JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
Kramer took the cake in this episode. I loved his whole scheme centered around Jerry stereo and then how he left him hanging for the investigation. His mocking of George's plan to ask out Sheila was really funny and the photo shoot is an absolute classic. Hell, even toss in the cold open and he was just on point the whole way through. Honorable mention to Newman too, as he was great in the interrogation scenes.
Best Storyline
George's seduction of Sheila easily wins this week. Sheila is quite fine and watching George go gaga for her was relatable. Kramer chucking cold water on his plan and then sucking him into the game of flirtation was great. The photo shoot is iconic and the closing scene wrapped things up nicely. Plus, Ron's smile in the photo shop always cracks me up.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Should you let your good friend take sexy photos of you with the goal in mind of forcing them upon on a stranger in an attempt to bang them? It was 1996, why the fuck not. That was how the world worked in those days. YOU'RE A LOVER BOY!
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Sheila is a fucking smoke show. The best, Jerry. The best. Relationship Grade: 10/10
What Worked:
Kramer wistfully waxing nostalgic about the Bermuda Triangle always get me, as does him shooting down Newman asking why the Triangle doesn't take the water and then agreeing on the alien autopsy; The doctor fake erasing with the pen; Kramer trading his stereo to Lomez for steaks is an amazing throwaway line; George's line about the airline bombing Jerry for all the peanut jokes; Kramer convincing George to partake in the ancient art of seduction, his line mocking George's plan is so good; Jerry's line about Kramer getting steak sauce is a sneaky little play off K-Man getting Lomez's steaks; Leo pissing Jerry off by talking about Jeffrey; Kramer and Jerry talking about write offs; The photo shoot scene is an all time classic; "You are a lover boy!"; Awesome Phil Hartman cameo; Kramer tossing Jerry under the bus at the post office; Newman interrogating Jerry is a tremendous scene too; Nice callback to Dr. Van Nostrand; Kramer thinking Elaine's last name is Bennett; Ron's knowing smile at George; Newman's final rant and the giant blown up photos of George and Ron were a good capper to the episode
What Didn't Work
Dr. Stern is pretty creepy; What the fuck is with Danny the Mailman; Elaine's issues with the doctors and her chart never really connected with me; The post office interrogation was funny but Newman having the ability to drag both Jerry and George in for investigations felt like a bit of a reach
Key Character Debuts
- Sheila
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "What's the matter with your stereo?" - Jerry "I traded it to Lomez for some steaks." - Kramer
- "She's got this incredible smile. Like she's got extra teeth or something." - George "Extra teeth. I love that look." - Jerry
- "I'm not difficult. I'm easy." - Elaine "Why because you dress casual and sleep with a lot of guys?" - Jerry
- "Why can't I be bombable?" - Jerry "Who's going to bomb you. An airline for all the stupid little peanut jokes." - George "I suppose you think your bombable?" - Jerry "Hey. There is a couple of people that wouldn't mind having me out of the way." - George "There's more than a couple." - Jerry
- "She goes to these lengths to entice you and your only response is "Gee I really like your picture. Would you like to go out on a date with me please."" - Kramer "No good?" - George "George. It's the timeless art of seduction. You got to join in the dance. She sends you an enticing photo, you send her one right back." - Kramer "Oh, I don't know." - George "Well as you know I've always been something of a photog." - Kramer "Oh yeah I like this idea." - Jerry
- "Jerry, Your cousin Jeffrey is in the Parks Production of The Macardo. I want you to go see it with me." - Uncle Leo
- "Yeah but the explosion singed off his eyebrows, mustache everything. He's all smooth now. Look's like a seal." - Jerry
- "It's just a write off for them." - Kramer "How is it a write off?" - Jerry "They just write it off." - Kramer "Write it off what?" - Jerry "Jerry all these big companies they write off everything." - Kramer "You don't even know what a write off is." - Jerry "Do you?" - Kramer "No. I don't." - Jerry "But they do and they are the ones writing it off." - Kramer "I wish I just had the last twenty seconds of my life back." - Jerry
- "No, no. You're stout. The camera loves stoutness. Look were not going to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. The key word is tasteful. Now I want you to relax and have fun because your a fun guy. All right let's do it. Okay come on. Feel the beat. Feel the beat. You know you got some real strong pecks but it's hard to tell under that T-shirt." - Kramer
- "Hello Jerry." - Newman "Hello Newman." - Jerry "Kramer you might as well run along. Jerry might be a while. Suspicion of mail fraud." - Newman "Mail fraud. You're in a lot of trouble buddy." - Kramer
- "Bennett right?" - Kramer "Benes. My last name is Benes you jackass. Yeah." - Elaine
- "It looks like your breaking into it like an otter breaking into a clam." - Newman "I don't know about that but I'm sure there is a explanation." - Jerry "Yes. It's called mail fraud. Oohhhh. How I've longed for this moment Seinfeld. The day when I would have the proof I needed to haul you out of your cushy lair and expose to the light of justice as the monster that you are. A monster so vile..." - Newman
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Elaine references her Christmas card that featured her exposed nip from The Pick (S4, E13)
- Phil Hartman makes a cameo as the mysterious AMA caller that wakes up Elaine in the middle of the night
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
There is so much to like here and the episode featured some real classic stuff like the photo shoot, the post office interrogation and Kramer fucking up Elaine's last name. The Van Nostrand callback was fun and I always laugh at the Lomez line. Kramer, George, Jerry and Newman all really had strong performance and Ron and Sheila were strong in support. That said, the Elaine stuff just completely fell flat to me. It didn't produce many laughs and felt like just an excuse to give Elaine something to do and eat up time. There had to be something better for her to do. Even the scene with her and Leo at Dr. Reznick's just went nowhere. The good easily outweighs the bad but that Elaine stuff keeps this from climbing the ladder. Also, it gets a one point bonus for having an all time iconic scene. Final Grade: 7/10
Best Character
Kramer took the cake in this episode. I loved his whole scheme centered around Jerry stereo and then how he left him hanging for the investigation. His mocking of George's plan to ask out Sheila was really funny and the photo shoot is an absolute classic. Hell, even toss in the cold open and he was just on point the whole way through. Honorable mention to Newman too, as he was great in the interrogation scenes.
Best Storyline
George's seduction of Sheila easily wins this week. Sheila is quite fine and watching George go gaga for her was relatable. Kramer chucking cold water on his plan and then sucking him into the game of flirtation was great. The photo shoot is iconic and the closing scene wrapped things up nicely. Plus, Ron's smile in the photo shop always cracks me up.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Should you let your good friend take sexy photos of you with the goal in mind of forcing them upon on a stranger in an attempt to bang them? It was 1996, why the fuck not. That was how the world worked in those days. YOU'RE A LOVER BOY!
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Sheila is a fucking smoke show. The best, Jerry. The best. Relationship Grade: 10/10
What Worked:
Kramer wistfully waxing nostalgic about the Bermuda Triangle always get me, as does him shooting down Newman asking why the Triangle doesn't take the water and then agreeing on the alien autopsy; The doctor fake erasing with the pen; Kramer trading his stereo to Lomez for steaks is an amazing throwaway line; George's line about the airline bombing Jerry for all the peanut jokes; Kramer convincing George to partake in the ancient art of seduction, his line mocking George's plan is so good; Jerry's line about Kramer getting steak sauce is a sneaky little play off K-Man getting Lomez's steaks; Leo pissing Jerry off by talking about Jeffrey; Kramer and Jerry talking about write offs; The photo shoot scene is an all time classic; "You are a lover boy!"; Awesome Phil Hartman cameo; Kramer tossing Jerry under the bus at the post office; Newman interrogating Jerry is a tremendous scene too; Nice callback to Dr. Van Nostrand; Kramer thinking Elaine's last name is Bennett; Ron's knowing smile at George; Newman's final rant and the giant blown up photos of George and Ron were a good capper to the episode
What Didn't Work
Dr. Stern is pretty creepy; What the fuck is with Danny the Mailman; Elaine's issues with the doctors and her chart never really connected with me; The post office interrogation was funny but Newman having the ability to drag both Jerry and George in for investigations felt like a bit of a reach
Key Character Debuts
- Sheila
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "What's the matter with your stereo?" - Jerry "I traded it to Lomez for some steaks." - Kramer
- "She's got this incredible smile. Like she's got extra teeth or something." - George "Extra teeth. I love that look." - Jerry
- "I'm not difficult. I'm easy." - Elaine "Why because you dress casual and sleep with a lot of guys?" - Jerry
- "Why can't I be bombable?" - Jerry "Who's going to bomb you. An airline for all the stupid little peanut jokes." - George "I suppose you think your bombable?" - Jerry "Hey. There is a couple of people that wouldn't mind having me out of the way." - George "There's more than a couple." - Jerry
- "She goes to these lengths to entice you and your only response is "Gee I really like your picture. Would you like to go out on a date with me please."" - Kramer "No good?" - George "George. It's the timeless art of seduction. You got to join in the dance. She sends you an enticing photo, you send her one right back." - Kramer "Oh, I don't know." - George "Well as you know I've always been something of a photog." - Kramer "Oh yeah I like this idea." - Jerry
- "Jerry, Your cousin Jeffrey is in the Parks Production of The Macardo. I want you to go see it with me." - Uncle Leo
- "Yeah but the explosion singed off his eyebrows, mustache everything. He's all smooth now. Look's like a seal." - Jerry
- "It's just a write off for them." - Kramer "How is it a write off?" - Jerry "They just write it off." - Kramer "Write it off what?" - Jerry "Jerry all these big companies they write off everything." - Kramer "You don't even know what a write off is." - Jerry "Do you?" - Kramer "No. I don't." - Jerry "But they do and they are the ones writing it off." - Kramer "I wish I just had the last twenty seconds of my life back." - Jerry
- "No, no. You're stout. The camera loves stoutness. Look were not going to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. The key word is tasteful. Now I want you to relax and have fun because your a fun guy. All right let's do it. Okay come on. Feel the beat. Feel the beat. You know you got some real strong pecks but it's hard to tell under that T-shirt." - Kramer
- "Hello Jerry." - Newman "Hello Newman." - Jerry "Kramer you might as well run along. Jerry might be a while. Suspicion of mail fraud." - Newman "Mail fraud. You're in a lot of trouble buddy." - Kramer
- "Bennett right?" - Kramer "Benes. My last name is Benes you jackass. Yeah." - Elaine
- "It looks like your breaking into it like an otter breaking into a clam." - Newman "I don't know about that but I'm sure there is a explanation." - Jerry "Yes. It's called mail fraud. Oohhhh. How I've longed for this moment Seinfeld. The day when I would have the proof I needed to haul you out of your cushy lair and expose to the light of justice as the monster that you are. A monster so vile..." - Newman
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Elaine references her Christmas card that featured her exposed nip from The Pick (S4, E13)
- Phil Hartman makes a cameo as the mysterious AMA caller that wakes up Elaine in the middle of the night
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
There is so much to like here and the episode featured some real classic stuff like the photo shoot, the post office interrogation and Kramer fucking up Elaine's last name. The Van Nostrand callback was fun and I always laugh at the Lomez line. Kramer, George, Jerry and Newman all really had strong performance and Ron and Sheila were strong in support. That said, the Elaine stuff just completely fell flat to me. It didn't produce many laughs and felt like just an excuse to give Elaine something to do and eat up time. There had to be something better for her to do. Even the scene with her and Leo at Dr. Reznick's just went nowhere. The good easily outweighs the bad but that Elaine stuff keeps this from climbing the ladder. Also, it gets a one point bonus for having an all time iconic scene. Final Grade: 7/10
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