A Page About Nothing - The Big Coincidences

Maybe I'm just seeing patterns where there aren't any, but I've noticed occasional similarities between various episodes. Whether they are recurring themes, frequently-used plot devices, or just unintentional repetitions (with minor variations), I thought that they were worthy of note.

As for the title of this page, I was going to call it "The Consistencies" or "The Connections," but opted for "The Big Coincidences," a nod to the verbal exchange between Elaine and Rava in "The Statue." As for how to describe these occurrences, I leave it to you to be the judge.


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:

For the record, here are the mentions of the name Peter:


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:

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:

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?


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."


NEW 2003
May 16

Why Does Jerry Even Go Through The Effort Of Reporting The Theft Of His Car?

Jerry wasn't so enthusiastic when he spoke with a police detective about his stolen car in this snippet of dialogue from "The Bottle Deposit":

Detective: Alright, Mr. Seinfeld. We'll let you know if we find anything. I gotta be honest with you, these cases never end up well.
Jerry: Well, uh, whatever you can do. Thanks.

Possibly, he recalls that the police never find any stolen goods, a sad truth that was conveyed to him almost six years earlier by a police officer in "The Robbery":

Policeman: I see. Well, Mr. Seinfeld, uh, we'll look into it and, uh, we'll let you know if we, uh, you know, if we find anything.
Jerry: You ever find anything?
Policeman: No.


NEW 2003
Jun 20

Next Tactic: George Learns Of A Job He Wants, And Pretends To Have Interviewed For It*

George is at his conniving best when he tries to land or hold onto a job.

In "The Revenge," after he quits in a huff from his real-estate job, George goes back to work and pretends like the incident never happened. (Jerry's suggestion to George)

In "The Barber," after it's not clear to him whether he got the position for which he interviewed, he shows up while his prospective boss is on vacation and pretends as if he has the job. (George's bright idea)

*: George possibly could have duped the clueless Kruger into believing that one.


NEW 2003
Jul 10

Maybe Tom Pepper Stole The Box Of Raisins As Payback For Kramer's Jacket Heist

Could Albert Pepper, cited in "The Nose Job" to be the owner of a jacket with extraordinary power over women, be related to Tom Pepper, TV Kramer in "The Pilot?"


NEW 2003
Aug 14

Ruthie Cohen, Very Nice Lady. She's Always Here.

I wonder if Mr. Cohen, the rude and obnoxious fellow in "The Chinese Restaurant" who enters the restaurant making snappy banter with the maitre d', might be related to Ruthie Cohen, the cashier at Monk's.


NEW 2003
Oct 07

Did Uncle Leo And Frank Costanza Say "Hello" To Each Other At The Trial In "The Finale?"

Jerry's Uncle Leo was offended when he learned that Jerry had seen him but didn't say "hello" to him, in "The Bookstore":

Jerry: Leo, I saw you in Brentano's yesterday.
Uncle Leo: Why didn't you say "hello?"
Jerry: Because you were too busy stealing a book.
Uncle Leo: You still say "hello."

Maybe he should have blamed it on Kramer, who was with him in Brentano's, as he did with Elaine in a similar situation in "The Chinese Woman":

Frank Costanza: Jerry, how come you didn't say "hello" to me the other day, huh?!
Jerry: Elaine was ... in a rush.
Frank Costanza: I knew it was Elaine!


NEW 2004
Mar 20

One Must Grasp The Word "Breathtaking" In Context, Not In A Vacuum

In "The Hamptons," Elaine is perplexed when Doctor Ben refers to both her and an ugly baby as "breathtaking." However, it's plainly obvious in "The Boyfriend" that George is lying when he indicates to his unemployment caseworker that her daughter is breathtaking - that he is using this tactic to try to get a thirteen-week extension of unemployment benefits.

The term "breathtaking" was used one other time in the run of the series, by Elaine to sincerely describe George's former girlfriend Audrey after her second nose job in "The Nose Job."


NEW 2004
Apr 22

Jerry Should Have Introduced Joel To Sid

On two occasions, there is confusion about the words "this" and "next" in the context of weekdays. Interestingly enough, in the first instance, Jerry understands the concept; in the other, he doesn't.

From "Male Unbonding":

Jerry: Just, can we just forget the whole thing ever happened? I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I took it out on you. We're still friends. We're still friends. Still friends. Okay? Look, I'll tell you what. I've got Knick tickets this Wednesday. Great seats behind the bench. You want to come with me? Come on.
Joel: Tonight?
Jerry: No, next Wednesday. If it was tonight, I would've said "tonight."

From "The Alternate Side":

Sid: Well, I'm going down to visit my sister in Virginia next Wednesday, for a week, so I can't park it.
Jerry: This Wednesday?
Sid: No, next Wednesday, week after this Wednesday.
Jerry: But the Wednesday two days from now is the next Wednesday.
Sid: If I meant this Wednesday, I would have said "this Wednesday." It's the week after this Wednesday.

Note, however, that there is a subtle difference between both cases: In the first, the weekday mentioned, Wednesday, happens to be the day on which the conversation is taking place; in the second, the day on which the conversation is taking place is apparently a Monday, two days prior to the weekday mentioned, Wednesday.


NEW 2004
May 14

George Can't Wash His Underwear. It's Anathema. (He Doesn't Like It.)

It's established in two episodes that George has an aversion to washing his underwear.

From "The Phone Message":

George (to his date): I can't stand doing laundry. That's why I have forty pairs of underwear.
Carol: You do not.
George: Absolutely. Because instead of doing a wash, I just keep buying underwear. My goal is to have over three-hundred and sixty pair. That way, I only have to do wash once a year.

From "The Pick":

George: Ah, a beautiful, successful, intelligent woman's in love with me and I throw it all away. Uh, oh boy. Now I'll spend the rest of my life living alone. I'll sit in my disgusting little apartment watching basketball games, eating Chinese take-out, walking around with no underwear. Because I'm too lazy to do a laundry.
Jerry: You walk around with no underwear?
George: Yeah. What do you do when you run out of laundry?
Jerry: I do a wash.

In "The Phone Message," George admits that he would be willing to do an annual underwear wash - presumably, a very large wash. In "The Pick," it appears that he has totally given up doing his wash. Two questions come to my mind in response to his latter comments:

1: Didn't he realize that he could drop off his dirty underwear at a laundry and have someone else perform the service for him? (Oh, that's right. That would cost him extra, and, as Elaine indicated in "The Truth," he's "very careful with money.")

2: If he walks around without underwear in the privacy of his apartment, then what - if anything - is he wearing in public beneath his street clothes? (It didn't occur to Jerry to consider that possibility, as he did about Kramer in "The Chinese Woman": "Don't you see what's goin' on here? No boxers, no Jockeys ...")


NEW 2004
May 22

Imagine: A Breathtaking Mark Farbman-Built Home Filled With Karl Farbman-Designed Furniture

In "The Hamptons," Dr. Ben Pfeffer remarks to Elaine that the house at which they're staying was built by Mark Farbman, who built a lot of the homes in the area. I wonder if he's related to Karl Farbman, the furniture designer who is mentioned by Elaine's "Desperado"-obsessed beau, Brett, in "The Checks." (Karl Farbman is also glimpsed briefly in that episode, as he shares a ride with Brett.)


NEW 2004
Jun 26

Are There Any Potatoes In The Cockpit?

Twice within six months in the show's final season, Kramer accidentally burst through a door, only to be greeted with an angry "Hey, get the hell out of here!"

In "The Slicer," after he retrieves his meat slicer from Elaine, he notices that its blade is all dinged up. He pounds on her door, then rattles the door knob and pulls it off, and falls into the apartment of "Mr. Potato Guy" directly across the corridor.

In "The Finale," as he's trying to remove water from his ear, he hops around in the cabin of the private jet on which he and the rest of the gang are flying, and bursts through the cockpit door.

(Original broadcast dates: "The Slicer" - November 13, 1997, "The Finale" - May 14, 1998)


NEW 2004
Sep 28

He Wasn't Ready To Have His Own Talk Show Set Or His Own Guided Bus Tour

Within the span of only six months, there are two instances in which Kramer, in the course of playing tape-recorded music, is alerted by a voice on the tape to "turn music off."

This occurs in "The Muffin Tops" as he is leading a busload of tourists on his Peterman Reality Tour.

In "The Merv Griffin Show," he hears this message in the course of hosting his own talk show in his apartment. The tape presumably is at the end of playing theme music from "The Merv Griffin Show."

(Original broadcast dates: "The Muffin Tops" - May 8, 1997, "The Merv Griffin Show" - November 6, 1997)


To paraphrase the Bubble Boy, "What's your story?!!!"

Please e-mail me at pizzabagel@prodigy.net


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