JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
Jerry is my choice here. George was close with his super neurotic behavior almost costing him his shot at nailing his coworker and his ongoing war with the drug store, but Jerry did all of the heavy lifting in this one. His attempts at small talk and banter throughout the episode was great, especially at the end when they are stalling time until Kramer comes. He was also really good in his interactions with Steve and Patty the Hooker. Jerry was really the glue of this one, weaving throughout all of the storylines and acting as the key cog in their progression. I thought this was one of Jerry's best outings top to bottom.
Best Storyline
There was a lot going on here but it definitely felt more like a season one outing in that there may have been too many little things happening and it didn't lead to a real satisfying conclusion, instead it just felt like the clock ran out on them. With that said, watching Jerry and Elaine navigate and attempt to leave the party was the highlight to me. Between their signals and clear boredom, they were pretty much scheming a way as soon as they walked in. Things got even more dire when George bailed early, leaving them to find a way home from this foreign place. We also got an all time memorable line from Elaine as well as manically entertaining performance from Michael Chiklis.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
There were a couple of options in this episode, but I will roll with the most obvious: was George right to abandon his friends for the chance to nail his coworker? Yes, absolutely. You don't even think twice on that one. The only hesitation there should have been was due to Elaine being involved, but Jerry took the hit there and let George drive towards the goal line like a good friend should. Sure, he left his friends stranded in the middle of Long Island at a party where they knew nobody and had no way home, but his coworker was attractive and was as blatant as could be about his chances to score. No blame assigned here.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Surprisingly enough, we again don't have much going on here. George and his new fur-loving fuck buddy come closest, but we don't really get to see much of them together, so it is tough to lay a grade down. Speaking of lay, she seemed to be pretty easy, basically tossing herself on George's bed so she either has very low self esteem after her divorce or just likes short, stocky bald men. Either way, we didn't get much of a positive impression of her in her brief appearances Relationship Grade: 2/10
What Worked
The dissection of the medicine ingredients and George's anger and feud with the cashier ring very true even to this day; The awkward conversations at the party were great, specifically the George Washington Carver peanut guy who was completely oblivious to just how boring he really was; Jerry is a great wingman for selflessly sacrificing his ride home without having to be asked twice; Kramer busting into the house and delivering his great explanation of trying to find the house and then nonchalantly mentioning his broken convertible top was good stuff; Steve is campy early, weird for a bit and then a real piece of shit by the end, but Chiklis was effective in the role and one of our most memorable cameo characters early on; Kramer and Steve boozing on the couch and ordering hookers is very non-Seinfeld type of fun
What Didn't Work
George's confidence and blending in with his work friends early at the party seems odd; The fiancé woman is super annoying and I am surprised Elaine didn't just shove her out of the chair for being so lame; Steve's wife kind of mean trying to run Jerry & Elaine out of the house, when you throw a party you have to be prepared for all houseguest scenarios; Many of the minor characters are very over the top in a traditional sitcom way and that has been a running issue since the show debuted
Key Character Debuts
N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- George gets incorrect change when he pays a cashier
- Jerry again tries to set up signals to bail him out tricky social situations
- "Maybe the dingo ate your baby!" - Elaine
- Jerry calls back to The Jacket and Alton Benes at the hotel: "Pendant. Those bastards!"
- Kramer tells Steve the story about the doves, another callback to The Jacket
- Patty is a cheap hooker, only charging somewhere in the vicinity for $50
Oddities & Fun Facts
- In the show's original run, this episode did not air until mid-way through season three
- Michael Chiklis portrays Steve the party host
- Jerry mentions that he is 36 years old
- Elaine claims to be a vegetarian that occasionally eats fish
- Kramer claims to have a girlfriend in the building next door
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
There some good moments in here but overall this didn't really feel like Seinfeld. It was a bit too mean spirited thanks to Steve and it hit on some topics we don't usually associate with this show. I liked George's feud with the drug store and wish that was more of a focus here as I felt there could have been more Costanza scheming involved. Many parts of the party scene were really true to life and stood out as the highlights of the episode to me. Once they returned to Manhattan and Steve showed up at Jerry's apartment, things went south and kind of sputtered to the finish. The idea that Kramer keeps screwing everyone over continued here as well, as he gets Jerry and Elaine sick and then costs Jerry cash to pay Patty after Steve bails. We got some flashes of the great dialogue that would carry the show in later years but still too much standard sitcom fare and camp weighed this one down for me. Final Grade: 4/10
Best Character
Jerry is my choice here. George was close with his super neurotic behavior almost costing him his shot at nailing his coworker and his ongoing war with the drug store, but Jerry did all of the heavy lifting in this one. His attempts at small talk and banter throughout the episode was great, especially at the end when they are stalling time until Kramer comes. He was also really good in his interactions with Steve and Patty the Hooker. Jerry was really the glue of this one, weaving throughout all of the storylines and acting as the key cog in their progression. I thought this was one of Jerry's best outings top to bottom.
Best Storyline
There was a lot going on here but it definitely felt more like a season one outing in that there may have been too many little things happening and it didn't lead to a real satisfying conclusion, instead it just felt like the clock ran out on them. With that said, watching Jerry and Elaine navigate and attempt to leave the party was the highlight to me. Between their signals and clear boredom, they were pretty much scheming a way as soon as they walked in. Things got even more dire when George bailed early, leaving them to find a way home from this foreign place. We also got an all time memorable line from Elaine as well as manically entertaining performance from Michael Chiklis.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
There were a couple of options in this episode, but I will roll with the most obvious: was George right to abandon his friends for the chance to nail his coworker? Yes, absolutely. You don't even think twice on that one. The only hesitation there should have been was due to Elaine being involved, but Jerry took the hit there and let George drive towards the goal line like a good friend should. Sure, he left his friends stranded in the middle of Long Island at a party where they knew nobody and had no way home, but his coworker was attractive and was as blatant as could be about his chances to score. No blame assigned here.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Surprisingly enough, we again don't have much going on here. George and his new fur-loving fuck buddy come closest, but we don't really get to see much of them together, so it is tough to lay a grade down. Speaking of lay, she seemed to be pretty easy, basically tossing herself on George's bed so she either has very low self esteem after her divorce or just likes short, stocky bald men. Either way, we didn't get much of a positive impression of her in her brief appearances Relationship Grade: 2/10
What Worked
The dissection of the medicine ingredients and George's anger and feud with the cashier ring very true even to this day; The awkward conversations at the party were great, specifically the George Washington Carver peanut guy who was completely oblivious to just how boring he really was; Jerry is a great wingman for selflessly sacrificing his ride home without having to be asked twice; Kramer busting into the house and delivering his great explanation of trying to find the house and then nonchalantly mentioning his broken convertible top was good stuff; Steve is campy early, weird for a bit and then a real piece of shit by the end, but Chiklis was effective in the role and one of our most memorable cameo characters early on; Kramer and Steve boozing on the couch and ordering hookers is very non-Seinfeld type of fun
What Didn't Work
George's confidence and blending in with his work friends early at the party seems odd; The fiancé woman is super annoying and I am surprised Elaine didn't just shove her out of the chair for being so lame; Steve's wife kind of mean trying to run Jerry & Elaine out of the house, when you throw a party you have to be prepared for all houseguest scenarios; Many of the minor characters are very over the top in a traditional sitcom way and that has been a running issue since the show debuted
Key Character Debuts
N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- George gets incorrect change when he pays a cashier
- Jerry again tries to set up signals to bail him out tricky social situations
- "Maybe the dingo ate your baby!" - Elaine
- Jerry calls back to The Jacket and Alton Benes at the hotel: "Pendant. Those bastards!"
- Kramer tells Steve the story about the doves, another callback to The Jacket
- Patty is a cheap hooker, only charging somewhere in the vicinity for $50
Oddities & Fun Facts
- In the show's original run, this episode did not air until mid-way through season three
- Michael Chiklis portrays Steve the party host
- Jerry mentions that he is 36 years old
- Elaine claims to be a vegetarian that occasionally eats fish
- Kramer claims to have a girlfriend in the building next door
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
There some good moments in here but overall this didn't really feel like Seinfeld. It was a bit too mean spirited thanks to Steve and it hit on some topics we don't usually associate with this show. I liked George's feud with the drug store and wish that was more of a focus here as I felt there could have been more Costanza scheming involved. Many parts of the party scene were really true to life and stood out as the highlights of the episode to me. Once they returned to Manhattan and Steve showed up at Jerry's apartment, things went south and kind of sputtered to the finish. The idea that Kramer keeps screwing everyone over continued here as well, as he gets Jerry and Elaine sick and then costs Jerry cash to pay Patty after Steve bails. We got some flashes of the great dialogue that would carry the show in later years but still too much standard sitcom fare and camp weighed this one down for me. Final Grade: 4/10
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