JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
I liked Jerry the best here just for his ongoing pain and descriptions of the BO beast. Plus, anyone that berates a customer service representative into reparations is aces in my book. Elaine, Kramer and George were all strong in support, but this was a Jerome fueled episode all the way.
Best Storyline
The smelly car. Its pungency dominated the entire episode, lingering in the air and affecting everyone along the way. They get the idea of the beast so over that you can almost smell it as the episode goes along. Plus, I love me some customer service victories, so Jerry beating down the restaurant manager was right up my alley. Stink. Stank. Stunk.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Jerry is kind of a selfish dick for having George drive in his car when he knows what could happen with the BO. He should have given full disclosure right off the bat that George may not be able to shake the stink off him. George should make him pay for any and all cleansing that is needed.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Kramer and the Yankees. A true love/hate relationship that is filled with passion. At the time, the Yankees seemingly could never get out of their own way, trading away promising young stars while looking for that instant fix. That is life as a sports fan. You care so much that it can ruin your day when it all goes wrong. But when it goes right...oh, and the lesbian conversion. That too. Relationship Grade: SPORTS & LESBIANS/10
What Worked
The BO; Lesbian Susan was a great touch; Nice callback with Rochelle, Rochelle; Jerry's ongoing descriptions of the BO monster all made me laugh; Jerry's deadpan answers about men having to get up early were fantastic; Kramer's Yankee bitching was great and was also nice foreshadowing; George immediately being dragged back into his Susan torture chamber was a welcome return; I loved George needing money from Susan to cover losing his softcore porn movie; I liked the back-and-forth scenes of the car and Elaine getting scrubbed clean; Kramer's ongoing torching of Susan's life rolls on and him converting a lesbian was perfectly in line with his character; Jerry finally caving and giving his car to a bum was a good finish
What Didn't Work
As much as I enjoy Nick Bakay, I just find it hard to believe Elaine would be so gaga over him with that look; Susan's wardrobe: woof, Allison is an idiot for admiring the vest
Key Character Debuts
N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "This guy's got quite a racket. I take you to dinner and then drop you off at his apartment." - Jerry
- "Do I smell something? What am I, hard of smelling? Of course I smell something." - Elaine
- "So when somebody has B.O., the "O" usually stays with the "B". Once the "B" leaves, the "O" goes with it." - Jerry
- "Ah, ``Rochelle, Rochelle''... "A young girl's strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk"..." - Clerk
- "What about skunk?" - Jerry "I don't mind skunk." - Elaine "Horse manure?" - Jerry "I loooove horse manure." - Elaine
- "Listen, lemme ask you something. When you're with a guy, and he tells you he has to get up early, what does that mean?" - Elaine "It means he's lying." - Jerry "Wow..." - Elaine "Why? Is that what he told you?" - Jerry "Yeah, last night. Oh, come on... Men *have* to get up early some time..." - Elaine "No. Never." - Jerry "Jerry! I'm sure I've seen men on the street early in the morning. - Elaine "Well, sometimes we do actually have to get up early, but a man will always trade sleep for sex." - Jerry
- "What happened? My car stinks is what happened. And it's destroying the lives of everyone in it's path." - Jerry
- "Oh, this isn't even B.O.! This is beyond B.O.! It's B.B.O.!" - George
- "Amazing. I drive them to lesbianism, he brings 'em back." - George
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Nick Bakay plays Elaine's boyfriend Carl
- Jerry doesn't drive too much as he has put 23,000 miles on his car in two years
- Kramer references George Steinbrenner's tendencies of trading young stars and rants about how he is ruining the team, but he had just been reinstated as owner a month earlier after serving a three year suspension
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
We are looking to finish Season Four as strongly as we opened it. This was another very memorable episode in an iconic season. The problem is, it is overshadowed by the absurd greatness that preceded it. If this episode was in an earlier season or part of a different show's catalog, it probably ranks a little higher. But, based on the Seinfeld Season Four scale, it checks in just a tick lower than you may expect. That said, there were lots of laughs here and premise was original and frustratingly relatable in some ways. One of my gripes is that it ended kind abruptly. Just when you are really getting into all three major stories, the episode kind of wraps with little explanation of what happened. Did the lesbian go back to Susan? Did the bum actually take the car? Did George pay up his $50 debt? Did Elaine and Carl make it? Does she still stink? We really got zero resolution of all the main stories. This is one episode that could have easily been an hour. Final Grade: 6/10
Best Character
I liked Jerry the best here just for his ongoing pain and descriptions of the BO beast. Plus, anyone that berates a customer service representative into reparations is aces in my book. Elaine, Kramer and George were all strong in support, but this was a Jerome fueled episode all the way.
Best Storyline
The smelly car. Its pungency dominated the entire episode, lingering in the air and affecting everyone along the way. They get the idea of the beast so over that you can almost smell it as the episode goes along. Plus, I love me some customer service victories, so Jerry beating down the restaurant manager was right up my alley. Stink. Stank. Stunk.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Jerry is kind of a selfish dick for having George drive in his car when he knows what could happen with the BO. He should have given full disclosure right off the bat that George may not be able to shake the stink off him. George should make him pay for any and all cleansing that is needed.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Kramer and the Yankees. A true love/hate relationship that is filled with passion. At the time, the Yankees seemingly could never get out of their own way, trading away promising young stars while looking for that instant fix. That is life as a sports fan. You care so much that it can ruin your day when it all goes wrong. But when it goes right...oh, and the lesbian conversion. That too. Relationship Grade: SPORTS & LESBIANS/10
What Worked
The BO; Lesbian Susan was a great touch; Nice callback with Rochelle, Rochelle; Jerry's ongoing descriptions of the BO monster all made me laugh; Jerry's deadpan answers about men having to get up early were fantastic; Kramer's Yankee bitching was great and was also nice foreshadowing; George immediately being dragged back into his Susan torture chamber was a welcome return; I loved George needing money from Susan to cover losing his softcore porn movie; I liked the back-and-forth scenes of the car and Elaine getting scrubbed clean; Kramer's ongoing torching of Susan's life rolls on and him converting a lesbian was perfectly in line with his character; Jerry finally caving and giving his car to a bum was a good finish
What Didn't Work
As much as I enjoy Nick Bakay, I just find it hard to believe Elaine would be so gaga over him with that look; Susan's wardrobe: woof, Allison is an idiot for admiring the vest
Key Character Debuts
N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "This guy's got quite a racket. I take you to dinner and then drop you off at his apartment." - Jerry
- "Do I smell something? What am I, hard of smelling? Of course I smell something." - Elaine
- "So when somebody has B.O., the "O" usually stays with the "B". Once the "B" leaves, the "O" goes with it." - Jerry
- "Ah, ``Rochelle, Rochelle''... "A young girl's strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk"..." - Clerk
- "What about skunk?" - Jerry "I don't mind skunk." - Elaine "Horse manure?" - Jerry "I loooove horse manure." - Elaine
- "Listen, lemme ask you something. When you're with a guy, and he tells you he has to get up early, what does that mean?" - Elaine "It means he's lying." - Jerry "Wow..." - Elaine "Why? Is that what he told you?" - Jerry "Yeah, last night. Oh, come on... Men *have* to get up early some time..." - Elaine "No. Never." - Jerry "Jerry! I'm sure I've seen men on the street early in the morning. - Elaine "Well, sometimes we do actually have to get up early, but a man will always trade sleep for sex." - Jerry
- "What happened? My car stinks is what happened. And it's destroying the lives of everyone in it's path." - Jerry
- "Oh, this isn't even B.O.! This is beyond B.O.! It's B.B.O.!" - George
- "Amazing. I drive them to lesbianism, he brings 'em back." - George
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Nick Bakay plays Elaine's boyfriend Carl
- Jerry doesn't drive too much as he has put 23,000 miles on his car in two years
- Kramer references George Steinbrenner's tendencies of trading young stars and rants about how he is ruining the team, but he had just been reinstated as owner a month earlier after serving a three year suspension
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
We are looking to finish Season Four as strongly as we opened it. This was another very memorable episode in an iconic season. The problem is, it is overshadowed by the absurd greatness that preceded it. If this episode was in an earlier season or part of a different show's catalog, it probably ranks a little higher. But, based on the Seinfeld Season Four scale, it checks in just a tick lower than you may expect. That said, there were lots of laughs here and premise was original and frustratingly relatable in some ways. One of my gripes is that it ended kind abruptly. Just when you are really getting into all three major stories, the episode kind of wraps with little explanation of what happened. Did the lesbian go back to Susan? Did the bum actually take the car? Did George pay up his $50 debt? Did Elaine and Carl make it? Does she still stink? We really got zero resolution of all the main stories. This is one episode that could have easily been an hour. Final Grade: 6/10
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