JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
Kramer takes this one in a walk. He was great throughout and even his painting led to some of the best lines of the episode. I loved him demanding Jerry reach out to Nina after the letter as well as his concussion symptoms leading to him calling people wrong names but being coherent enough to shit on the painting. The Armstrongs were funny too and George had a few good lines but there wasn't much else there.
Best Storyline
The Kramer painting takes it here for me. The Nina/Jerry stuff was a bit much and the Elaine hat story was good at times but I found it mostly annoying. Just the descriptions of the painting alone make this the best part of the episode.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Should Jerry have kept trying to make things work with Nina when it was immediately clear to all that she wasn't going to tolerate his relationship with Elaine? Probably not. She was never going to change and neither was he and they didn't seem to be gaga enough to force things. It was even worse that he hung George out to dry to buy the shitty painting.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Jerry and Nina were really annoying and I hated their relationship from the get go. I can see both sides but it was clear this was never going to work. Relationship Grade: Plagiarism/10
What Worked
I liked the jealousy storyline as it was an obvious way to go at some point; George getting pinned into purchasing the painting; Kramer immediately jumping on the Yankee ticket was funny; I loved George bitching about being in the second row and not the first; Kramer getting pegged with the foul ball was perfectly shot; Elaine trying to steal the newspaper was funny; I love that anytime Jerry questioned things with Nina, George immediately was ready to not pay Nina for the painting; Mr. Lippman dragging Elaine to the game with her Orioles hat on was a great way to wrap that story.
What Didn't Work
Jerry was kind of a dick in not bailing George out of buying the painting; Elaine not understanding why she shouldn't wear an Orioles hat in the owner's box always bothered me and felt like being bitchy for no reason and it was shitty of her to toss George's hat on the field; Jerry agreeing with Elaine pissed me off even more; The Kramer painting and the discussion of it by The Armstrongs is iconic; Jerry being so affected by Nina's letter instead of mocking it is un-Jerry; Even though I thought the storyline was a good way to go, Nina was annoying with the jealousy and Jerry was stupid to get back with her knowing he wasn't going to stop hanging out with Elaine; The odds that Jerry would see the exact line from the movie upon turning on the TV are not likely.
Key Character Debuts
Nina
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "Button fly! Why do they put buttons on a fly? It takes ten minutes to get these things open!" - George "I like the button fly." - Jerry "What?" - George "That is one place on my wardrobe I do not need sharp interlocking metal teeth. It’s like a mink trap down there." - Jerry
- "Tell me about Elaine." - Nina "She and Jerry were a big thing, like Abe Lincoln and Mary Todd." - Kramer
- "Yeah I'm fine... hiya Carol." - Kramer
- "There's nothing to read, it's just yesterday's news. You know, the Yankees won, the Mets lost, Ricky Henderson's unhappy..." - Elaine
- "I sense great vulnerability. A land child crying out for love, an innocent orphan in the post-modern world." - Mrs. Armstrong "I see a parasite. A sexually-depraved miscrient, who is seeking to gratify only his most basic and immediate urges." - Mr. Armstrong "He is struggled, he is man-struggled. He lifts my spirit!" - Mrs. Armstrong "He is a loathsome, offensive brute, yet I can't look away." - Mr Armstrong "He transcends time and space." - Mrs. Armstrong "He sickens me." - Mr. Armstrong "I love it." - Mrs. Armstrong "Me too." - Mr. Armstrong
- "Are you telling me you couldn't paint this?" - George "Do you want me to paint you something? I'd love to paint you something!" - Jerry
- The Kramer painting makes its debut
- "YES! YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT YOU SHOULD! Fight for her, Jerry, she's sure as hell fighting for you!" - Kramer
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Catherine Keener portrays Nina
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
Outside of the all time classic Kramer painting stuff, I really didn't dig a lot of what they were serving up here. Jerry and Nina were annoying and the Elaine story drove me nuts that she didn't see why she was wrong. So much felt forced here and following up on a middling episode it feels like this fantastic season is losing some momentum late. We will see if they can finish strong, but this was one of my least favorite episodes of the season by far. If it wasn't for the painting, it would have been a real dog. Final Grade: 3/10
Best Character
Kramer takes this one in a walk. He was great throughout and even his painting led to some of the best lines of the episode. I loved him demanding Jerry reach out to Nina after the letter as well as his concussion symptoms leading to him calling people wrong names but being coherent enough to shit on the painting. The Armstrongs were funny too and George had a few good lines but there wasn't much else there.
Best Storyline
The Kramer painting takes it here for me. The Nina/Jerry stuff was a bit much and the Elaine hat story was good at times but I found it mostly annoying. Just the descriptions of the painting alone make this the best part of the episode.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Should Jerry have kept trying to make things work with Nina when it was immediately clear to all that she wasn't going to tolerate his relationship with Elaine? Probably not. She was never going to change and neither was he and they didn't seem to be gaga enough to force things. It was even worse that he hung George out to dry to buy the shitty painting.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Jerry and Nina were really annoying and I hated their relationship from the get go. I can see both sides but it was clear this was never going to work. Relationship Grade: Plagiarism/10
What Worked
I liked the jealousy storyline as it was an obvious way to go at some point; George getting pinned into purchasing the painting; Kramer immediately jumping on the Yankee ticket was funny; I loved George bitching about being in the second row and not the first; Kramer getting pegged with the foul ball was perfectly shot; Elaine trying to steal the newspaper was funny; I love that anytime Jerry questioned things with Nina, George immediately was ready to not pay Nina for the painting; Mr. Lippman dragging Elaine to the game with her Orioles hat on was a great way to wrap that story.
What Didn't Work
Jerry was kind of a dick in not bailing George out of buying the painting; Elaine not understanding why she shouldn't wear an Orioles hat in the owner's box always bothered me and felt like being bitchy for no reason and it was shitty of her to toss George's hat on the field; Jerry agreeing with Elaine pissed me off even more; The Kramer painting and the discussion of it by The Armstrongs is iconic; Jerry being so affected by Nina's letter instead of mocking it is un-Jerry; Even though I thought the storyline was a good way to go, Nina was annoying with the jealousy and Jerry was stupid to get back with her knowing he wasn't going to stop hanging out with Elaine; The odds that Jerry would see the exact line from the movie upon turning on the TV are not likely.
Key Character Debuts
Nina
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "Button fly! Why do they put buttons on a fly? It takes ten minutes to get these things open!" - George "I like the button fly." - Jerry "What?" - George "That is one place on my wardrobe I do not need sharp interlocking metal teeth. It’s like a mink trap down there." - Jerry
- "Tell me about Elaine." - Nina "She and Jerry were a big thing, like Abe Lincoln and Mary Todd." - Kramer
- "Yeah I'm fine... hiya Carol." - Kramer
- "There's nothing to read, it's just yesterday's news. You know, the Yankees won, the Mets lost, Ricky Henderson's unhappy..." - Elaine
- "I sense great vulnerability. A land child crying out for love, an innocent orphan in the post-modern world." - Mrs. Armstrong "I see a parasite. A sexually-depraved miscrient, who is seeking to gratify only his most basic and immediate urges." - Mr. Armstrong "He is struggled, he is man-struggled. He lifts my spirit!" - Mrs. Armstrong "He is a loathsome, offensive brute, yet I can't look away." - Mr Armstrong "He transcends time and space." - Mrs. Armstrong "He sickens me." - Mr. Armstrong "I love it." - Mrs. Armstrong "Me too." - Mr. Armstrong
- "Are you telling me you couldn't paint this?" - George "Do you want me to paint you something? I'd love to paint you something!" - Jerry
- The Kramer painting makes its debut
- "YES! YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT YOU SHOULD! Fight for her, Jerry, she's sure as hell fighting for you!" - Kramer
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Catherine Keener portrays Nina
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
Outside of the all time classic Kramer painting stuff, I really didn't dig a lot of what they were serving up here. Jerry and Nina were annoying and the Elaine story drove me nuts that she didn't see why she was wrong. So much felt forced here and following up on a middling episode it feels like this fantastic season is losing some momentum late. We will see if they can finish strong, but this was one of my least favorite episodes of the season by far. If it wasn't for the painting, it would have been a real dog. Final Grade: 3/10
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