JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
While George was pretty solid, I thought Kramer takes this one in a walk. All of his issues with Peterman were well done, and the scene in the bookstore was a strong start. The bus tour retaliation was a classic and it led to some memorable scenes and conversations throughout. Plus the bus driving theme music was really funny.
Best Storyline
I really liked both George and Kramer's stories this week but I think the Peterman Bus Tour has to take this one. The idea was great and Kramer was awesome throughout. I loved the discussion with George and Jerry trying to sort it out and then the tour itself being such a shit show was really funny. The George stuff had a great payoff, especially with his Yankee tenure ending in such a fucked up way, right after his big promotion. It has been a hell of a run on River Ave.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Should a dump refuse any sort of trash? Should the guy running the dump be judging what's in the trash bag? Fuck no, dude. Shut up and do your job. Kramer and Elaine did make one big mistake, though: use dark trash bags! The guy isn't going to explore inside! Don't give him a reason to.s? No! Also, in return you should never accept a request to watch a stranger's bag.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Mary Ann was worth lying to but George should have thought things through better to close the deal. She is sharp as a whip. Alex is solid too, Jerry needed to suck it up and deal with the hair issue for her. Relationship Grade: Lady Gillette/10
What Worked:
George stealing the clothes was pretty funny and I loved that the Yankees replaced him with an intern that works one afternoon a week; Kramer only vaguely remembering the Peterman stories deal was good as was him busting into Jerry's shower to tell him he was going out; The return of Lippman!; Kramer's "Well women do it" line is a classic and then him immediately telling George was great; Alex digging the hairless dog was funny; They really went all in on assholes on the street in this episode; "Top of the Muffin to You!"; The conversation breaking down the Peterman Tour is one of my all time favorites; Lippman being so steadfast on the exclamation point; Kramer showing Jerry his hairy body is tremendous; Rebecca DeMornay went all out in her one shot at glory, what a cameo; Mary Anne indirectly and sweetly trashing everything about George's life was funny; "Lomez's place of worship"; Kramer calling Jerry a minor celebrity; "Top flight chicken outfit"; Kramer using donuts and pound cake for pizza bagels... and that theme music!; Steinbrenner's conversation with his counterpart at Tyler Chicken was well done; Kramer driving the bus to the dump and falling asleep at the wheel while everyone gets sick was good; The end payoff with George losing his job and being told by Mary Anne that he never stood a chance in NYC was quality; Newman flying up in a sports car and eating all the muffin stumps was great
What Didn't Work
Again, this has more to do with technology but seeing George rifling through a giant map to find a local street was jarring; Why did the Waldenbooks employee care so much about a half eaten muffin?; How did Lippman open a shop that quickly?; Jerry scratching is chest like a werewolf and howling at the moon was probably a bit funnier on paper than in execution
Key Character Debuts
- N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "New clothes?" - Jerry "Yeah. I did some shopping. Some new clothes shopping. (turns to a man) Can I borrow your menu?" - George "Strange. For new pants, there's noticable wear on the buttocks of those chinos. Wait those are the clothes from the bag!" - Jerry "The guy never came back." - George "He asked you to watch them not wear them." - Jerry "I'm still watching them." - George
- "It's like puberty that never stops. Ear puberty, nose puberty, knuckle puberty, you gotta be vigilant." - George
- "They got a new intern from Francis Louis High. His name is Keith. He comes in Mondays after school." - George
- "Oh no. Sure. It matters. Wow. I've broken through, huh. I'm part of popular culture now. Listen I've got to thank Mr. Peterman." - Kramer
- "If you can call it that. Why is it every half-wit and sitcom star has his own book out now?" - Lippman
- "Relax man. There's enough juice here to keep us all fat and giggles." - Kramer
- ""Well women do it." I'll tell you what. I'll pick you up a sundress and a parasol and you can just sashay your pretty little self around the town square." - Kramer
- "Oh really. You tell her you shaved it?" - George "Are you nuts? I don't want her to think I'm one of those low-rise briefs guys who shaves his chest." - Jerry
- "The last thing this guy's qualified to give a tour of is reality." - Kramer
- "Look george, I'm really enjoying spending time with you but I'm not sure this is going to work out. At some point you're going back to your job at Tyler Chicken and your three-legged dog Willie." - Mary Anne
- "Never mind. The're done. All I have to do now is redo them. You know if you take everything I've ever done in my entire life and condense it down into one day, it looks decent." - George
- ""The Real Peterman Reality Bus Tour". I'm confused." - Jerry "Peterman's book is big business. People want to know the stories behind the stories."- Kramer "Nobody wants to go on a three hour bus tour of a totally unknown person's life." - Jerry "I'm only charging $37.50, plus you get a pizza bagel and desert." - Kramer "What's desert?" - Jerry "Bite-size Three Musketeers. Just like the real Peterman eats." - Kramer "He eats those?" - George "No. I eat those. I'm the real Peterman." - Kramer "I think I understand this. Jay Peterman is real. His biography is not. Now, you Kramer are real." - George "Talk to me." - Kramer "But your life is Peterman's. Now the bus tour, which is real, takes to places that, while they are real, they are not real in sense that they did not *really* happen to the *real* Peterman which is you." - George "Understand?" - Kramer "Yeah. $37.50 for a Three Musketeers." - Jerry
- "And one more thing, you really think we need the exclamation point? Because, it's not "Top of the Muffin *TO YOU!!!*"" - Elaine "No. No. It is." - Lippman
- "Ahh. Everyone just settle down. We have three hours left on this thing, and I can't drive and argue with you rubes all at the same time. Okay. Lomez's place of worship is right on the right here." - Kramer
- "Moonlighting for Tyler Chicken. Pretty impressive George. Days with the New York Yankees and nights in Arkensas with a top flight bird outlet. And a hen supervisor to boot. I am blown. Bloooown away. Blown George." - Steinbrenner
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Mr. Lippman ripping on "sitcom stars" writing books was a funny meta comment about Jerry Seinfeld's book SeinLanguage.
- George references having SpectraVision in his hotel, which was in room television content that may be free or guest paid. George says he has the first five minutes free, so this hotel seemingly charges for the TV content.
- Kramer's J. Peterman Reality Tour is a spoof of Kenny Kramer's "Kramer Reality Tour"
- The guy working at Jiffy Dump is also the proprietor of Jiffy Park from The Wig Master (S7, E19)
- Newman's role as "The Cleaner" is a knock off of "The Wolf", portrayed by Harvey Keitel, in Pulp Fiction
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
There are some really strong pieces in this one, enough that this could have been all time classic but it ended up lacking the full package in the end. Jerry's story had some funny parts in it, mainly involving Kramer, but I thought they didn't really utilize Alex all that well. Plus I never cared much for the werewolf ending. And while I loved seeing Mr. Lippman back, that was another story that felt a bit light overall. George's stuff was great and had a tremendous payoff with him finally losing his job with Yankees, right after he tried to get fired and then got promoted. It was a great run with Steinbrenner but I get why they wanted to start exploring different avenues for Costanza. That whole story played out organically too and never really felt forced, mainly thanks to the built in absurdity of Steinbrenner. I talked about the Peterman Tour above, but I love everything about it. It was really funny stuff and totally made sense in the world of Kramer. And at $37.50, what a steal! Again, this one comes close to reaching that really great tier but just falls short in the end. Final Grade: 7/10
Best Character
While George was pretty solid, I thought Kramer takes this one in a walk. All of his issues with Peterman were well done, and the scene in the bookstore was a strong start. The bus tour retaliation was a classic and it led to some memorable scenes and conversations throughout. Plus the bus driving theme music was really funny.
Best Storyline
I really liked both George and Kramer's stories this week but I think the Peterman Bus Tour has to take this one. The idea was great and Kramer was awesome throughout. I loved the discussion with George and Jerry trying to sort it out and then the tour itself being such a shit show was really funny. The George stuff had a great payoff, especially with his Yankee tenure ending in such a fucked up way, right after his big promotion. It has been a hell of a run on River Ave.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Should a dump refuse any sort of trash? Should the guy running the dump be judging what's in the trash bag? Fuck no, dude. Shut up and do your job. Kramer and Elaine did make one big mistake, though: use dark trash bags! The guy isn't going to explore inside! Don't give him a reason to.s? No! Also, in return you should never accept a request to watch a stranger's bag.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Mary Ann was worth lying to but George should have thought things through better to close the deal. She is sharp as a whip. Alex is solid too, Jerry needed to suck it up and deal with the hair issue for her. Relationship Grade: Lady Gillette/10
What Worked:
George stealing the clothes was pretty funny and I loved that the Yankees replaced him with an intern that works one afternoon a week; Kramer only vaguely remembering the Peterman stories deal was good as was him busting into Jerry's shower to tell him he was going out; The return of Lippman!; Kramer's "Well women do it" line is a classic and then him immediately telling George was great; Alex digging the hairless dog was funny; They really went all in on assholes on the street in this episode; "Top of the Muffin to You!"; The conversation breaking down the Peterman Tour is one of my all time favorites; Lippman being so steadfast on the exclamation point; Kramer showing Jerry his hairy body is tremendous; Rebecca DeMornay went all out in her one shot at glory, what a cameo; Mary Anne indirectly and sweetly trashing everything about George's life was funny; "Lomez's place of worship"; Kramer calling Jerry a minor celebrity; "Top flight chicken outfit"; Kramer using donuts and pound cake for pizza bagels... and that theme music!; Steinbrenner's conversation with his counterpart at Tyler Chicken was well done; Kramer driving the bus to the dump and falling asleep at the wheel while everyone gets sick was good; The end payoff with George losing his job and being told by Mary Anne that he never stood a chance in NYC was quality; Newman flying up in a sports car and eating all the muffin stumps was great
What Didn't Work
Again, this has more to do with technology but seeing George rifling through a giant map to find a local street was jarring; Why did the Waldenbooks employee care so much about a half eaten muffin?; How did Lippman open a shop that quickly?; Jerry scratching is chest like a werewolf and howling at the moon was probably a bit funnier on paper than in execution
Key Character Debuts
- N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "New clothes?" - Jerry "Yeah. I did some shopping. Some new clothes shopping. (turns to a man) Can I borrow your menu?" - George "Strange. For new pants, there's noticable wear on the buttocks of those chinos. Wait those are the clothes from the bag!" - Jerry "The guy never came back." - George "He asked you to watch them not wear them." - Jerry "I'm still watching them." - George
- "It's like puberty that never stops. Ear puberty, nose puberty, knuckle puberty, you gotta be vigilant." - George
- "They got a new intern from Francis Louis High. His name is Keith. He comes in Mondays after school." - George
- "Oh no. Sure. It matters. Wow. I've broken through, huh. I'm part of popular culture now. Listen I've got to thank Mr. Peterman." - Kramer
- "If you can call it that. Why is it every half-wit and sitcom star has his own book out now?" - Lippman
- "Relax man. There's enough juice here to keep us all fat and giggles." - Kramer
- ""Well women do it." I'll tell you what. I'll pick you up a sundress and a parasol and you can just sashay your pretty little self around the town square." - Kramer
- "Oh really. You tell her you shaved it?" - George "Are you nuts? I don't want her to think I'm one of those low-rise briefs guys who shaves his chest." - Jerry
- "The last thing this guy's qualified to give a tour of is reality." - Kramer
- "Look george, I'm really enjoying spending time with you but I'm not sure this is going to work out. At some point you're going back to your job at Tyler Chicken and your three-legged dog Willie." - Mary Anne
- "Never mind. The're done. All I have to do now is redo them. You know if you take everything I've ever done in my entire life and condense it down into one day, it looks decent." - George
- ""The Real Peterman Reality Bus Tour". I'm confused." - Jerry "Peterman's book is big business. People want to know the stories behind the stories."- Kramer "Nobody wants to go on a three hour bus tour of a totally unknown person's life." - Jerry "I'm only charging $37.50, plus you get a pizza bagel and desert." - Kramer "What's desert?" - Jerry "Bite-size Three Musketeers. Just like the real Peterman eats." - Kramer "He eats those?" - George "No. I eat those. I'm the real Peterman." - Kramer "I think I understand this. Jay Peterman is real. His biography is not. Now, you Kramer are real." - George "Talk to me." - Kramer "But your life is Peterman's. Now the bus tour, which is real, takes to places that, while they are real, they are not real in sense that they did not *really* happen to the *real* Peterman which is you." - George "Understand?" - Kramer "Yeah. $37.50 for a Three Musketeers." - Jerry
- "And one more thing, you really think we need the exclamation point? Because, it's not "Top of the Muffin *TO YOU!!!*"" - Elaine "No. No. It is." - Lippman
- "Ahh. Everyone just settle down. We have three hours left on this thing, and I can't drive and argue with you rubes all at the same time. Okay. Lomez's place of worship is right on the right here." - Kramer
- "Moonlighting for Tyler Chicken. Pretty impressive George. Days with the New York Yankees and nights in Arkensas with a top flight bird outlet. And a hen supervisor to boot. I am blown. Bloooown away. Blown George." - Steinbrenner
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Mr. Lippman ripping on "sitcom stars" writing books was a funny meta comment about Jerry Seinfeld's book SeinLanguage.
- George references having SpectraVision in his hotel, which was in room television content that may be free or guest paid. George says he has the first five minutes free, so this hotel seemingly charges for the TV content.
- Kramer's J. Peterman Reality Tour is a spoof of Kenny Kramer's "Kramer Reality Tour"
- The guy working at Jiffy Dump is also the proprietor of Jiffy Park from The Wig Master (S7, E19)
- Newman's role as "The Cleaner" is a knock off of "The Wolf", portrayed by Harvey Keitel, in Pulp Fiction
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
There are some really strong pieces in this one, enough that this could have been all time classic but it ended up lacking the full package in the end. Jerry's story had some funny parts in it, mainly involving Kramer, but I thought they didn't really utilize Alex all that well. Plus I never cared much for the werewolf ending. And while I loved seeing Mr. Lippman back, that was another story that felt a bit light overall. George's stuff was great and had a tremendous payoff with him finally losing his job with Yankees, right after he tried to get fired and then got promoted. It was a great run with Steinbrenner but I get why they wanted to start exploring different avenues for Costanza. That whole story played out organically too and never really felt forced, mainly thanks to the built in absurdity of Steinbrenner. I talked about the Peterman Tour above, but I love everything about it. It was really funny stuff and totally made sense in the world of Kramer. And at $37.50, what a steal! Again, this one comes close to reaching that really great tier but just falls short in the end. Final Grade: 7/10
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