The Bizarro Jerry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Seinfeld episode | |
| "The Bizarro Jerry" | |
 Jerry shakes hands with Jillian's "man hands". |
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| Episode no. | 137 |
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| Airdate | October 3, 1996 |
| Writer(s) | David Mandel |
| Director | Andy Ackerman |
| IMDb profile | |
| Seinfeld - Season 8 September 1996 - May 1997 |
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| List of all Seinfeld episodes | |
The Bizarro Jerry is the 137th episode of the American television sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 3rd episode for the 8th season. It was originally broadcast on the NBC network on October 3, 1996. The title and plot extensively reference the Bizarro (the polar opposite of Superman) and Bizarro-Earth concepts that originally appeared in various comic books published by DC.
[edit] Plot
Elaine breaks up with her boyfriend Kevin (from "The Soul Mate"), but they decide to "just be friends." Much to Elaine's surprise, Kevin is thrilled at the idea, and starts becoming a much more reliable friend than Jerry. Meanwhile, Kramer accidentally gets a job at a company called Brandt/Leland when he aids an employee in the hall and starts going to meetings. He soon finds out he fits right in and starts working there for no pay, stating his reason as doing it "just for me."
Jerry starts dating Jillian, an attractive woman whose only flaw is that she has "man hands." George uses a picture of Jillian to get into the "forbidden city", a club of attractive women and models, by saying that Jillian is his late fiancee Susan. Unfortunately, his luck ends when he accidentally burns the picture with a hair dryer. Jerry becomes bored at home, now that Kramer is "working", Elaine is always hanging out with Kevin and his friends (Gene and Feldman, who are complete opposites of George and Kramer), and George only comes to him when he wants something.
By the end of the episode, Kramer gets fired by Leland because of his shoddy work (due to his "lack of business training"). Jerry wants to be "just friends" with Jillian, who doesn't take too well to the idea. While trying to get another picture of her from her purse for George, she grabs Jerry's wrist (which Jerry later describes as almost ripping his arm right out of the socket). George tries to use a picture of a model from a magazine to get back into the club, but his plan is foiled when he accidentally confronts the exact same model from the magazine picture and gets kicked out. Elaine decides to stay with her "Bizarro friends", but changes her mind when they don't take to some of the normal things she usually does with Jerry like eating from the fridge and knocking someone down with her outbursts of "get out!"
Later, George takes Jerry to the location of the club, but is mystified when all they find is a meat packing plant.
[edit] Trivia
- The signature Seinfeld theme song is played strangely in the tag scene of the episode - another reference to the whole "Bizarro" theme.
- When George is combing his hair at home, there is a poster of Dennis Franz in the background, which George uses as a guide for combing his hair.
- When Elaine visits Kevin's apartment, in the background is a Bizarro action figure, mirroring the Superman figures and pictures that appear in Jerry's apartment throughout the series.
- Also seen in the background of Kevin's apartment is a unicycle, which also is a reflection on Jerry's bicycle hanging in his apartment.
- This episode is famous for introducing the phrase "man hands".
- The actor who played Bizarro Kramer was Pat Kilbane, who would later do MadTV and would do an impression of Michael Richards' Cosmo Kramer during his time on the show.
[edit] Superman reference
The concept of a Bizarro universe is directly taken from the Superman universe, in addition to verbal references to Superman:
- Jerry: Yeah. Like Bizarro Superman. Superman's exact opposite, who lives in the backwards bizarro world. Up is down, down is up. He says "Hello" when he leaves, "Good bye" when he arrives.
- Elaine: Wouldn't he say "bad bye"?
At the very end of the show, a scene takes place in Kevin's apartment between Kevin, Gene, and Feldman where they all join in a group hug, in which the following line is said referencing the way in which the Bizzaro from the Superman Universe speaks:
- Kevin: Oh. Me so happy. Me want to cry.
