Brian Damage
03-30-2004, 05:22 PM
Not Pet-Friendly
In "The Stock Tip," cat-allergic Elaine ponders "bumping off" her boyfriend's felines. In "The Engagement," she reluctantly conspires with Kramer and Newman to kidnap a barking dog. (Newman would have preferred it if she had chosen to terminate the pooch.) And in a third episode, "The Dog," even though she at first comes to the defense of the dog which was entrusted to Jerry, she later comes to despise the creature after she agrees to watch it for a few hours. However, she's not totally anti-pet. In "The Parking Garage," she purchases several fish, which succumb due to lack of oxygen because of the gang's lengthy search for their car.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Restrained Jubilation When They Pay His Bill
The doctor who broke the news to the gang that Susan had died ("The Invitations"), who testified about that event at their trial ("The Finale"), and who treated George for his fall on extra-glossy envelopes ("The Summer of George") is the same one who operated on Elaine's ex-boyfriend Roy in "The Junior Mint." (Or at least it was the same actor portraying each one.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe It's Another Case Of George Driving A Woman To Insanity
Did the "Seinfeld" writing staff find the Portuguese nationality amusing for some reason?
In "The Abstinence," the now-brainy George learns to speak Portuguese, and after calculating his odds, winds up having sex with a Portuguese waitress.
In "The Strongbox," it's mentioned that there's a strange Portuguese guy next to the incinerator of Jerry and Kramer's building.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pete's A Bagel
What did the show's writers find so funny about the name Pete in the final days of the series? In "The Wizard," George indicates to the Rosses that on his estate in the Hamptons he has two horses, Snoopy and Prickly Pete. Just three episodes later, in "The Frogger," Kramer enlists the aid of two individuals, Shlomo and Slippery Pete, to move the video game. Also, earlier in the final season, in "The Merv Griffin Show," Jerry confides to Kramer on his mock talk show that he didn't have a G.I. Joe. He had an Army Pete.
Other mentions of the name Pete:
According to Kramer, Pete is also the name of Elaine's friend who gets her rock concert tickets to make amends to the car service driver in "The Lip Reader."
In "The Kiss Hello," Pete is the name of one of Jerry's neighbors. He and Mary kiss.
In "The Stock Tip," Elaine derides the notion that cats are intelligent: "What do they do? Because they’re clean? I am sorry. My Uncle Pete showers four times a day and he can’t count to ten, so don’t give me hygiene."
In the opening scene of the series's first episode, "Good News, Bad News," Jerry and George are in an eatery - not the familiar Monk's, but Pete's Luncheonette.
For the record, here are the mentions of the name Peter:
"The Phone Message": George erroneously attributes the song "Lemon Tree" to Peter, Paul and Mary.
"The Revenge": When George indicates to Jerry that he intends to slip his ex-boss a mickey, Jerry remarks, "What? Are you Peter Lorre?"
"The Tape": Jerry bumps into an old friend, Peter, at Monk's.
"The Nose Job": Kramer pretends to be Professor Peter Von Nostrand. Also, George indicates that Peter Jennings has had a nose job.
"The Pilot": Elaine meets Russell at the Peter McManus Café. Later Jerry and Sandi (TV Elaine) meet there.
"The Mom and Pop Store": Kramer mentions that Jerry has so many sneakers because he has a Peter Pan complex.
"The Betrayal": Peter is the former name of groom-to-be Pinter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Very Punctuation-Conscious
In "The Sniffing Accountant," Elaine gets into a relationship-ending argument with her boyfriend-of-the-week, Jake Jarmel, over his omission of an exclamation point in his note to her; however, in "The Muffin Tops," she debates with her ex-boss, Mr. Lippman, over the necessity of the exclamation point in the name of his fledgling business, "Top of the Muffin To You!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Its First Few Seasons "Seinfeld" Was Very Underrated
In "The Truth," while Jerry and George are waiting to speak with Patrice at the mental institution, George remarks that pity is underrated.
In "The Pez Dispenser," after George relates the particulars of his telephone conversation with Noel - including his comment "Why isn't Postum more popular?" - Jerry adds that he believes that Postum is underrated.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eau de Benes
In "The Wife," Elaine is unsure about the signal that her possible love-interest at the health club gives her when he wipes off her water bottle before drinking from it. Maybe he - like Elaine's coworker Peggy in "The Apology" - is a "germ-o-phobe." (I wonder if, in either instance, the bottled water was of the "Moland Spring" label. ("The Gymnast"))
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do You Read Me?
On two occasions George resorted to using tape recordings rather than reading books: "The Couch," in which he watched a videotape of "Breakfast At Tiffany's," and "The Fatigues," in which he feigned poor vision in order to be able to listen to books-on-tape, specifically one on risk management.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cuckoo For Koko
In two final-season episodes, are references to Koko, the gorilla who could converse with humans using sign language.
In "The Dealership," in response to a remark about grease monkeys, Puddy mentions that Koko must have been a pretty intelligent simian.
In "The Maid," a wildly gesticulating George prompts his boss, Mr. Kruger, to dub him "Koko." (For the record, gorillas are not monkeys - just as whales are not fish. ("The Marine Biologist"))
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That Scrambled Sitcom
Kramer had something in common with the limo driver in "The Lip Reader." Both admitted to enjoying doing the Jumble newspaper puzzle. (Kramer mentioned it in "The Pez Dispenser.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Addicted To Cashmere
Here's an interesting similarity of three episodes which I noticed:
In "The Red Dot," two of the main plot lines concern George's gift of a marked-down cashmere sweater to Elaine, and Elaine's alcoholic co-worker Dick falling off the wagon when Jerry accidentally leaves Elaine's drink, cranberry juice and vodka, within Dick's reach.
In "The Apology," George tries to extract an apology from recovering alcoholic Jason "Stanky" Hanke, who once refused George the use of a (preferably) cashmere sweater in his drafty apartment because he thought his rather bulbous head would stretch its neck hole.
In "The Bookstore," Elaine asks Jerry if he knows how to get a stain out of cashmere. Apparently one of her articles of clothing made of that fabric was soiled by her supposed boyfriend Zach when she attempted to get him off drugs.
Why is there such a persistent connection between cashmere and substance abuse? (However, there's no mention of cashmere in "The Pez Dispenser," in which one of the plot lines concerns an acquaintance of the gang who undergoes an "intervention" by his friends in order to convince him to get off drugs.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bialystock And Bloom, I Presume
At the end of "The Sniffing Accountant," some woman in Monk's comes over to Jerry, feels his shirt, makes an admiring remark about it, then asks him what it's made of. Jerry replies, "Half silk, half cotton, half linen. How can you go wrong?"
A similar - in my opinion - situation ensues in "The Yada Yada" when Kramer and Mickey go double-dating. One of the girls, Karen, comments to Mickey that she likes his shirt. He indicates to her that "It's 100% cotton ... and some wool."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great Minds Think Alike; Small Minds Seldom Differ
George should have introduced Newman and Steinbrenner to each other, since they have something in common. No, I'm not referring to the fact that they're big, fat jerks. But each one indicated that he is somewhat set in his ways:
In "The Barber," Newman indicates to Enzo, "Once I find a barber I stick with him."
In "The Calzone," Steinbrenner expresses a similar sentiment to George: "When I find something I like I stick with it. From 1973 to 1982 I ate the exact same lunch every day - turkey chili in a bowl made out of bread. Bread bowl, George. First you eat the chili, then you eat the bowl. There's nothing more satisfying than looking down after lunch and seeing nothing but a table."
Jerry, however, cannot be said to be a loyal customer - at least where dry cleaners are concerned. In at least three episodes - "The Stock Tip," "The Wife," and "The Secretary" - he patronizes three different dry-cleaning establishments.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She's Bald? She's Bald!
In "The Boyfriend," in response to Jerry's comment that Elaine and Keith Hernandez are a perfect match who are like one of those brother-and-sister couples that look alike, George indicates that he could never be in one of those couples because there are no bald women around. Well, I've got news for you Georgie-Boy. Almost three years to the day later, in "The Beard," thanks to Kramer you will meet a woman who is bald ... bald-bald!
(Original broadcast dates: "The Boyfriend" - February 12, 1992, "The Beard" - February 9, 1995)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He Should Carry Just A Couple Of Cards And His Bankroll, Keeping The Big Bills On The Outside
On two occasions, George believes that he was given change for only a ten-dollar bill when he supposedly paid with a twenty:
In "The Stranded," he insists to the cashier at a pharmacy about being short-changed when paying for some flea-removal solution.
In "The Gum," he confronts the cashier at Monk's, Ruthie Cohen, about the supposed discrepancy. He learns later in the episode - when he tries to pay for a pack of gum with a twenty-dollar bill with lipstick on Andrew Jackson - that she didn't cheat him out of ten dollars.
He has no such problem in "The Dinner Party" when he tries to use a hundred-dollar bill to buy some wine at a liquor store. The proprietor won't take such a large-denomination bill. So he is forced to purchase several inexpensive items at a sidewalk newsstand: A pack of gum, a newspaper, a Clark Bar, and a copy of Penthouse Forum.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe Cheapness Is A Sense
How do members of the gang try to come out ahead in their respective business transactions?
Drop Kramer's name - George tries this in "The Glasses" to get a discount on frames from an optometrist who owed Kramer a favor for getting him off sweets
Sweet-talk a merchant - George uses this method in "The Raincoats" to squeeze an extra few bucks out of used-clothing seller Rudy by mentioning that 225 was his supposedly late father's high bowling score
Get the "nice face" discount - Elaine unexpectedly winds up with a reasonably priced armoire in "The Soup Nazi" because of her good looks
Get an insider deal - Jerry uses this technique with David Puddy to purchase a new car in "The Dealership" until Puddy's relationship with Elaine sours (yet again); after Jerry gets the old screwgie, he manages to put them back together and land the car of his dreams at the right price
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can You Write-Off Your Deductible?
I can't help thinking that two Jerry-and-Kramer conversations sound awfully alike - the one about write-offs in "The Package," and the one about deductibles in "The Puerto Rican Day." Judge for yourself:
Jerry: So we're going to make the Post Office pay for my new stereo?
Kramer: It's just a write-off for them.
Jerry: How is it a write-off?
Kramer: They just write it off.
Jerry: Write it off what?
Kramer: Jerry, all these big companies ... they write-off everything.
Jerry: You don't even know what a write-off is.
Kramer: Do you?
Jerry: No, I don't.
Kramer: But they do ... and they're the ones writing it off.
Jerry: I wish I had the last twenty seconds of my life back.
Kramer: You want to get out of here? Here's what we do. We leave the car here, we take the plates off, we scratch the serial number off the engine block, and we walk away.
Jerry: Walk away?
Kramer: You've got insurance. You tell them that the car was stolen, and then you get another one free.
Jerry: Isn't there a deductible?
Kramer: All right, what is your deductible?
Jerry: I don't know.
Kramer: Yes, because they've already deducted it.
Jerry: From what?
Kramer: The car, which we're leaving. So the net is zero. See, you pocket the money - if there is any - and you get a new car.
Jerry: We're not leaving the car!
Kramer: All right. If you refuse to grow up and scam your insurance company, you'll have to work this out with "Maroon Golf."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Has Kramer Pledged His Organs On The Back Of His Driver's License?
Kramer seems to place considerable value upon his kidneys.
In "The Blood," he insists to his ungrateful blood-brother, Jerry, that if he'd like one of his kidneys he'd gladly give it to him. In fact, he'd rip it out right there for him.
In "The Betrayal," Kramer - who lost a wish on a wishbone to his "friend" FDR - fears that the portable cooler which FDR places before him indicates that he wants one of his kidneys.
On a related note, I thought that it was Kramer but it was Elaine who mentioned Chinese organ thievery - in "The Blood."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is It An Old Wives' Tale That They'll Grow Back Even Fuller?
On two occasions, wishes are made on eyelashes:
In "The Betrayal," Kramer and FDR furiously pluck out their own eyelashes - actually the hairs on their eyebrows - in an effort to out-wish the other fellow.
In "The Bizarro Jerry," his latest flame, Gillian - AKA Man-Hands - notices an eyelash on his face. She wipes it off, and cajoles him into making a wish on it while closing his eyes and blowing on it. For the record, his wish - I wonder what it was - didn't come true.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hold The Mayos
It just occurred to me: I wonder if party-giver extraordinaire Joe Mayo ("The Reverse Peephole") is related to Gladys Mayo ("The Millennium"), who owns two stores of Latin American merchandise, Cinco de Mayo and Putumayo. Granted, their surnames sound different - MAY-oh and MY-oh, respectively - but it's possible that they share a common ancestor - maybe even a Mayan one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speedy Watch-Repairer Jimmy Sherman Sounds As If He's In Line For A Promotion
While I'm on the topic, I also wonder whether Eddie Sherman, the fatigue-wearing J. Peterman mail-room-employee- turned-copywriter ("The Fatigues"), is related to Jimmy Sherman, the jeweler to whom Jerry told his parents he took their gift watch to be repaired ("The Wallet" "The Watch").
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With His Rather Bulbous Head Planted Firmly In A Hole In The Ground
In two consecutive final-season episodes, "The Frogger" and "The Maid," George mentions ostrich burgers.
In "The Frogger," to Elaine's query of "Guess what I ate." he responds, "An ostrich burger." After some further banter, he adds, "You know, they say ostrich has less fat, but you eat more of it."
In "The Maid," when Kramer blurts out that Jerry is sleeping with his maid, George indicates that he's also done that. As if to top that feat, he asks Jerry, "Did you ever eat an ostrich burger?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That Was A Wicked Googly ... Not!
On two occasions, Jerry's attempt at impersonating an Irishman or a Scotsman is confused for the other.
In "The Phone Message," to his girlfriend Donna's request that he try to speak with a Scottish accent, his effort sounds to her as if it's an Irish brogue. His response: "Irish, Scottish. What's the difference, lassie?"
In "The Limo," when one of the Aryan Unionists, Tim, begins to doubt George's and Jerry's non-Irish appearances, Jerry concocts a story about how he left Dublin with his parents at the age of eighteen because of a cereal famine. When he continues with a description about the Irish scenery - "'Tis a beautiful country, though. Lush rolling hills. And the peat. Ah, the peat." - Tim indicates that it "sounds more like Scottish," prompting Jerry's lame comeback, "We were right on the border." (For the record, Ireland and Scotland do not share a border. Scotland is at the northern end of Great Britain, the island which also includes England and Wales. Ireland and Northern Ireland are on a separate island to the west of Great Britain.)
In a third episode, "The Tape," Jerry and Kramer give two bad impressions of a Cockney accent: "Not bloody likely."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Was Jerry A Wuss For Not Complaining To The Loud Musicians In "The Apartment"?
In two early episodes, "The Phone Message" and "The Statue," George uses the word "wuss."
In "The Phone Message," he mentions to Jerry how a co-worker called him a wuss because he didn't ask a girl out.
In "The Statue," as he sits in an adjoining booth at Monk's, when he hears Jerry describe alleged statue thief, Ray, as charming, he calls Jerry a wuss.
There was no use of the term "wuss" in the intervening episode, "The Apartment."
In "The Stock Tip," cat-allergic Elaine ponders "bumping off" her boyfriend's felines. In "The Engagement," she reluctantly conspires with Kramer and Newman to kidnap a barking dog. (Newman would have preferred it if she had chosen to terminate the pooch.) And in a third episode, "The Dog," even though she at first comes to the defense of the dog which was entrusted to Jerry, she later comes to despise the creature after she agrees to watch it for a few hours. However, she's not totally anti-pet. In "The Parking Garage," she purchases several fish, which succumb due to lack of oxygen because of the gang's lengthy search for their car.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Restrained Jubilation When They Pay His Bill
The doctor who broke the news to the gang that Susan had died ("The Invitations"), who testified about that event at their trial ("The Finale"), and who treated George for his fall on extra-glossy envelopes ("The Summer of George") is the same one who operated on Elaine's ex-boyfriend Roy in "The Junior Mint." (Or at least it was the same actor portraying each one.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe It's Another Case Of George Driving A Woman To Insanity
Did the "Seinfeld" writing staff find the Portuguese nationality amusing for some reason?
In "The Abstinence," the now-brainy George learns to speak Portuguese, and after calculating his odds, winds up having sex with a Portuguese waitress.
In "The Strongbox," it's mentioned that there's a strange Portuguese guy next to the incinerator of Jerry and Kramer's building.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pete's A Bagel
What did the show's writers find so funny about the name Pete in the final days of the series? In "The Wizard," George indicates to the Rosses that on his estate in the Hamptons he has two horses, Snoopy and Prickly Pete. Just three episodes later, in "The Frogger," Kramer enlists the aid of two individuals, Shlomo and Slippery Pete, to move the video game. Also, earlier in the final season, in "The Merv Griffin Show," Jerry confides to Kramer on his mock talk show that he didn't have a G.I. Joe. He had an Army Pete.
Other mentions of the name Pete:
According to Kramer, Pete is also the name of Elaine's friend who gets her rock concert tickets to make amends to the car service driver in "The Lip Reader."
In "The Kiss Hello," Pete is the name of one of Jerry's neighbors. He and Mary kiss.
In "The Stock Tip," Elaine derides the notion that cats are intelligent: "What do they do? Because they’re clean? I am sorry. My Uncle Pete showers four times a day and he can’t count to ten, so don’t give me hygiene."
In the opening scene of the series's first episode, "Good News, Bad News," Jerry and George are in an eatery - not the familiar Monk's, but Pete's Luncheonette.
For the record, here are the mentions of the name Peter:
"The Phone Message": George erroneously attributes the song "Lemon Tree" to Peter, Paul and Mary.
"The Revenge": When George indicates to Jerry that he intends to slip his ex-boss a mickey, Jerry remarks, "What? Are you Peter Lorre?"
"The Tape": Jerry bumps into an old friend, Peter, at Monk's.
"The Nose Job": Kramer pretends to be Professor Peter Von Nostrand. Also, George indicates that Peter Jennings has had a nose job.
"The Pilot": Elaine meets Russell at the Peter McManus Café. Later Jerry and Sandi (TV Elaine) meet there.
"The Mom and Pop Store": Kramer mentions that Jerry has so many sneakers because he has a Peter Pan complex.
"The Betrayal": Peter is the former name of groom-to-be Pinter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Very Punctuation-Conscious
In "The Sniffing Accountant," Elaine gets into a relationship-ending argument with her boyfriend-of-the-week, Jake Jarmel, over his omission of an exclamation point in his note to her; however, in "The Muffin Tops," she debates with her ex-boss, Mr. Lippman, over the necessity of the exclamation point in the name of his fledgling business, "Top of the Muffin To You!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Its First Few Seasons "Seinfeld" Was Very Underrated
In "The Truth," while Jerry and George are waiting to speak with Patrice at the mental institution, George remarks that pity is underrated.
In "The Pez Dispenser," after George relates the particulars of his telephone conversation with Noel - including his comment "Why isn't Postum more popular?" - Jerry adds that he believes that Postum is underrated.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eau de Benes
In "The Wife," Elaine is unsure about the signal that her possible love-interest at the health club gives her when he wipes off her water bottle before drinking from it. Maybe he - like Elaine's coworker Peggy in "The Apology" - is a "germ-o-phobe." (I wonder if, in either instance, the bottled water was of the "Moland Spring" label. ("The Gymnast"))
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do You Read Me?
On two occasions George resorted to using tape recordings rather than reading books: "The Couch," in which he watched a videotape of "Breakfast At Tiffany's," and "The Fatigues," in which he feigned poor vision in order to be able to listen to books-on-tape, specifically one on risk management.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cuckoo For Koko
In two final-season episodes, are references to Koko, the gorilla who could converse with humans using sign language.
In "The Dealership," in response to a remark about grease monkeys, Puddy mentions that Koko must have been a pretty intelligent simian.
In "The Maid," a wildly gesticulating George prompts his boss, Mr. Kruger, to dub him "Koko." (For the record, gorillas are not monkeys - just as whales are not fish. ("The Marine Biologist"))
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That Scrambled Sitcom
Kramer had something in common with the limo driver in "The Lip Reader." Both admitted to enjoying doing the Jumble newspaper puzzle. (Kramer mentioned it in "The Pez Dispenser.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Addicted To Cashmere
Here's an interesting similarity of three episodes which I noticed:
In "The Red Dot," two of the main plot lines concern George's gift of a marked-down cashmere sweater to Elaine, and Elaine's alcoholic co-worker Dick falling off the wagon when Jerry accidentally leaves Elaine's drink, cranberry juice and vodka, within Dick's reach.
In "The Apology," George tries to extract an apology from recovering alcoholic Jason "Stanky" Hanke, who once refused George the use of a (preferably) cashmere sweater in his drafty apartment because he thought his rather bulbous head would stretch its neck hole.
In "The Bookstore," Elaine asks Jerry if he knows how to get a stain out of cashmere. Apparently one of her articles of clothing made of that fabric was soiled by her supposed boyfriend Zach when she attempted to get him off drugs.
Why is there such a persistent connection between cashmere and substance abuse? (However, there's no mention of cashmere in "The Pez Dispenser," in which one of the plot lines concerns an acquaintance of the gang who undergoes an "intervention" by his friends in order to convince him to get off drugs.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bialystock And Bloom, I Presume
At the end of "The Sniffing Accountant," some woman in Monk's comes over to Jerry, feels his shirt, makes an admiring remark about it, then asks him what it's made of. Jerry replies, "Half silk, half cotton, half linen. How can you go wrong?"
A similar - in my opinion - situation ensues in "The Yada Yada" when Kramer and Mickey go double-dating. One of the girls, Karen, comments to Mickey that she likes his shirt. He indicates to her that "It's 100% cotton ... and some wool."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great Minds Think Alike; Small Minds Seldom Differ
George should have introduced Newman and Steinbrenner to each other, since they have something in common. No, I'm not referring to the fact that they're big, fat jerks. But each one indicated that he is somewhat set in his ways:
In "The Barber," Newman indicates to Enzo, "Once I find a barber I stick with him."
In "The Calzone," Steinbrenner expresses a similar sentiment to George: "When I find something I like I stick with it. From 1973 to 1982 I ate the exact same lunch every day - turkey chili in a bowl made out of bread. Bread bowl, George. First you eat the chili, then you eat the bowl. There's nothing more satisfying than looking down after lunch and seeing nothing but a table."
Jerry, however, cannot be said to be a loyal customer - at least where dry cleaners are concerned. In at least three episodes - "The Stock Tip," "The Wife," and "The Secretary" - he patronizes three different dry-cleaning establishments.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She's Bald? She's Bald!
In "The Boyfriend," in response to Jerry's comment that Elaine and Keith Hernandez are a perfect match who are like one of those brother-and-sister couples that look alike, George indicates that he could never be in one of those couples because there are no bald women around. Well, I've got news for you Georgie-Boy. Almost three years to the day later, in "The Beard," thanks to Kramer you will meet a woman who is bald ... bald-bald!
(Original broadcast dates: "The Boyfriend" - February 12, 1992, "The Beard" - February 9, 1995)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He Should Carry Just A Couple Of Cards And His Bankroll, Keeping The Big Bills On The Outside
On two occasions, George believes that he was given change for only a ten-dollar bill when he supposedly paid with a twenty:
In "The Stranded," he insists to the cashier at a pharmacy about being short-changed when paying for some flea-removal solution.
In "The Gum," he confronts the cashier at Monk's, Ruthie Cohen, about the supposed discrepancy. He learns later in the episode - when he tries to pay for a pack of gum with a twenty-dollar bill with lipstick on Andrew Jackson - that she didn't cheat him out of ten dollars.
He has no such problem in "The Dinner Party" when he tries to use a hundred-dollar bill to buy some wine at a liquor store. The proprietor won't take such a large-denomination bill. So he is forced to purchase several inexpensive items at a sidewalk newsstand: A pack of gum, a newspaper, a Clark Bar, and a copy of Penthouse Forum.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe Cheapness Is A Sense
How do members of the gang try to come out ahead in their respective business transactions?
Drop Kramer's name - George tries this in "The Glasses" to get a discount on frames from an optometrist who owed Kramer a favor for getting him off sweets
Sweet-talk a merchant - George uses this method in "The Raincoats" to squeeze an extra few bucks out of used-clothing seller Rudy by mentioning that 225 was his supposedly late father's high bowling score
Get the "nice face" discount - Elaine unexpectedly winds up with a reasonably priced armoire in "The Soup Nazi" because of her good looks
Get an insider deal - Jerry uses this technique with David Puddy to purchase a new car in "The Dealership" until Puddy's relationship with Elaine sours (yet again); after Jerry gets the old screwgie, he manages to put them back together and land the car of his dreams at the right price
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can You Write-Off Your Deductible?
I can't help thinking that two Jerry-and-Kramer conversations sound awfully alike - the one about write-offs in "The Package," and the one about deductibles in "The Puerto Rican Day." Judge for yourself:
Jerry: So we're going to make the Post Office pay for my new stereo?
Kramer: It's just a write-off for them.
Jerry: How is it a write-off?
Kramer: They just write it off.
Jerry: Write it off what?
Kramer: Jerry, all these big companies ... they write-off everything.
Jerry: You don't even know what a write-off is.
Kramer: Do you?
Jerry: No, I don't.
Kramer: But they do ... and they're the ones writing it off.
Jerry: I wish I had the last twenty seconds of my life back.
Kramer: You want to get out of here? Here's what we do. We leave the car here, we take the plates off, we scratch the serial number off the engine block, and we walk away.
Jerry: Walk away?
Kramer: You've got insurance. You tell them that the car was stolen, and then you get another one free.
Jerry: Isn't there a deductible?
Kramer: All right, what is your deductible?
Jerry: I don't know.
Kramer: Yes, because they've already deducted it.
Jerry: From what?
Kramer: The car, which we're leaving. So the net is zero. See, you pocket the money - if there is any - and you get a new car.
Jerry: We're not leaving the car!
Kramer: All right. If you refuse to grow up and scam your insurance company, you'll have to work this out with "Maroon Golf."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Has Kramer Pledged His Organs On The Back Of His Driver's License?
Kramer seems to place considerable value upon his kidneys.
In "The Blood," he insists to his ungrateful blood-brother, Jerry, that if he'd like one of his kidneys he'd gladly give it to him. In fact, he'd rip it out right there for him.
In "The Betrayal," Kramer - who lost a wish on a wishbone to his "friend" FDR - fears that the portable cooler which FDR places before him indicates that he wants one of his kidneys.
On a related note, I thought that it was Kramer but it was Elaine who mentioned Chinese organ thievery - in "The Blood."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is It An Old Wives' Tale That They'll Grow Back Even Fuller?
On two occasions, wishes are made on eyelashes:
In "The Betrayal," Kramer and FDR furiously pluck out their own eyelashes - actually the hairs on their eyebrows - in an effort to out-wish the other fellow.
In "The Bizarro Jerry," his latest flame, Gillian - AKA Man-Hands - notices an eyelash on his face. She wipes it off, and cajoles him into making a wish on it while closing his eyes and blowing on it. For the record, his wish - I wonder what it was - didn't come true.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hold The Mayos
It just occurred to me: I wonder if party-giver extraordinaire Joe Mayo ("The Reverse Peephole") is related to Gladys Mayo ("The Millennium"), who owns two stores of Latin American merchandise, Cinco de Mayo and Putumayo. Granted, their surnames sound different - MAY-oh and MY-oh, respectively - but it's possible that they share a common ancestor - maybe even a Mayan one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speedy Watch-Repairer Jimmy Sherman Sounds As If He's In Line For A Promotion
While I'm on the topic, I also wonder whether Eddie Sherman, the fatigue-wearing J. Peterman mail-room-employee- turned-copywriter ("The Fatigues"), is related to Jimmy Sherman, the jeweler to whom Jerry told his parents he took their gift watch to be repaired ("The Wallet" "The Watch").
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With His Rather Bulbous Head Planted Firmly In A Hole In The Ground
In two consecutive final-season episodes, "The Frogger" and "The Maid," George mentions ostrich burgers.
In "The Frogger," to Elaine's query of "Guess what I ate." he responds, "An ostrich burger." After some further banter, he adds, "You know, they say ostrich has less fat, but you eat more of it."
In "The Maid," when Kramer blurts out that Jerry is sleeping with his maid, George indicates that he's also done that. As if to top that feat, he asks Jerry, "Did you ever eat an ostrich burger?"
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That Was A Wicked Googly ... Not!
On two occasions, Jerry's attempt at impersonating an Irishman or a Scotsman is confused for the other.
In "The Phone Message," to his girlfriend Donna's request that he try to speak with a Scottish accent, his effort sounds to her as if it's an Irish brogue. His response: "Irish, Scottish. What's the difference, lassie?"
In "The Limo," when one of the Aryan Unionists, Tim, begins to doubt George's and Jerry's non-Irish appearances, Jerry concocts a story about how he left Dublin with his parents at the age of eighteen because of a cereal famine. When he continues with a description about the Irish scenery - "'Tis a beautiful country, though. Lush rolling hills. And the peat. Ah, the peat." - Tim indicates that it "sounds more like Scottish," prompting Jerry's lame comeback, "We were right on the border." (For the record, Ireland and Scotland do not share a border. Scotland is at the northern end of Great Britain, the island which also includes England and Wales. Ireland and Northern Ireland are on a separate island to the west of Great Britain.)
In a third episode, "The Tape," Jerry and Kramer give two bad impressions of a Cockney accent: "Not bloody likely."
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Was Jerry A Wuss For Not Complaining To The Loud Musicians In "The Apartment"?
In two early episodes, "The Phone Message" and "The Statue," George uses the word "wuss."
In "The Phone Message," he mentions to Jerry how a co-worker called him a wuss because he didn't ask a girl out.
In "The Statue," as he sits in an adjoining booth at Monk's, when he hears Jerry describe alleged statue thief, Ray, as charming, he calls Jerry a wuss.
There was no use of the term "wuss" in the intervening episode, "The Apartment."