JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
Man, we start off the season strong. Jerry was good overall but his stupid nonsense at Joe's store ruined it for me. George and Elaine were strong too, but I will give this one to Kramer. I loved him in every scene, from his cigar chomping tip giving to his exotic fruit list, he made use of every second of screen time he received.
Best Storyline
The orgasm stuff dominated the episode, but I got more laughs from the fruit story. Kramer and Jerry reviewing the list and Joe sniffing out the jig right away was great. Plus it played into the great payoff at the end with the mango fueled sexual dominance of Costanza. What the hell is a plantain?
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Are you entitled to return shitty fruit? I think if it is clearly poor quality immediately after purchase you can at least have a conversation about it. If you wait a few days and it goes bad, well that is on you. It seems Kramer is a loyal customer, so Joe could have bent a bit and tossed him a replacement plum to keep things copacetic.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Karin is a real mysterious firecracker and is like ten leagues above George. George is an idiot for doubting her orgasms because just the fact that she was willing to lay naked in a bed next to him should be enough to keep his mouth shut. Who gives a shit if she faked it? Enjoy the ride, Georgie Boy. Relationship Grade: Risotto/10
What Worked
The "Tap" conversation opened the episode on a strong note, it was really funny; Poor Jerry, Elaine just wrecked his world with the admission of the faking; Jerry fretting about the whole faking thing was great too as you knew it would was torturing him and I enjoyed Kramer offering his tips; Kramer admitting to faking is awful and so perfectly Kramer; Joe v Kramer was lots of fun and honestly very relatable; Jerry's request at another crack was so stupid yet so smart all at one; Jerry's war against Meryl Streep was a fun thread throughout, as was him calling his ex conquests to check in on their orgasm validity; Kramer's fruit list was a sight to behold; George can't get out of his own way worrying about the orgasm stuff, poor bastard; Jerry's impotence at this crucial time was a great payoff to everything
What Didn't Work
Karin is really frustrating but I guess that was the point; Elaine's enjoyment of the pudding felt forced and over the top; Karin's comforter set is ugly as hell; Honestly though, why would Elaine admit to faking to Jerry, it is kind of a dick move and clearly was going to affect their friendship; Jerry's navy blue Queens College t-shirt is really jarring to see on him; Jerry's performance in the produce store is brutally bad;
Key Character Debuts
N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "The tap is tough." - Jerry "It's like the manager coming out and asking you for the ball." - George
- "You can go crazy trying to figure that place out." - George "It's a hazy mystery." - Jerry
- "I guess after that many beers he's probably a little groggy anyway." - Jerry "You didn't know." - Elaine
- "The woman had an orgasm under false pretences. That's sexual perjury." - Jerry "You know I heard her screaming from my apartment? She woke me up a few times." - Kramer " How did she do it? She's like Meryl Streep this woman. And I had to work the equipment. I'm not unskilled, I'm in the union." - Jerry
- "Like if we went to a Broadway show, if we had really good seats." - Renee "Yeah, well..." - Elaine "Well you know, if it's enough all ready and I just wanna get some sleep." - Renee
- "I stand behind my fruit." - Joe "So..." - Kramer "Hey, you got a bad peach? That's an act of God. He makes the peaches. I don't make the peaches, I sell the peaches. You have a problem? You talk to him." - Joe
- "You seem like you really enjoyed your Risotto. You have a very contented air over there. You look very contented, very satisfied. Are you satisfied?" - George
- "Meryl Streep?" - Jerry "You don't like her?" - Elaine "Ah, she's okay." - Jerry "I love her Jerry, she's so authentic. I really believe everything is actually happening to her. There's no acting there." - Elaine
- "So you feel okay?" - George "Well, it's not like after the Risotto." - Karin
- "They're mysterious little fellows aren't they?" - Jerry "I hate 'em!" - George "You know it happens to everybody. It happened to Houdini. And he could get out of a trunk under water with his hands in chains! But he had a problem with that. The miracle is that it ever happens." - Jerry
- "The supermarket? That's impossible! They don't have a decent piece of fruit at the supermarket. The apples are mealy, the oranges are dry. I don't know what's going on with the Papayas! Jerry you gotta go to Joe's, you gotta get me some fruit!" - Kramer
- "Oh! And get some plantains." - Kramer "Plantains?" - Jerry "Yeah." - Kramer "What the hell is a plantain." - Jerry "It's part of the banana family. It's a delicacy." - Kramer "You're not getting any plantains." - Jerry
- "That reminds me, I'm not getting you guys any more fruit. That guy was eyeballing me the whole time. He gave me the creeps. All right, you owe me twenty-eight sixty." - George "Sorry, I don't have any cash." - Jerry "I only got hundreds." - Kramer "All right I knew it." - George "Come on, come on, we're gonna pay you! Here have some mango." - Kramer
- "I feel like I got a B12 shot. This is like a taste explosion!" - George "I told you." - Kramer "What is it?" - Jerry "I think it moved. Oh my god, I think it moved." - George
- "I'm back baby!" - George
- "Well well, if it isn't the first lady of the American Theatre. What brings you here?" - Jerry
- "Sex... to save the friendship. Well, if we have to..." - Jerry
Oddities & Fun Facts
N/A
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
We kick off season five with a fairly strong episode that delivered some classic lines and reminded us why this show is so damn good. There were some down spots and I still don't get just why Elaine thought it was OK to tell Jerry she had faked with him. George's paranoia is always fun and Kramer was on point here. The fruit stuff was fun too. In a vacuum, this could be graded higher but on the accelerated Seinfeld Scale, it checks in at just very, very good. Final Grade: 7/10
Best Character
Man, we start off the season strong. Jerry was good overall but his stupid nonsense at Joe's store ruined it for me. George and Elaine were strong too, but I will give this one to Kramer. I loved him in every scene, from his cigar chomping tip giving to his exotic fruit list, he made use of every second of screen time he received.
Best Storyline
The orgasm stuff dominated the episode, but I got more laughs from the fruit story. Kramer and Jerry reviewing the list and Joe sniffing out the jig right away was great. Plus it played into the great payoff at the end with the mango fueled sexual dominance of Costanza. What the hell is a plantain?
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Are you entitled to return shitty fruit? I think if it is clearly poor quality immediately after purchase you can at least have a conversation about it. If you wait a few days and it goes bad, well that is on you. It seems Kramer is a loyal customer, so Joe could have bent a bit and tossed him a replacement plum to keep things copacetic.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Karin is a real mysterious firecracker and is like ten leagues above George. George is an idiot for doubting her orgasms because just the fact that she was willing to lay naked in a bed next to him should be enough to keep his mouth shut. Who gives a shit if she faked it? Enjoy the ride, Georgie Boy. Relationship Grade: Risotto/10
What Worked
The "Tap" conversation opened the episode on a strong note, it was really funny; Poor Jerry, Elaine just wrecked his world with the admission of the faking; Jerry fretting about the whole faking thing was great too as you knew it would was torturing him and I enjoyed Kramer offering his tips; Kramer admitting to faking is awful and so perfectly Kramer; Joe v Kramer was lots of fun and honestly very relatable; Jerry's request at another crack was so stupid yet so smart all at one; Jerry's war against Meryl Streep was a fun thread throughout, as was him calling his ex conquests to check in on their orgasm validity; Kramer's fruit list was a sight to behold; George can't get out of his own way worrying about the orgasm stuff, poor bastard; Jerry's impotence at this crucial time was a great payoff to everything
What Didn't Work
Karin is really frustrating but I guess that was the point; Elaine's enjoyment of the pudding felt forced and over the top; Karin's comforter set is ugly as hell; Honestly though, why would Elaine admit to faking to Jerry, it is kind of a dick move and clearly was going to affect their friendship; Jerry's navy blue Queens College t-shirt is really jarring to see on him; Jerry's performance in the produce store is brutally bad;
Key Character Debuts
N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "The tap is tough." - Jerry "It's like the manager coming out and asking you for the ball." - George
- "You can go crazy trying to figure that place out." - George "It's a hazy mystery." - Jerry
- "I guess after that many beers he's probably a little groggy anyway." - Jerry "You didn't know." - Elaine
- "The woman had an orgasm under false pretences. That's sexual perjury." - Jerry "You know I heard her screaming from my apartment? She woke me up a few times." - Kramer " How did she do it? She's like Meryl Streep this woman. And I had to work the equipment. I'm not unskilled, I'm in the union." - Jerry
- "Like if we went to a Broadway show, if we had really good seats." - Renee "Yeah, well..." - Elaine "Well you know, if it's enough all ready and I just wanna get some sleep." - Renee
- "I stand behind my fruit." - Joe "So..." - Kramer "Hey, you got a bad peach? That's an act of God. He makes the peaches. I don't make the peaches, I sell the peaches. You have a problem? You talk to him." - Joe
- "You seem like you really enjoyed your Risotto. You have a very contented air over there. You look very contented, very satisfied. Are you satisfied?" - George
- "Meryl Streep?" - Jerry "You don't like her?" - Elaine "Ah, she's okay." - Jerry "I love her Jerry, she's so authentic. I really believe everything is actually happening to her. There's no acting there." - Elaine
- "So you feel okay?" - George "Well, it's not like after the Risotto." - Karin
- "They're mysterious little fellows aren't they?" - Jerry "I hate 'em!" - George "You know it happens to everybody. It happened to Houdini. And he could get out of a trunk under water with his hands in chains! But he had a problem with that. The miracle is that it ever happens." - Jerry
- "The supermarket? That's impossible! They don't have a decent piece of fruit at the supermarket. The apples are mealy, the oranges are dry. I don't know what's going on with the Papayas! Jerry you gotta go to Joe's, you gotta get me some fruit!" - Kramer
- "Oh! And get some plantains." - Kramer "Plantains?" - Jerry "Yeah." - Kramer "What the hell is a plantain." - Jerry "It's part of the banana family. It's a delicacy." - Kramer "You're not getting any plantains." - Jerry
- "That reminds me, I'm not getting you guys any more fruit. That guy was eyeballing me the whole time. He gave me the creeps. All right, you owe me twenty-eight sixty." - George "Sorry, I don't have any cash." - Jerry "I only got hundreds." - Kramer "All right I knew it." - George "Come on, come on, we're gonna pay you! Here have some mango." - Kramer
- "I feel like I got a B12 shot. This is like a taste explosion!" - George "I told you." - Kramer "What is it?" - Jerry "I think it moved. Oh my god, I think it moved." - George
- "I'm back baby!" - George
- "Well well, if it isn't the first lady of the American Theatre. What brings you here?" - Jerry
- "Sex... to save the friendship. Well, if we have to..." - Jerry
Oddities & Fun Facts
N/A
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
We kick off season five with a fairly strong episode that delivered some classic lines and reminded us why this show is so damn good. There were some down spots and I still don't get just why Elaine thought it was OK to tell Jerry she had faked with him. George's paranoia is always fun and Kramer was on point here. The fruit stuff was fun too. In a vacuum, this could be graded higher but on the accelerated Seinfeld Scale, it checks in at just very, very good. Final Grade: 7/10
Comments
Post a Comment