Season 2, Episode 10: The Baby Shower

My Rating of this episode: 7/10 stars
IMDB Rating of this episode: 7.8/10 stars http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697652/?ref_=ttep_ep10

This episode aired May 16, 1991, two weeks after the previous episode. This episode is also out of order on the dvd's which has this as episode 4. Also, this episode does not pick up where it left off with the previous episode (that is, Jerry and Elaine still together). I think this is why they put "The Deal" as the final episode on the dvd's because it is easier to totally drop a plot line between seasons than it is between episodes.

Jerry's storyline: Elaine throws a baby shower for her friend at Jerry's apartment. Kramer convinces Jerry to get illegal cable.

Favorite Jerry part(s): Jerry questions George's plot to "badger a pregnant woman at her own baby shower" and if he's going to take off his shirt and "make her rinse it in club soda?"  

George's storyline: George confronts Elaine's friend, a performance artist, at her baby shower because George once went on a bad date with her in which she poured chocolate syrup on George, "like she was putting out a fire," during one of her performances. He predictably caves.

Favorite George part(s): George is funny when he pretends like he is picking Jerry up from the airport out of the goodness of his heart and because Jerry is a "true friend," when he actually just wants an excuse to go to Jerry's apartment to confront Elaine's friend at the baby shower. 

George sucks up to the girl he was going to confront. While sucking up, a girl aggressively confronts Jerry in a way George imagined confronting Elaine's friend. When it's over, George picks right up where he left off, trying to suck up to her all while wearing his super chocolate-stained shirt. The girl who yelled at Jerry then bumps Elaine's friend as she walks by and Elaine's friend smashes her chocolate cake into George's chest and says to George, "Thanks a lot" and walks off in disgust. 

Kramer's storyline: Kramer tries to convince Jerry to get illegal cable and obviously shows up with the Russian cable guy to install the cable during the middle of Elaine's baby shower party.

Favorite Kramer part(s): Kramer has the Russian cable guys install the cable during the baby shower. He signals to the cable guy to install the cable by doing a Kramer "Giddy up, go!" and immediately turns to the female party-goers and says, "Look, it's gonna take a few minutes...then you and the gals can take a load off and watch something on Lifetime." His delivery is perfect. Then he randomly puts his hands on his hips and does this strange move where he pulls his shirt halfway up his body. It's funny stuff.

Elaine's storyline: Elaine throws a baby shower for her friend because she has a hard time saying no to her.   

Favorite Elaine part(s): Elaine is funny when she is with her friend and seeking her approval like some middle-schooler who wants to be friends with the popular girl.  

Supporting characters in this episode: No recurring characters. There is the Russian cable guy and his partner who humorously just naturally and unquestioningly walk right into Jerry's apartment and begin examining his tv in preparation to install illegal cable. The Russian cable guy also plays as "Mr. Stone," an undercover FBI agent in Jerry's dream sequence when he gets busted for the illegal cable. There is also Elaine's intimidating friend who is intimidating and annoying, obviously.

Favorite character in this episode: Kramer. It's just funny how he can barge into a party in which he is not invited and yet be so comfortable doing so. He once again produced to best laugh in the episode. George also is great when he acts tough before a confrontation but ends up getting walked over instead.  

Final thoughts:

Not the strongest episode. It's ok but doesn't have too many great lines or laugh out loud moments. I could have easily given it a 6, but Kramer was just enough to bump it up to a 7.

Season 2, Episode 9: The Deal

My Rating of this episode: 7/10 stars
IMDB Rating of this episode: 8.4/10 stars http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697682/?ref_=ttep_ep9

This episode aired May 2, 1991. This episode is also out of order on the dvd's which has this as episode 13 (the final episode of the season).

Jerry's storyline: Jerry and Elaine make a deal to pick back up their, shall we say, physical relationship: "We go in there. We're in there for a while. We come right back out here." 

Favorite Jerry part(s): The opening scene where the deal is struck is pretty good. The way they go from being normal friends watching tv to striking the deal is a slow and well-thought out process as they lay the ground rules and settle on the terms of the deal in order to avoid all of the "relationship pitfalls": "This is very good" Elaine: "And that would be good." Jerry: "And that would be good too. The idea is combine the this with the that." 

Jerry's delicately phrased birthday card message to Elaine is funny. Elaine gets mad that he calls her his "pal" but Jerry quickly points out: "I said, 'And more.'" 

George's storyline: George is intrigued by the news of Jerry and Elaine's deal. He is very skeptical that Jerry and Elaine can pull it off and remain friends.

Favorite George part(s): George does a funny angry rant to Jerry when Jerry says he's not in the mood to share details about the deal. George, after displaying his skepticism, leads about the rules and responds to rule number one by repeating it and saying, "That's pretty good." Jerry is about to go on to rule number two and George quickly adds, "I have to tell you, I'm very impressed with the first one."

Kramer's storyline: Kramer gives Elaine a much better gift than Jerry (and George who gave her half the amount of cash Jerry gave her). 

Favorite Kramer part(s): Kramer wows Elaine with a great gift, a bench, and tops Jerry again with a sensitive poem in the birthday card. After Elaine finishes reading it, Kramer looks over at Jerry with a smirk and says, "Yeats." 

Elaine's storyline: Makes a deal with Jerry referenced above. She ends up wanting more which nearly spoils the entire friendship.  

Favorite Elaine part(s): Elaine is good in the first scene with Jerry when they discuss the terms. 

Supporting characters in this episode: No recurring characters. We finally meet Elaine's roommate who had been mentioned in a few previous episodes. It is the one funny talking actress from Men in Black who gives the alien sugar water. You know the one.

Favorite character in this episode: Tough one. George is funny with his analysis of the deal, but I will give it to Kramer, despite his small role, because he provided the funniest moment with his "Yeats" line to Jerry. Best part of the episode in my book. 

Final thoughts:

A long time ago I watched this episode with Jerry and Larry David providing commentary, which is always funny because they don't comment much but just laugh at the jokes they wrote. But I remember there being a positive, feel-good end to the episode with Jerry and Elaine staying together and Larry David totally didn't remember doing that and was way surprised they did that and wished they could go back and change it. It was funny.

I must say, these kind of episodes are always the least funny to me, the ones that center entirely around sexual relationships. It's done in a clever way usually, but there just never seem to be laugh out loud moments for me. This one is no different. Very close to giving it a 6, but there is enough mildly entertaining moments from George and Kramer for me to give it a 7, but not by much.

Season 2, Episode 8: The Heart Attack

My Rating of this episode: 8/10 stars
IMDB Rating of this episode: 8.2/10 stars http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697709/?ref_=ttep_ep8

This episode aired April 25, 1991. This episode is also out of order on the dvd's which has this as episode 11.

Jerry's storyline: Jerry writes a great joke after waking up in the middle of the night but can't read his handwriting and cannot recall what he wrote and asks people all throughout the episode if they could read what he wrote only to find out at the end that it was some unfunny line from a crappy tv movie. He goes with George to see an herbalist "strictly for material." George is rushed to the hospital again and both Jerry and George end up in neck braces after the temperamental ambulance driver gets in a fight with his partner and crashes the ambulance while arguing with Kramer. 

Favorite Jerry part(s): There is a great scene where Jerry is informed by a doctor that George didn't have a heart attack and then Jerry goes in to George's hospital room leading George on that he could possibly die and culminates with George requesting Jerry to just kill him now and Jerry fake smothering him with a pillow. Elaine walks in during said smothering and Jerry goes: "Elaine? What are you doing here?" and says it way funny. 

George's storyline: George thinks he has a heart attack, but finds out he doesn't after a visit to the hospital. He opts to go see Kramer's herbalist friend rather than having the hospital perform surgery to remove his tonsils. Some crazy drink given to him by the herbalist sends George, purple-faced, to the hospital. 

Favorite George part(s): After Jerry and Elaine are cynical that George is having a heart attack, he says through painful gasps, "Why can't I have a heart attack? I'm allowed."   

Kramer's storyline: Kramer convinces George to go see an herbalist, rather than have the hospital perform surgery, in order to get his tonsils healed.

Favorite Kramer part(s): Kramer is skeptical of the hospital and tells George that they need to get him out of there. After being told that George only needs routine surgery to remove his tonsils, he tells a story about his friend Bob Saccomonno who came in for a routine hernia operation and now all he does is sit by a window and say (in Kramer's way high pitched voice) 'My name is Bob!'

Kramer and the herbalist give an awesome way long, emotionless hug where neither one moves a muscle for several seconds.

Elaine's storyline: Elaine has the hots for George's doctor and goes on a date with him. 

Favorite Elaine part(s): The doctor examines Elaine's tongue for a long time and tells her every medical detail about it. He tries to give her a goodnight kiss but Elaine is disgusted because of all her newfound knowledge about the tongue.

Supporting characters in this episode: No recurring characters. The herbalist is played beautifully by "Needlenose Ned, Ned the Head" of Groundhog Day fame.

Favorite character in this episode: Jerry. George is always funny as the hypochondriac, but Jerry is funnier as the skeptical friend who plays with George's weakness.

Final thoughts:

Larry David makes a brief cameo as the weird futuristic guy from a crappy movie way late on tv as Jerry sleeps on the couch: "Like flaming globes! Ha ha ha!"

This is the first episode where Kramer mentions "My friend Bob Saccamonno." Also, this is not how I would have guessed to spell the name, but I looked up the script and this is how it is spelt. 

In this episode, George says he is 33 years old which is crazy because that's how old I am right now. I can't believe I'm as old as Costanza. George also reveals that he was born in April for what it's worth.

This is a good episode with some funny bits. The scene with Jerry smothering George is the highlight. This one is an easy 8 star episode for me.

Season 2, Episode 7: The Revenge

My Rating of this episode: 9/10 stars
IMDB Rating of this episode: 8.5/10 stars http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697766/?ref_=ttep_ep7

This episode aired April 18, 1991. This episode is also out of order on the dvd's which has this as episode 12.

Jerry's storyline: Jerry tells George to just go back to his job and pretend like he never quit. He also joins Kramer in getting revenge on the laundromat by distracting the guy while Kramer dumps concrete into the machine. Kramer later finds Jerry's missing $1,500 in which Jerry must pay $1,200 for the damage to the machine.  

Favorite Jerry part(s): Jerry adds Kramer's clothes to his laundry load and tells the guy that he wants the clothes not only washed separately but "would prefer it if the machines are not even touching each other"

I love the scene where George and Jerry brainstorm what job George should get now that he quit his job. George says he likes sports and could do something in sports. Jerry delicately goes along by asking him in what capacity. After George ludicrously suggests "You know, like the General Manager of a baseball team" Jerry again gently responds with "Yeah, well, that can be tough to get." George concedes and settles for just being an announcer because he makes interesting comments during the game. Jerry: "Yeah, yeah, you make good comments." And then, "Well, they tend to give those jobs to ex-ballplayers and people that are, you know, in broadcasting." George moves on from sports to movies and eventually to a talk show host. George wonders how you get started to become a talk show host to which Jerry responds with "Well, that's where it gets tricky." The whole scene plays very much like Jerry is the parent and George is some innocent child. He is even sitting cross-legged on the floor.  

George's storyline: George quits his job in an "emotional" fashion. He decides to just go back to work and pretend like it never happened. After the boss does not take him back, George decides to "slip him a mickey." 

Favorite George part(s): George is great in his scenes, as always. His best stuff this episode is (1) deciding what to do for his next job; and (2) his showing up back to work after quitting. I love how he tries to take part in the small talk of the office before the meeting starts.   

Kramer's storyline: Kramer dumps concrete inside a washing machine because he thinks the guy at the laundromat stole Jerry's $1,500.   

Favorite Kramer part(s): Kramer wants to add his clothes with Jerry's laundry load. Jerry eventually gives in and tells Kramer to put his clothes on top. Kramer immediately pulls his shirt over his head and puts it in Jerry's bag.

Kramer has another high-quality scene where he dumps the concrete in the washing machine. Lets just say, a way heavy back of concrete disguised as laundry is the perfect recipe for some physical comedy from Kramer. After stumbling over there, falling backward with the heavy load, dumping it on a closed machine, getting the concrete all over his face and clothes, and signaling to Jerry the OK sign, he comes over to where Jerry had been trying to distract the guy and says, while covered completely in concrete, "I didn't realize it was a full box."

Elaine's storyline: Elaine keeps George's boss busy (because he doesn't recycle) so that George can slip him a mickey.   

Favorite Elaine part(s): Elaine does a funny job flirting with George's boss. It's maybe my favorite Elaine scene thus far. She struggles at first but finally finds success by talking about how she will be going to a nudist colony. Elaine is funny when she gets involved in the schemes of the guys. 

Supporting characters in this episode: No recurring characters. George's boss does a nice job.   

Favorite character in this episode: Very tough one. Everyone was good. I'm going to give it to Kramer again. He easily has the funniest scene in a funny episode and it is his best scene to date, even beating his previous best from the episode just before this one. He is finding his place in this series.

Final thoughts:

This is the first episode to reference Newman. Kramer tells Jerry he has really had it with Newman and tells a story about Newman wanting to commit suicide. Kramer mentions that Newman does not have a job, so he had yet to find employment as a mailman. We hear Newman's voice at the end but it is clearly Larry David.

There is this part where George says "This could have been a huuuge mistake" and it reminded me exactly of Gob from Arrested Development. Just thought I would add that in here.

This episode had two nice revenge plot lines with George and Elaine taking part in one and Jerry and Kramer taking part in the other. It has not yet reached peak Seinfeld where there are four diverging storylines, but you can sense the progression in that direction. Very solid episode. I waffled between giving it an 8 or a 9 and opted for a 9 because I love the two scenes with George trying to decide what to do for work and I really love Kramer's scene.