JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
Everyone. It was perfect of an ensemble performance for a sitcom that you could ever imagine. Every beat was hit, no stone left unturned, there were fantastic callbacks and cameo spots across the board. It was brilliantly written and executed by everyone.
Best Storyline
Not that there's anything wrong with that. None of it was wrong. It was all very...politically...correct. And amazing.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Should Sharon have ran the article without doing a bit more research? She could have really gotten in trouble for libel without doing her due diligence and checking around more. It was a ballsy piece to run and she is lucky Jerry is the type to just toss his hands up and move on instead of being more litigious. The fact that she traded her body for integrity or a retraction was another ethical failure.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Further in the ethics department, Sharon either lied about having a boyfriend and skillfully slipped it into conversation or she decided to dump his ass and make out with Jerry. Either way that kind of makes her hotter. And a bit of a slut. Relationship Grade: 10/10
What Worked
George being shocked that a woman would be so upset about breaking up with him was good; Acid tongue Elaine and her jackets; The initial talk about George and Jerry coming out was well done; Buck Naked; The initial unfolding of discovery with Sharon in Jerry's apartment is magical, maybe the best scene of the entire series; Kramer being positive Jerry doesn't know when his own birthday is and then stomping on Elaine's gift; The whole two-line phone fiasco blowing up on Jerry and George was brilliant; Guys & Dolls and the Collected Works of Bette Midler; The cascading of everyone finding out was so good; The callback to the hospital with George and Estelle and the sponge bath was amazing; The military officer risking discharge was timely and well delivered; Jerry and George bickering like a married couple, drawing out the angry Monk's manager always makes me laugh out loud; Allison being the only one oblivious to meaning of the article; George blowing up Jerry's spot is vintage selfish Costanza and that whole scene was perfect, capped by Kramer showing up with the good looking phone guy; All of the "Not that there is anything wrong with that" drops were just perfection, as was the whole damn thing
What Didn't Work
It all worked...not that there's anything wrong with that
Key Character Debuts
Sharon Leonard, NYU Reporter
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- George bought Jerry two tickets for Guys & Dolls, the musical for his birthday
- "Hey, who do you think is the most unattractive world leader?" - Elaine "Living or all time?" - Jerry "All time." - Elaine "Well, if it's all time, then there's no contest. It begins and ends with Brezhnev." - Jerry "I dunno. You ever get a good look at DeGaulle?" - Elaine "Lyndon Johnson was uglier than DeGaulle." - George "I got news for you. Golda Meir could make 'em all run up a tree." - Elaine
- "I'm not goin' along. I can just see you in Berlin in 1939 goose-stepping past me: 'C'mon Jerry, go along, go along...'" - Jerry
- "Y'know I hear that all the time." - Jerry "Hear what?" - Elaine "That I'm gay. People think I'm gay." - Jerry "Yeah, you know people ask me that about you, too." - Elaine "Yeah, 'cuz I'm single, I'm thin and I'm neat." - Jerry
- George's porno name would be Buck Naked
- "Jerry did you wash this pear?"- George "Yeah, I washed it." - Jerry "It looks like it hasn't been washed." - George "So wash it." - Jerry "You hear the way he talks to me?" - George "You should hear how *my* boyfriend talks to me..." - Sharon
- "Yeah. Actually it was in gym class. I was trying to climb the ropes and Jerry was spotting me. I kept slipping and burning my thighs and then finally I slipped and fell on Jerry's head. We've been close ever since." - George
- "And do your parents know?" - Sharon "Know what?" - Jerry "My parents? They don't know what's goin' on..." - George
- "Not that there's anything wrong with that" is first uttered, becoming an iconic catchphrase in pop culture
- "There's been a big misunderstanding here! We did that whole thing for your benefit. We knew you were eavesdropping. That's why my friend said all that. It was on purpose! We're not gay! Not that there's anything wrong with that..." - Jerry "No, of course not..." - George "I mean that's fine if that's who you are..." - Jerry "Absolutely..." - George "I mean I have many gay friends..." - Jerry "My father is gay..." - George
- "Kramer, there may be a problem with the phone, hold on." - Jerry "There may be a problem with the phone, hold on!" - George "Oh no! Kramer, this phone's a piece of junk, goodbye!" - Jerry "The phone's a piece of junk, goodbye!" - Jerry "Oh no! Now she's heard everything! What are we gonna do?!?" - Jerry "Now she thinks we're gay, not that there's anything wrong with it..." - George "No, no, of course not! People's personal sexual preferences are nobody's business but their own!" - Jerry
- "Guys & Dolls? Isn't that a lavish Broadway musical?" - Jerry "It's Guys & Dolls, not Guys & Guys!" - George
- "I've been outed...I wasn't even in!" - Jerry
- "Within the confines of his fastidious bachelor pad, Seinfeld and Costanza bicker over the cleanliness of a piece of fruit like an old married couple -- I told you that pear was washed! - Jerry
- "Ma, it's not true!" - Jerry "It's those damn culottes you made him wear when he was five!" - Morty "They weren't culottes, they were shorts." - Helen "They were culottes! You bought them in the girl's department." - Morty "By mistake! By mistake, Jerry! I'm sorry!" - Helen "It looked like he was wearing a skirt, for crying out loud!" - Morty "Ma, it has nothing to do with the culottes!" - Jerry "Not that there's anything wrong with that, Jerry." - Helen
- "Jerry, I can see. He's so neat and thin. Not that there's anything wrong with it." - Estelle
- "She hasn't seen the article! When she sees it, she's gonna think -- I'm out baby! I'm out!!!!!" - George
- "Extraordinarily gay. Steeped in gayness." - George
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Jerry gets a two-line phone for his apartment, which is a major novelty
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
I don't know how they made it through this episode in one piece. No clue how they got through these scenes and lines without laughing to death. This was just pure magic. It had it all. Laugh out loud moments, perfect writing, an iconic, classic, pop culture megahit of a catchphrase and it never slowed down or wasted a second of talking. It is also the fastest 22 minutes you may ever spend doing anything. Season four has been amazing as we churn out another perfect score. This is easily a legit contender for greatest sitcom episode of all time. Final Grade: 10/10
Best Character
Everyone. It was perfect of an ensemble performance for a sitcom that you could ever imagine. Every beat was hit, no stone left unturned, there were fantastic callbacks and cameo spots across the board. It was brilliantly written and executed by everyone.
Best Storyline
Not that there's anything wrong with that. None of it was wrong. It was all very...politically...correct. And amazing.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Should Sharon have ran the article without doing a bit more research? She could have really gotten in trouble for libel without doing her due diligence and checking around more. It was a ballsy piece to run and she is lucky Jerry is the type to just toss his hands up and move on instead of being more litigious. The fact that she traded her body for integrity or a retraction was another ethical failure.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Further in the ethics department, Sharon either lied about having a boyfriend and skillfully slipped it into conversation or she decided to dump his ass and make out with Jerry. Either way that kind of makes her hotter. And a bit of a slut. Relationship Grade: 10/10
What Worked
George being shocked that a woman would be so upset about breaking up with him was good; Acid tongue Elaine and her jackets; The initial talk about George and Jerry coming out was well done; Buck Naked; The initial unfolding of discovery with Sharon in Jerry's apartment is magical, maybe the best scene of the entire series; Kramer being positive Jerry doesn't know when his own birthday is and then stomping on Elaine's gift; The whole two-line phone fiasco blowing up on Jerry and George was brilliant; Guys & Dolls and the Collected Works of Bette Midler; The cascading of everyone finding out was so good; The callback to the hospital with George and Estelle and the sponge bath was amazing; The military officer risking discharge was timely and well delivered; Jerry and George bickering like a married couple, drawing out the angry Monk's manager always makes me laugh out loud; Allison being the only one oblivious to meaning of the article; George blowing up Jerry's spot is vintage selfish Costanza and that whole scene was perfect, capped by Kramer showing up with the good looking phone guy; All of the "Not that there is anything wrong with that" drops were just perfection, as was the whole damn thing
What Didn't Work
It all worked...not that there's anything wrong with that
Key Character Debuts
Sharon Leonard, NYU Reporter
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- George bought Jerry two tickets for Guys & Dolls, the musical for his birthday
- "Hey, who do you think is the most unattractive world leader?" - Elaine "Living or all time?" - Jerry "All time." - Elaine "Well, if it's all time, then there's no contest. It begins and ends with Brezhnev." - Jerry "I dunno. You ever get a good look at DeGaulle?" - Elaine "Lyndon Johnson was uglier than DeGaulle." - George "I got news for you. Golda Meir could make 'em all run up a tree." - Elaine
- "I'm not goin' along. I can just see you in Berlin in 1939 goose-stepping past me: 'C'mon Jerry, go along, go along...'" - Jerry
- "Y'know I hear that all the time." - Jerry "Hear what?" - Elaine "That I'm gay. People think I'm gay." - Jerry "Yeah, you know people ask me that about you, too." - Elaine "Yeah, 'cuz I'm single, I'm thin and I'm neat." - Jerry
- George's porno name would be Buck Naked
- "Jerry did you wash this pear?"- George "Yeah, I washed it." - Jerry "It looks like it hasn't been washed." - George "So wash it." - Jerry "You hear the way he talks to me?" - George "You should hear how *my* boyfriend talks to me..." - Sharon
- "Yeah. Actually it was in gym class. I was trying to climb the ropes and Jerry was spotting me. I kept slipping and burning my thighs and then finally I slipped and fell on Jerry's head. We've been close ever since." - George
- "And do your parents know?" - Sharon "Know what?" - Jerry "My parents? They don't know what's goin' on..." - George
- "Not that there's anything wrong with that" is first uttered, becoming an iconic catchphrase in pop culture
- "There's been a big misunderstanding here! We did that whole thing for your benefit. We knew you were eavesdropping. That's why my friend said all that. It was on purpose! We're not gay! Not that there's anything wrong with that..." - Jerry "No, of course not..." - George "I mean that's fine if that's who you are..." - Jerry "Absolutely..." - George "I mean I have many gay friends..." - Jerry "My father is gay..." - George
- "Kramer, there may be a problem with the phone, hold on." - Jerry "There may be a problem with the phone, hold on!" - George "Oh no! Kramer, this phone's a piece of junk, goodbye!" - Jerry "The phone's a piece of junk, goodbye!" - Jerry "Oh no! Now she's heard everything! What are we gonna do?!?" - Jerry "Now she thinks we're gay, not that there's anything wrong with it..." - George "No, no, of course not! People's personal sexual preferences are nobody's business but their own!" - Jerry
- "Guys & Dolls? Isn't that a lavish Broadway musical?" - Jerry "It's Guys & Dolls, not Guys & Guys!" - George
- "I've been outed...I wasn't even in!" - Jerry
- "Within the confines of his fastidious bachelor pad, Seinfeld and Costanza bicker over the cleanliness of a piece of fruit like an old married couple -- I told you that pear was washed! - Jerry
- "Ma, it's not true!" - Jerry "It's those damn culottes you made him wear when he was five!" - Morty "They weren't culottes, they were shorts." - Helen "They were culottes! You bought them in the girl's department." - Morty "By mistake! By mistake, Jerry! I'm sorry!" - Helen "It looked like he was wearing a skirt, for crying out loud!" - Morty "Ma, it has nothing to do with the culottes!" - Jerry "Not that there's anything wrong with that, Jerry." - Helen
- "Jerry, I can see. He's so neat and thin. Not that there's anything wrong with it." - Estelle
- "She hasn't seen the article! When she sees it, she's gonna think -- I'm out baby! I'm out!!!!!" - George
- "Extraordinarily gay. Steeped in gayness." - George
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Jerry gets a two-line phone for his apartment, which is a major novelty
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
I don't know how they made it through this episode in one piece. No clue how they got through these scenes and lines without laughing to death. This was just pure magic. It had it all. Laugh out loud moments, perfect writing, an iconic, classic, pop culture megahit of a catchphrase and it never slowed down or wasted a second of talking. It is also the fastest 22 minutes you may ever spend doing anything. Season four has been amazing as we churn out another perfect score. This is easily a legit contender for greatest sitcom episode of all time. Final Grade: 10/10
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