God I took off my heels, and put on my... HIMALAYAN WALKING SHOES!!!" - Elaine
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Interleague play in Major League Baseball eventually kicked off on June 12, 1997; This episode aired on October 19, 1995
- Jerry references the Rabbi, who was a character in the first two episodes of season seven
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
This episode is fantastic. The writing was tremendous and everything tied together beautifully with all the little things throughout the episode paying off in various ways and it even closes with a brilliant tribe to the coffee incident from earlier in the season. Jerry was on fire with all of his obsessive tics and mania spilling over into a mad dash to the start line. Jean-Paul was a great guest character too, nailing one of my all time favorite lines when he feels Kramer's icy cold hand. George and the Houston boys was a perfect secondary story too with lots of laughs that led to multiple issues elsewhere. Elaine and Kramer weren't slouches either and even Wilhelm and Big Stein filled the gaps with strong performances. This is my favorite episode of the season so far and an easy perfect score as I couldn't find one thing that bugged me and not one scene that felt like a waste. This bastard was as good as it gets. Final Grade: 10/10
Best Character
This was Jerry's episode from top to bottom. He was fantastic with his manic obsession with helping Jean-Paul and blending that with his constant digs at everyone about everything was aces. He nailed every line and it crested with him fucking everything up with his paranoia. I will never not laugh at him bobbing his head to the music on the alarm clock.
Best Storyline
Jean-Paul Jean-Paul. That poor son of a bitch just wants to run and the world is out to fuck him.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Is it rude for Jean-Paul to turn to Jerry in his time of need? He eventually does out of pure necessity but I do think he could have pulled the trigger earlier. Elaine showed him no reason to be trusted and this was his livelihood. Dump the broad that can't even heat up a muffin and hook your wagon to the OCD maniac. Trust the process.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Jerry and Jean-Paul were a great pair. They played off each other like an all time great comedy duo, especially in the hotel room. I wish JP moved in with Jerome on a permanent basis. Relationship Grade: 10/10
What Worked:
Jerry poking fun at Elaine's writing and George's tip about looking annoyed get us off to a strong start; Trinidadian & Toboggan; Wilhelm's head shake as George smacks the fly gets me every time; Jerry's line about the hot tub matching the coffee temperature and his answer to George asking about Kramer's running water are fantastic; Jean-Paul is immediately great as is Jerry explaining why the knobs are separate; Why separate knob?; Elaine burning the muffin; Those sons of bitches from Houston are so damn great; Frozen Kramer; Jean-Paul's "This son of a bitch is ice-cold." may be the greatest line in the whole series; George getting caught swearing at the Houston boys on the phone makes me laugh out loud every time; Jerry bobbing his head to the jazz is another all time favorite of mine; Kramer setting his mental alarm; Elaine's epiphany about the walking shoes; Nice callback to the Rabbi by Jerry; The finish is cruel but a great callback to Kramer burning himself with coffee earlier in the season
What Didn't Work
Take a soak and enjoy the perfection
Key Character Debuts
- Jean-Paul Jean-Paul
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "So did you come up with a little stupid story for the Himalayan walking shoe yet?" - Jerry
- "He's from uh...Trinidad and Tobago, right?" - Jerry "Yeah, he's Trinidadian and...Toboggan." - Elaine
- "Alarm clocks? I never use 'em. Don't trust 'em." - Kramer "What do you do?" - Jerry "I have a uh...mental alarm. I set my head for... quarter to seven and...I get up!" - Kramer "Always works?" - Jerry "It never fails. See, it's based on your body clock. See, your body has an internal mechanism. It knows what time it is." - Kramer "Uh-uh. What's with the bucket?" - George " Lomez, he sold me his hot tub." - Kramer
- "The water's gonna get over 120 degrees!" - Kramer "Is that tolerable?" - George "Oh...it's tolerable!" - Kramer "Isn't that the same temperature the coffee that scalded you?" - Jerry "Oh, I think it's a little cooler than that..." - Kramer "He uh...doesn't have any running water?" - George "I don't ask those kind of questions anymore." - Jerry
- "Yes, separate knob. Why separate knob?! Why separate knob?!" - Jean-Paul "Some people like to have the radio alarm a little louder than the radio." - Jerry "Oh, please, man, please!" - Jean-Paul
- "Hey, Jean-Paul. How was your soak? Was a good soak?" - Jerry "Ah, man, very good soak. The soak o'the year!" - Jean-Paul
- "Come on, I'm tellin' you, it's great. I opened up all the windows... the air is cold, the tub is boiling hot... It's like Sweden, man. Sweeeeden!" - Kramer
- "I like your organization, George. We've been talkin' to a really friendly son of a bitch in the front office. Wilhelm, I think his name." - Gardner
- "I'm saying "get the hell outta there"! Let me put you in a hotel. You'll be comfortable, you'll be near the starting line, and most importantly... you'll have 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
- "This son of a bitch is ice-cold." - Jean-Paul
- "You tell that son of a bitch no Yankee is ever comin' to Houston! Not as long as you bastards are running things!" - George
- "You are mama's little bastard, aren't you?" - Jean-Paul
- "What kinda music you wanna wake up to? Top 40, classical..." - Jerry "Man, whatever!" - Jean-Paul "How about adult contemporary?" - Jerry "Fine, adult contemporary. Just pick one! " - Jean-Paul
- "Ohhh, I'm exhausted. I've been on this street a thousand times! It's never looked so strange! The faces...so cold! In the distance, a child is crying. Fatherless...a bastard child, perhaps. My back aches...my heart aches...but my feet...my feet are resilient! Thank God I took off my heels, and put on my... HIMALAYAN WALKING SHOES!!!" - Elaine
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Interleague play in Major League Baseball eventually kicked off on June 12, 1997; This episode aired on October 19, 1995
- Jerry references the Rabbi, who was a character in the first two episodes of season seven
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
This episode is fantastic. The writing was tremendous and everything tied together beautifully with all the little things throughout the episode paying off in various ways and it even closes with a brilliant tribe to the coffee incident from earlier in the season. Jerry was on fire with all of his obsessive tics and mania spilling over into a mad dash to the start line. Jean-Paul was a great guest character too, nailing one of my all time favorite lines when he feels Kramer's icy cold hand. George and the Houston boys was a perfect secondary story too with lots of laughs that led to multiple issues elsewhere. Elaine and Kramer weren't slouches either and even Wilhelm and Big Stein filled the gaps with strong performances. This is my favorite episode of the season so far and an easy perfect score as I couldn't find one thing that bugged me and not one scene that felt like a waste. This bastard was as good as it gets. Final Grade: 10/10
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