JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
I thought Peterman owned this one the whole through. Kramer had some peak moments, specifically cracking George's secret, but Peterman was fantastic in every scene. The way he completely ignored George's disgust and trudged on as best buds was impressive. I also loved how he saw right through George's lies every time but never judged him for them. What an amazing man. Three bulls indeed.
Best Storyline
I will go with the Peterman & Costanza bromance. It led to the biggest laughs and their chemistry was really good with George desperately doing all he could to escape while Peterman kept pulling him in closer. It had a real Planes, Trains & Automobiles feel to it.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Is it douchey to bail on your friends when they are doing you a solid and joining you for dinner with your boss? And then also leave your friend hanging at a wake for your boss's mom. Yes, those are awful things to do. However, they are also justified when the friends you are bailing on are pieces of shit that would do the same to you.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Peterman and Costanza is a story for the ages. It really did remind me of John Candy and Steve Martin and it totally felt inspired by the interactions between the two, with Peterman just ignoring all the tells that George couldn't stand being near him but kept plugging away regardless. Perhaps Peterman is more lonely than he comes across? Time will tell. Relationship Grade: 3 (Bulls)/10
What Worked:
Not giving up an ATM code is an odd choice but George digging his heels and going way over the top with it is perfect Costanza; Fred is awful but I do like how Elaine can't deal with him not remembering her; Kramer and a scanner is a very inspired combo; Jerry not having enough energy to explain what Kramer is up to; The reveal of Larry having the prosthetic right as Jerry's foot fell asleep was a great moment; Munjamba gets me every time; "The Three Bulls" also gets me each and every time; I love Peterman doggedly keeping he dinner alive even when it is whittled down to George; George's face smacking the window when Peterman makes the hard left turn; "Jacopo" and "Shake off the dew, my friend."; The Bosco scene is pretty epic as is Kramer systematically breaking down George to determine the code; Peterman thinking Bosco was his mother's lover; George failing twice to come up with a good lie; Kramer's firehouse fantasy coming true played out greatly; I love that Peterman can always tell when George is lying; The final scene with the Peterman catalogue is fantastic
What Didn't Work
Not giving up an ATM code seems like an odd hill to die on; Who crosses their legs under a table?; Fred is a real weirdo and frustrating to even watch in limited action; Who leaves paint thinner next to exposed wiring?; Why didn't the guy in the ATM just take off his shirt and coat?
Key Character Debuts
- Leaping Larry
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "George, you're gonna marry this woman. Most likely." - Jerry
- "Why does everything have to be 'us'? Is there no 'me' left? Why can't there be some things just for me? Is that so selfish?" - George "Actually, that's the definition of selfish." - George
- "My foot fell asleep." - Jerry "You're lucky, at least you got something to do." - Fred
- "The bathroom door. I remember someone had played tic-tac-toe on it, and the X's won; they went diagonally from the top left to the bottom right." - Fred
- "When I was a kid, all I ever dreamed of was steering the back of that big hook and ladder." - Kramer "You're lucky they let you drive a car." - Jerry
- "Well I'm sure you have secrets from me. I don't know anything about your cycles." - George "My cycles?" - Susan "Yeah, I never know what's going on there." - George
- "I just came from Leapin' Larry's. Making fun of crippled people, is that what you've sunk to?" - Kramer "I didn't do it on purpose, my foot fell asleep." - Jerry "Oh, oh your foot fell asleep." - Kramer "Ya know, the guy has one leg and he still calls himself Leapin' Larry, you'd think he had a sense of humor about it." - Jerry "Well, you just joked yourself right out of that commercial, didn't you, munjamba?" - Kramer
- "I don't even know Peterman. How the hell am I gonna relax? I'm gonna have to be on all night. I don't like being on, Jerry, I would much rather be off." - George "Trust me, you're off." - Jerry
- "Oh, Elaine just called, she won't be joining us. Not to worry, I'll tell the maitre'd it'll just be the three bulls." - Peterman
- "You see what's going on here? You're attracted to him because he can't remember anything about you." - Jerry "I am? But that's so sick." - Elaine "That's God's plan. He doesn't really want anyone to get together." - Jerry
- "Shake off the dew, my friend." - Peterman
- "Oh, alright. Yeah. Uh, let's see. Um, well, we can throw out birthdays immediately. That's too obvious. And no numbers for you, you're a word man. Alright, let's go deeper. Uh, what kind of man are you? Well, you're weak, spineless, a man of temptations, but what tempts you?" - Kramer "Huh?" - George "You're a portly fellow, a bit long in the waistband. So what's your pleasure? Is it the salty snacks you crave? No no no no no, yours is a sweet tooth." - Kramer "Get out of here." - George "Oh you may stray, but you'll always return to your dark master, the cocoa bean." - Kramer "I'm leaving." - George "No, and only the purest syrup nectar can satisfy you!" - Kramer "I gotta go." - George "If you could you'd guzzle it by the gallon! Ovaltine! Hershey's!" - Kramer "Shut up!" - George "Nestle's Quik!" - Kramer "Shut up!" - George
- "You know George, growing up as a boy in Costa Rica, I heard a rumor that momma had taken a lover. Perhaps Bosco was this man's name." - Peterman
- "Yeah, we straightened it out, all is forgiven." - Jerry "Well, you know the important thing is that you learned something." - Kramer "No I didn't." - Jerry
- "The Rogue's Wallet. That's where he kept his card, his dirty little secret. Short, devious, balding. his name was Costanza. He killed my mother." - George
Oddities & Fun Facts
- The football Jerry was likely watching was the Giants vs. Redskins from October 29, 1995 as it occurred on a Sunday night. However, the Giants never quite had a fourth and inches play that mattered, which is what is going on when Jerry is watching. The Redskins had one early and the game and the Giants had one at the end but that was meaningless as it was the last play of the game.
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
I enjoyed this one more than I expected and it held up pretty well. A lot of that hinged on Peterman's interactions with George but Jerry had some real good one liners in here too. The Kramer stuff at the end could have come across as absurd and corny but the way they wove the story it actually made quite a bit of scene and didn't seem as farcical as it could have. Elaine and Fred was kind of blah and the fact that Jerry would keep crossing his legs despite his issues kind of drag this down, but there were a lot of laughs here and the dialogue was fantastic throughout most of it. Jacopo for the win! Final Grade: 7/10
Best Character
I thought Peterman owned this one the whole through. Kramer had some peak moments, specifically cracking George's secret, but Peterman was fantastic in every scene. The way he completely ignored George's disgust and trudged on as best buds was impressive. I also loved how he saw right through George's lies every time but never judged him for them. What an amazing man. Three bulls indeed.
Best Storyline
I will go with the Peterman & Costanza bromance. It led to the biggest laughs and their chemistry was really good with George desperately doing all he could to escape while Peterman kept pulling him in closer. It had a real Planes, Trains & Automobiles feel to it.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Is it douchey to bail on your friends when they are doing you a solid and joining you for dinner with your boss? And then also leave your friend hanging at a wake for your boss's mom. Yes, those are awful things to do. However, they are also justified when the friends you are bailing on are pieces of shit that would do the same to you.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Peterman and Costanza is a story for the ages. It really did remind me of John Candy and Steve Martin and it totally felt inspired by the interactions between the two, with Peterman just ignoring all the tells that George couldn't stand being near him but kept plugging away regardless. Perhaps Peterman is more lonely than he comes across? Time will tell. Relationship Grade: 3 (Bulls)/10
What Worked:
Not giving up an ATM code is an odd choice but George digging his heels and going way over the top with it is perfect Costanza; Fred is awful but I do like how Elaine can't deal with him not remembering her; Kramer and a scanner is a very inspired combo; Jerry not having enough energy to explain what Kramer is up to; The reveal of Larry having the prosthetic right as Jerry's foot fell asleep was a great moment; Munjamba gets me every time; "The Three Bulls" also gets me each and every time; I love Peterman doggedly keeping he dinner alive even when it is whittled down to George; George's face smacking the window when Peterman makes the hard left turn; "Jacopo" and "Shake off the dew, my friend."; The Bosco scene is pretty epic as is Kramer systematically breaking down George to determine the code; Peterman thinking Bosco was his mother's lover; George failing twice to come up with a good lie; Kramer's firehouse fantasy coming true played out greatly; I love that Peterman can always tell when George is lying; The final scene with the Peterman catalogue is fantastic
What Didn't Work
Not giving up an ATM code seems like an odd hill to die on; Who crosses their legs under a table?; Fred is a real weirdo and frustrating to even watch in limited action; Who leaves paint thinner next to exposed wiring?; Why didn't the guy in the ATM just take off his shirt and coat?
Key Character Debuts
- Leaping Larry
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "George, you're gonna marry this woman. Most likely." - Jerry
- "Why does everything have to be 'us'? Is there no 'me' left? Why can't there be some things just for me? Is that so selfish?" - George "Actually, that's the definition of selfish." - George
- "My foot fell asleep." - Jerry "You're lucky, at least you got something to do." - Fred
- "The bathroom door. I remember someone had played tic-tac-toe on it, and the X's won; they went diagonally from the top left to the bottom right." - Fred
- "When I was a kid, all I ever dreamed of was steering the back of that big hook and ladder." - Kramer "You're lucky they let you drive a car." - Jerry
- "Well I'm sure you have secrets from me. I don't know anything about your cycles." - George "My cycles?" - Susan "Yeah, I never know what's going on there." - George
- "I just came from Leapin' Larry's. Making fun of crippled people, is that what you've sunk to?" - Kramer "I didn't do it on purpose, my foot fell asleep." - Jerry "Oh, oh your foot fell asleep." - Kramer "Ya know, the guy has one leg and he still calls himself Leapin' Larry, you'd think he had a sense of humor about it." - Jerry "Well, you just joked yourself right out of that commercial, didn't you, munjamba?" - Kramer
- "I don't even know Peterman. How the hell am I gonna relax? I'm gonna have to be on all night. I don't like being on, Jerry, I would much rather be off." - George "Trust me, you're off." - Jerry
- "Oh, Elaine just called, she won't be joining us. Not to worry, I'll tell the maitre'd it'll just be the three bulls." - Peterman
- "You see what's going on here? You're attracted to him because he can't remember anything about you." - Jerry "I am? But that's so sick." - Elaine "That's God's plan. He doesn't really want anyone to get together." - Jerry
- "Shake off the dew, my friend." - Peterman
- "Oh, alright. Yeah. Uh, let's see. Um, well, we can throw out birthdays immediately. That's too obvious. And no numbers for you, you're a word man. Alright, let's go deeper. Uh, what kind of man are you? Well, you're weak, spineless, a man of temptations, but what tempts you?" - Kramer "Huh?" - George "You're a portly fellow, a bit long in the waistband. So what's your pleasure? Is it the salty snacks you crave? No no no no no, yours is a sweet tooth." - Kramer "Get out of here." - George "Oh you may stray, but you'll always return to your dark master, the cocoa bean." - Kramer "I'm leaving." - George "No, and only the purest syrup nectar can satisfy you!" - Kramer "I gotta go." - George "If you could you'd guzzle it by the gallon! Ovaltine! Hershey's!" - Kramer "Shut up!" - George "Nestle's Quik!" - Kramer "Shut up!" - George
- "You know George, growing up as a boy in Costa Rica, I heard a rumor that momma had taken a lover. Perhaps Bosco was this man's name." - Peterman
- "Yeah, we straightened it out, all is forgiven." - Jerry "Well, you know the important thing is that you learned something." - Kramer "No I didn't." - Jerry
- "The Rogue's Wallet. That's where he kept his card, his dirty little secret. Short, devious, balding. his name was Costanza. He killed my mother." - George
Oddities & Fun Facts
- The football Jerry was likely watching was the Giants vs. Redskins from October 29, 1995 as it occurred on a Sunday night. However, the Giants never quite had a fourth and inches play that mattered, which is what is going on when Jerry is watching. The Redskins had one early and the game and the Giants had one at the end but that was meaningless as it was the last play of the game.
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
I enjoyed this one more than I expected and it held up pretty well. A lot of that hinged on Peterman's interactions with George but Jerry had some real good one liners in here too. The Kramer stuff at the end could have come across as absurd and corny but the way they wove the story it actually made quite a bit of scene and didn't seem as farcical as it could have. Elaine and Fred was kind of blah and the fact that Jerry would keep crossing his legs despite his issues kind of drag this down, but there were a lot of laughs here and the dialogue was fantastic throughout most of it. Jacopo for the win! Final Grade: 7/10
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