The Jacket (Seinfeld episode)
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| “The Jacket” | |
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| Seinfeld episode | |
 Jerry, George, Elaine, and Alton Benes |
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| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 8 |
| Written by | Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld |
| Directed by | Tom Cherones |
| Original airdate | February 6, 1991 |
| Season 2 episodes | |
| Seinfeld - Season 2 January - June 1991 |
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| List of Seinfeld episodes | |
"The Jacket" is the eighth episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. The episode was the third episode for the show's second season.
It was written by Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld and was directed by Tom Cherones.
[edit] Plot
Jerry is shopping for clothes with Elaine, but struggles to find anything that he likes. As the store attendant goes to look around the back of the shop, Jerry finds an expensive suede jacket that fits and decides to buy it. Elaine reminds him that they are to meet her father, novelist Alton Benes (Lawrence Tierney), for dinner later that week.
That evening, Jerry is watching television wearing the coat over his pajamas. Kramer comes in, and likes the jacket, describing it as "more you than you've ever been." He is even more impressed when he discovers the price by reading the label. Kramer persuades Jerry to part with his old leather jacket as it is no longer going to get any use.
George arrives at the apartment with the song "Master of the House" from Les Miserables stuck in his head. Jerry tells George about a composer, Robert Schumann, who went mad because he had had one note stuck in his head for years. Now paranoid of his possible fate, George changes the subject to how nervous he's going to be around the famous author. Jerry shares the discomfort, saying Benes will be "...looking at us like he's backstage at a puppet show." As they are about to leave for dinner with Alton Benes, Jerry puts on his new jacket. George is very impressed: "This is huge! When did this happen?" he asks, "It's fabulous!" He then gets more and more shocked as Jerry refuses to deny that it cost more than four hundred, then five hundred, and even more than one thousand dollars.The price of the jacket is finally never revealed, all that is known is that it is more than $1000. Just as they are about to leave for dinner, Kramer comes in and asks for two minutes help guarding his illegally parked car as he carries some doves down to it that he is looking after for a magician friend. However, they refuse to help as often Kramer underestimates how long things take to do.
George is still singing "Master of the House" as they enter Alton Benes's hotel. Elaine has not arrived, so they sit down with her father and nervously order drinks. George does not order ice with his drink, which prompts a shocked Alton to order extra with his. The conversation gradually gets more and more awkward, discussing how Elaine is sometimes punctual and sometimes not, the weather, and Alton tells Jerry how he reminds him of a funny guy he knew who got killed in the Korean War. "There's nothing funny about that", he tells an increasingly uncomfortable Jerry. Jerry makes his excuses and goes to the bathroom, abandoning George who attempts to compliment Alton about his book. Alton describes it as drivel, and George doesn't help himself by stammering, "Well, maybe some parts!" George escapes and finds Jerry in the bathroom. "Can't we just say we're frightened and have to leave?" cries George. "Yeah, that'll go over good," replies Jerry. "He'll clunk our heads together like Moe." After returning to Alton, they discover Elaine will be held up for another half an hour.
Thirty minutes later, Alton excuses himself and heads to the bathroom, just before Elaine finally arrives. Kramer had caught her and asked her to wait in his car for two minutes whilst he sorted out his doves, but twenty minutes later he had not come down and the car was towed, leaving her outside in the cold. She describes how Kramer eventually appeared out of the building, with doves flying everywhere, and causing her almost to get hit by a bus before she was forced to walk to the restaurant rather than her promised lift. She asks Jerry how things are with them, and after a quick glance with George he assures her that things are "great, couldn't be better!" Alton arrives back and greets Elaine, and tells Jerry and "Chorus Boy" George that they are going to a Pakistani restaurant five blocks away. However, as they get to the door they realize it is snowing, and Jerry would have to walk through the snow with his suede jacket. At first, Jerry asks Alton if they can take a cab, but Alton replies that it is only a few blocks away. So then Jerry turns the jacket inside out but Alton tells him to turn it back, saying he looks "like a damn fool" because the jacket's bright pink, striped lining is now on display.
The next day Kramer notices Jerry's jacket hanging in the bathroom, badly damaged by the snow. Kramer takes it, chiding Jerry for not turning it inside out. Elaine arrives, and tells Jerry that her father had a good time. She explains how he usually hates everyone but liked Jerry, as he reminded him of the funny guy from Korea. Meanwhile, in the car, Alton Benes finds himself singing Les Miserables' "Master of the House."
[edit] Trivia
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- During the filming of this episode, Lawrence Tierney scared the cast and crew, because of his intimidating demeanor. Apparently, Tierney took one of Jerry's kitchen knives and hid it. When Seinfeld asked Tierney where it was, Tierney revealed the knife and imitated the knife-slashing effects from Psycho (1960).
- This was the first and only appearance of Alton Benes in the series.
- Elaine's browbeating father was based on the novelist Richard Yates, best known for Revolutionary Road (1961). Larry David had briefly dated his daughter.
- The plot of this episode reflects another occurrence in Larry David's life. He had bought a new jacket and came across snow. Similar to Jerry, he knew it would be the end of his new jacket.
- This is the episode in which Kramer receives his infamous destroyed suede jacket, which, despite having been ruined by snow, he constantly wears when out.
- In the episode The Café in the third season, Jerry mentions while speaking to himself that he has never eaten Pakistani food, though in this second season episode Jerry, George, Elaine and her father go to a Pakistani restaurant.
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