JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
Another good ensamble episode that was strong across the board. Jerry and Elaine ducking Joe led to some funny lines and scenes and Davola himself was very good. George had a few good moments too, but I will go with Kramer. He was in a lot of the episode this time around and had some strong scenes and dialogue and him smashing into the locked door always makes me laugh out loud.
Best Storyline
The opera storyline pretty much is the entire episode here, so I will roll with that. Jerry and Elaine dealing with all the madness in front of the hoity-toity opera crowd was a good dichotomy and all of the opera music framing the episode was a nice change from the norm. Mix in Davola as the insane clown and Harry Fong and there were lots of laughs throughout.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
The police officer that blows off Jerry's call probably should be a bit better at his job. This is now the second cop that didn't take Davola's threats seriously but it is clear this guy is a menace. At the least, they should have checked into Davola's past or made a stop by his place to have a chat. Are they going to wait until he goes on a crime spree dressed as a clown? All about headlines for them.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Elaine and Joe Davola seem to have hit the skids. I mean, Joey is really into her, natch, but Elaine doesn't seem to be feeling it quite so much anymore. Maybe she will do a but more research next time around. Fare thee well, tragic clown. Relationship Grade: 1/10
What Worked
Joe Davola continues to be super creepy, in a fun way and Elaine's visit to the apartment was just...I need a shower; Kramer and Jerry panicking and arguing about what to do about Davola was good stuff; George's tuxedo is amazing; I love Kramer slamming into the locked door; I enjoyed all the opera music woven throughout the dramatic scenes here; The quarter stealing scene was so absurd it was great; Davola beating the piss out of the punks in the park while dressed as a clown; Kramer scalping was a hell of a scene; Jerry and Elaine slowly discovering they are plagued by the same Joe was funny; Jerry singing the Loony Toons overture is so great and always cracks me up, as does Harry Fong; Kramer selling his ticket to Davola was the capper
What Didn't Work
I really don't have much to complain about here, I dug it all. I guess we did left a bit open-ended, as Andrew mentions below, some closure on Davola would have been nice.
Key Character Debuts
N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "Oh come on Jerry, its opening night, black tie, Pagliacci! The great clown, the great sad tragic clown, like you." - Kramer "Well it's very flattering." - Jerry
- "You're the nucleus, the straw that stirs the drink. You're the Miana!" - Kramer
- "I developed them myself in my dark room. Would you like to see?" - Davola "In the dark room? Uh no, no thank you. Not right now. I'm a day person!" - Elaine
- "But officer, he threatened me! I don't understand, thats not right! What if it was the President of the United States I bet you'd investigate. So whats the difference, Im a comedian of the United States, and Ill tell you Im under just as much pressure. Alright, thanks anyway, ok bye." - Jerry
- "Ooo, that was a bad toast." - Jerry "It wasn't that bad." - George "I never heard anybody curse in a toast." - Jerry "I was trying to loosen 'em up a little bit." - Jerry "There were old people there, all the relatives. You were like a Red Fox record. I mean, at the end of the toast nobody even drank. They were just standing there, they were just frozen! That might have been one of the worst all time toasts." - Jerry
- "I thought you said people dress up when they go to the opera!" - Jerry "People do, I don't." - Kramer
- "Cherry Binaca, its new." - Elaine "See, I don't get that. First they come out with the regular, then a
year later they come out with the cherry. They know that we like the cherry, start with cherry! Then come out with the regular!" - Jerry
- "I kinda like this opera crowd, I feel tough... Anybody else got a problem?" - Jerry
- "A thousand dollars for the deuce..." - Kramer
- "You're blowing this, the guys a pigeon." - Kramer
- "This is not a Metallica concert, its an opera alright, a little dignity, a little class, just give me my ticket, I will stand over here and sell it." - George
- "Oh! He said that! Can you imagine what he'll do if he sees me with you! He'll think Im the one who ruined his deal at NBC and took away his girl, he'll put a kibosh on me!" - Jerry
- "Camera, curtains, lights - This is it, we'll hit the heights - Oh what heights we'll hit - On with the show this is it!" - Jerry "You know, it is so sad, all your knowledge of high culture comes from bugs bunny cartoons." - Elaine
- "That's...that's Harry Fong, he's a very good friend of mine and he's a big opera buff. Enjoy the show there Harry!... You know what." - George
- "You don't understand, someone's after us, a crazy clown is trying to kill us." - Jerry "A crazy clown is after you? Oh thats rich. Now clear the entrance so people with tickets can get through." - George
Oddities & Fun Facts
N/A
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
I have always enjoyed this episode. We take a break from the sitcom development to go a bit offbeat, with all the opera music and being outside the main locations for a majority of it. The overture singing, Kramer's door crash and Harry Fong have always been laugh out loud moments for me. That said, there aren't any real hall of fame moments or storyline developments that make this in the classic tier. It has a bunch of laughs and is a nice way to spend 22 minutes, but it tops out there. Final Grade: 6/10
Best Character
Another good ensamble episode that was strong across the board. Jerry and Elaine ducking Joe led to some funny lines and scenes and Davola himself was very good. George had a few good moments too, but I will go with Kramer. He was in a lot of the episode this time around and had some strong scenes and dialogue and him smashing into the locked door always makes me laugh out loud.
Best Storyline
The opera storyline pretty much is the entire episode here, so I will roll with that. Jerry and Elaine dealing with all the madness in front of the hoity-toity opera crowd was a good dichotomy and all of the opera music framing the episode was a nice change from the norm. Mix in Davola as the insane clown and Harry Fong and there were lots of laughs throughout.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
The police officer that blows off Jerry's call probably should be a bit better at his job. This is now the second cop that didn't take Davola's threats seriously but it is clear this guy is a menace. At the least, they should have checked into Davola's past or made a stop by his place to have a chat. Are they going to wait until he goes on a crime spree dressed as a clown? All about headlines for them.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Elaine and Joe Davola seem to have hit the skids. I mean, Joey is really into her, natch, but Elaine doesn't seem to be feeling it quite so much anymore. Maybe she will do a but more research next time around. Fare thee well, tragic clown. Relationship Grade: 1/10
What Worked
Joe Davola continues to be super creepy, in a fun way and Elaine's visit to the apartment was just...I need a shower; Kramer and Jerry panicking and arguing about what to do about Davola was good stuff; George's tuxedo is amazing; I love Kramer slamming into the locked door; I enjoyed all the opera music woven throughout the dramatic scenes here; The quarter stealing scene was so absurd it was great; Davola beating the piss out of the punks in the park while dressed as a clown; Kramer scalping was a hell of a scene; Jerry and Elaine slowly discovering they are plagued by the same Joe was funny; Jerry singing the Loony Toons overture is so great and always cracks me up, as does Harry Fong; Kramer selling his ticket to Davola was the capper
What Didn't Work
I really don't have much to complain about here, I dug it all. I guess we did left a bit open-ended, as Andrew mentions below, some closure on Davola would have been nice.
Key Character Debuts
N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "Oh come on Jerry, its opening night, black tie, Pagliacci! The great clown, the great sad tragic clown, like you." - Kramer "Well it's very flattering." - Jerry
- "You're the nucleus, the straw that stirs the drink. You're the Miana!" - Kramer
- "I developed them myself in my dark room. Would you like to see?" - Davola "In the dark room? Uh no, no thank you. Not right now. I'm a day person!" - Elaine
- "But officer, he threatened me! I don't understand, thats not right! What if it was the President of the United States I bet you'd investigate. So whats the difference, Im a comedian of the United States, and Ill tell you Im under just as much pressure. Alright, thanks anyway, ok bye." - Jerry
- "Ooo, that was a bad toast." - Jerry "It wasn't that bad." - George "I never heard anybody curse in a toast." - Jerry "I was trying to loosen 'em up a little bit." - Jerry "There were old people there, all the relatives. You were like a Red Fox record. I mean, at the end of the toast nobody even drank. They were just standing there, they were just frozen! That might have been one of the worst all time toasts." - Jerry
- "I thought you said people dress up when they go to the opera!" - Jerry "People do, I don't." - Kramer
- "Cherry Binaca, its new." - Elaine "See, I don't get that. First they come out with the regular, then a
year later they come out with the cherry. They know that we like the cherry, start with cherry! Then come out with the regular!" - Jerry
- "I kinda like this opera crowd, I feel tough... Anybody else got a problem?" - Jerry
- "A thousand dollars for the deuce..." - Kramer
- "You're blowing this, the guys a pigeon." - Kramer
- "This is not a Metallica concert, its an opera alright, a little dignity, a little class, just give me my ticket, I will stand over here and sell it." - George
- "Oh! He said that! Can you imagine what he'll do if he sees me with you! He'll think Im the one who ruined his deal at NBC and took away his girl, he'll put a kibosh on me!" - Jerry
- "Camera, curtains, lights - This is it, we'll hit the heights - Oh what heights we'll hit - On with the show this is it!" - Jerry "You know, it is so sad, all your knowledge of high culture comes from bugs bunny cartoons." - Elaine
- "That's...that's Harry Fong, he's a very good friend of mine and he's a big opera buff. Enjoy the show there Harry!... You know what." - George
- "You don't understand, someone's after us, a crazy clown is trying to kill us." - Jerry "A crazy clown is after you? Oh thats rich. Now clear the entrance so people with tickets can get through." - George
Oddities & Fun Facts
N/A
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
I have always enjoyed this episode. We take a break from the sitcom development to go a bit offbeat, with all the opera music and being outside the main locations for a majority of it. The overture singing, Kramer's door crash and Harry Fong have always been laugh out loud moments for me. That said, there aren't any real hall of fame moments or storyline developments that make this in the classic tier. It has a bunch of laughs and is a nice way to spend 22 minutes, but it tops out there. Final Grade: 6/10
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