JT's comments below originally ran as part of Place to Be Nation's "Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch" project.
Best Character
George kicks off the season by racking up another Best Character award. He started strong with his planning on how to pack for the trip and never slowed down through the elongated episode. Him chatting up the celebrities and then having his moment demolished moments later was ultimate Costanza. The tuck/no tuck conversation is one of my favorites as well, especially since it dovetails with him defending Lupe to Jerry multiple times. Very strong performance across the board for Georgie Boy.
Best Storyline
I really liked the Tonight Show stuff, but the Smog Strangler story trumped it by the end, especially when you factor in the awesome interrogation. I liked the scenes in the police car as well as Jerry's 911 call. All of the cops were really good too.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Should Jerry have gotten angrier with Lupe for destroying his performance on the Tonight Show? No, man the fuck up and rewrite your jokes. You are a professional comedian! Leave Lupe alone. Now, she did screw up the tucks, and for that she should be fired.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Kramer and California have fallen on hard times. It has stripped away all of his success and left him as a pathetic shell of his former self, trolling coffee shops and begging B-list celebrities to read his script. He still has luck with the ladies...but even that comes to a rough end for him. Eventually, they have an ugly breakup before he returns to the warm bosom of his former love, New York City. Relationship Grade: 1/10
What Worked
George immediately fretting over his travel plans was great as well as his absurd amount of luggage; It was a nice twist to show Kramer struggling, which he never really did in NY; The cops were way over the top but I enjoyed them; The security line scene was good observational stuff; The cameos were so dated but they were all really good in their roles; George's sheets conversation and defense of Lupe always makes me smile; George's pitches were great; The 911 debate and call was well done as were Jerry and George acting like excited kids in the police car; Jerry leaving the police car door open for the criminal to escape was funny; The interrogation of Kramer was one of the best scenes of the episode; The celebration dance at the end was a nice capper, as was Kramer's delusion over all the bad stuff that has happened to him and George's comforter issues; Kramer just showing back up was the perfect ending to this saga.
What Didn't Work
The timeline is a bit wonky with George acting like he hasn't talked to Jerry since the Murphy Brown sighting but Jerry acting like Kramer left a while ago; Kramer's actress neighbor always freaked me out; Kramer's auditions should have been funnier than they were; Whiny Jerry blaming Lupe for bombing on Leno was weak; It was a bit jarring seeing the show be out on the road and away from NY.
Key Character Debuts
N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "I was engaged to Mickey Rooney! He left me at the altar. Kramer! Kramer!" - Helena
- "We're going on a two day trip, what are you, Diana Ross?" - Jerry "I happen to dress based on mood." - George "Oh. But you essentially wear the same thing all the time." - Jerry "Seemingly. Seemingly. But within that basic framework there are many subtle variations, only discernable to an acute observer, that reflect the many moods, the many shades, the many sides of George Costanza." - George "And what mood is this." - Jerry "This is Morning Mist." - George
- "Are you sure you don't have any metal on you? Bracelets? Rings? Anklets?" - Guard "Anklets?" - Jerry "A lot of men wear anklets." - Guard "Really?" - Jerry "Yeah." - Guard
- Yeah, they're trying to put together a miniseries for me on Eva Braun. I mean think about it, is that a great idea? We know nothing about Eva Braun, only that she was Hitler's girlfriend." - Chelsea "Um-hm." - Kramer "What was it like having sex with Adolf Hitler? What do you wear in a bunker? What did her parents think of Hitler as a potential son-in-law? I mean it could just go on and on..." - Chelsea
- "Hey. Oh, did I frighten you? I'm not crazy. I mean, I may look weird, but I'm just like you, I'm just a regular guy just trying to make it in this business. You know I really like your work, the, uh..." - Kramer
- "Alright, so that's one tuck and one no-tuck." - George "Okay." - Lupe "Yeah. One second sweetheart. Jerry, I really think it'd be easier if you didn't tuck." - George "Excuse me, fine, you don't want me to tuck, put me down for a no-tuck." - Jerry "Two no-tucks." - George "Uh, hang on a second, You know what? Changed my mind, make it a tuck." - Jerry "You just said you weren't tucking. - George "I'm tucking!" - Jerry
- "Well, it's the damnedest thing. The cat dies. So she comes back into town, she finds the cat lying on the carpet stiff as a board." - George "So you killed the cat." - Corbin "That's what she says. I say, listen. It was an old cat. It died of natural causes. So get this, now she tells me that I gotta buy her a brand new cat. I say listen, honey. First of all, it was a pretty old cat. I'm not gonna buy you a brand new cat to replace an old dying cat. And second of all, I go out to the garbage, I find you a new cat in fifteen seconds. I say, you show me an autopsy report that says this cat died of starvation, I spring for a new cat. So she says something to me, like, uh, I dunno, get the hell out of here, and she breaks up with me. Now don't you think that would be a great case on L.A. Law?" - George
- "Yeah, not fan talk, not gushing, you know? Actual conversation, I was incredibly articulate!" - George "You got toilet paper on your heel there." - Jerry
- "How can you think of food at the time like this?" - Jerry "Time like what? I'm hungry. My stomach doesn't know that Kramer's wanted." - George "I told you to have breakfast, you should've had breakfast!" - Jerry "I couldn't have breakfast, it was lunchtime! The three hour time difference threw me. I wanted a tuna fish sandwich, they wouldn't serve me tuna fish sandwich, because they were only serving breakfast." - George "You should've had some eggs." - Jerry "For lunch? Who eats eggs for lunch?" - George "Have you ever heard of egg salad?" - Jerry
- "He's gonna send a black and white to pick us up." - Jerry
- George asks how much you should tip a chambermaid which harkens back to the conversation on what to tip a wood guy
- "You know what I never understood? Why did they change the siren noise? When I was a kid it was always "waaaa, waaaa", you know now it "woo-woo-woo-woo-woo". Why did they do that, did they do some research? Did they find that woo-woo was more effective than waa?" - George
- "I'm not interested in your explanations, Kramer! Sure, I bet you've got a million of 'em. Maybe your mother didn't love you enough, maybe the teacher didn't call on you in school when you had your little hand raised, maybe the pervert in the park had a present in his pants, huh? Well, I've got another theory Kramer: you're a weed." - Lt. Martel
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Season Four starts where Season Three ended
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
There were parts of this episode that were a little jarring, mainly due to them being off set with a lot of non-Seinfeld type action, but the strong dialogue and back story were there to pick up the slack. I liked that they wrapped up the whole Kramer leaving saga right out of the gate so the season could move along quickly. The cliffhanger aspect worked fine too. Elaine not being on was glaring too and it definitely hurt the episode a bit. However, the gaggle of overacting cops made up for it for me. I can't say we blew the doors off to open the new season, but this was a rock solid start and better than the episode that set it all up. Final Grade: 6/10
Best Character
George kicks off the season by racking up another Best Character award. He started strong with his planning on how to pack for the trip and never slowed down through the elongated episode. Him chatting up the celebrities and then having his moment demolished moments later was ultimate Costanza. The tuck/no tuck conversation is one of my favorites as well, especially since it dovetails with him defending Lupe to Jerry multiple times. Very strong performance across the board for Georgie Boy.
Best Storyline
I really liked the Tonight Show stuff, but the Smog Strangler story trumped it by the end, especially when you factor in the awesome interrogation. I liked the scenes in the police car as well as Jerry's 911 call. All of the cops were really good too.
Ethical Dilemma of the Week
Should Jerry have gotten angrier with Lupe for destroying his performance on the Tonight Show? No, man the fuck up and rewrite your jokes. You are a professional comedian! Leave Lupe alone. Now, she did screw up the tucks, and for that she should be fired.
Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)
Kramer and California have fallen on hard times. It has stripped away all of his success and left him as a pathetic shell of his former self, trolling coffee shops and begging B-list celebrities to read his script. He still has luck with the ladies...but even that comes to a rough end for him. Eventually, they have an ugly breakup before he returns to the warm bosom of his former love, New York City. Relationship Grade: 1/10
What Worked
George immediately fretting over his travel plans was great as well as his absurd amount of luggage; It was a nice twist to show Kramer struggling, which he never really did in NY; The cops were way over the top but I enjoyed them; The security line scene was good observational stuff; The cameos were so dated but they were all really good in their roles; George's sheets conversation and defense of Lupe always makes me smile; George's pitches were great; The 911 debate and call was well done as were Jerry and George acting like excited kids in the police car; Jerry leaving the police car door open for the criminal to escape was funny; The interrogation of Kramer was one of the best scenes of the episode; The celebration dance at the end was a nice capper, as was Kramer's delusion over all the bad stuff that has happened to him and George's comforter issues; Kramer just showing back up was the perfect ending to this saga.
What Didn't Work
The timeline is a bit wonky with George acting like he hasn't talked to Jerry since the Murphy Brown sighting but Jerry acting like Kramer left a while ago; Kramer's actress neighbor always freaked me out; Kramer's auditions should have been funnier than they were; Whiny Jerry blaming Lupe for bombing on Leno was weak; It was a bit jarring seeing the show be out on the road and away from NY.
Key Character Debuts
N/A
Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes
- "I was engaged to Mickey Rooney! He left me at the altar. Kramer! Kramer!" - Helena
- "We're going on a two day trip, what are you, Diana Ross?" - Jerry "I happen to dress based on mood." - George "Oh. But you essentially wear the same thing all the time." - Jerry "Seemingly. Seemingly. But within that basic framework there are many subtle variations, only discernable to an acute observer, that reflect the many moods, the many shades, the many sides of George Costanza." - George "And what mood is this." - Jerry "This is Morning Mist." - George
- "Are you sure you don't have any metal on you? Bracelets? Rings? Anklets?" - Guard "Anklets?" - Jerry "A lot of men wear anklets." - Guard "Really?" - Jerry "Yeah." - Guard
- Yeah, they're trying to put together a miniseries for me on Eva Braun. I mean think about it, is that a great idea? We know nothing about Eva Braun, only that she was Hitler's girlfriend." - Chelsea "Um-hm." - Kramer "What was it like having sex with Adolf Hitler? What do you wear in a bunker? What did her parents think of Hitler as a potential son-in-law? I mean it could just go on and on..." - Chelsea
- "Hey. Oh, did I frighten you? I'm not crazy. I mean, I may look weird, but I'm just like you, I'm just a regular guy just trying to make it in this business. You know I really like your work, the, uh..." - Kramer
- "Alright, so that's one tuck and one no-tuck." - George "Okay." - Lupe "Yeah. One second sweetheart. Jerry, I really think it'd be easier if you didn't tuck." - George "Excuse me, fine, you don't want me to tuck, put me down for a no-tuck." - Jerry "Two no-tucks." - George "Uh, hang on a second, You know what? Changed my mind, make it a tuck." - Jerry "You just said you weren't tucking. - George "I'm tucking!" - Jerry
- "Well, it's the damnedest thing. The cat dies. So she comes back into town, she finds the cat lying on the carpet stiff as a board." - George "So you killed the cat." - Corbin "That's what she says. I say, listen. It was an old cat. It died of natural causes. So get this, now she tells me that I gotta buy her a brand new cat. I say listen, honey. First of all, it was a pretty old cat. I'm not gonna buy you a brand new cat to replace an old dying cat. And second of all, I go out to the garbage, I find you a new cat in fifteen seconds. I say, you show me an autopsy report that says this cat died of starvation, I spring for a new cat. So she says something to me, like, uh, I dunno, get the hell out of here, and she breaks up with me. Now don't you think that would be a great case on L.A. Law?" - George
- "Yeah, not fan talk, not gushing, you know? Actual conversation, I was incredibly articulate!" - George "You got toilet paper on your heel there." - Jerry
- "How can you think of food at the time like this?" - Jerry "Time like what? I'm hungry. My stomach doesn't know that Kramer's wanted." - George "I told you to have breakfast, you should've had breakfast!" - Jerry "I couldn't have breakfast, it was lunchtime! The three hour time difference threw me. I wanted a tuna fish sandwich, they wouldn't serve me tuna fish sandwich, because they were only serving breakfast." - George "You should've had some eggs." - Jerry "For lunch? Who eats eggs for lunch?" - George "Have you ever heard of egg salad?" - Jerry
- "He's gonna send a black and white to pick us up." - Jerry
- George asks how much you should tip a chambermaid which harkens back to the conversation on what to tip a wood guy
- "You know what I never understood? Why did they change the siren noise? When I was a kid it was always "waaaa, waaaa", you know now it "woo-woo-woo-woo-woo". Why did they do that, did they do some research? Did they find that woo-woo was more effective than waa?" - George
- "I'm not interested in your explanations, Kramer! Sure, I bet you've got a million of 'em. Maybe your mother didn't love you enough, maybe the teacher didn't call on you in school when you had your little hand raised, maybe the pervert in the park had a present in his pants, huh? Well, I've got another theory Kramer: you're a weed." - Lt. Martel
Oddities & Fun Facts
- Season Four starts where Season Three ended
Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)
There were parts of this episode that were a little jarring, mainly due to them being off set with a lot of non-Seinfeld type action, but the strong dialogue and back story were there to pick up the slack. I liked that they wrapped up the whole Kramer leaving saga right out of the gate so the season could move along quickly. The cliffhanger aspect worked fine too. Elaine not being on was glaring too and it definitely hurt the episode a bit. However, the gaggle of overacting cops made up for it for me. I can't say we blew the doors off to open the new season, but this was a rock solid start and better than the episode that set it all up. Final Grade: 6/10
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