The Strong Box

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“The Strongbox”
Seinfeld episode
Jerry, as seen posing like The Green Lantern, with Elaine
Episode no.	Season 9 Episode 170
Written by	Dan O'Keefe & Billy Kimball
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Guest stars	Illeana Douglas, Alex Kapp Horner, & Mary Scheer
Original airdate	February 5, 1998
Season 9 episodes
Seinfeld - Season 9 September 1997 - May 1998
"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strong Box" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Clip Show, Part 1" "The Clip Show, Part 2" "The Finale, Part 1" "The Finale, Part 2"
List of Seinfeld episodes

"The Strongbox" is the 170th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 14th episode for the 9th and final season. It aired on February 5, 1998.

[edit] Plot

George tries to break up with his girlfriend, Maura, only she doesn't agree. Jerry has purchased cuff links worn by Jerry Lewis in Cinderfella. He plans to use them as a conversation starter with Lewis when he goes to an upcoming roast at the Friar's Club. George insists that all he needs as a conversation starter is the fact that they share the same name ". . .Jerry". Elaine's new boyfriend puzzles and intrigues her with his secretive behavior. Jerry suggests that perhaps he is a super-hero concealing his secret identity. With robberies occurring in the building, Kramer has obtained a strongbox to hold his valuables. He needs to find a place to hide his key. A place that no one knows, except him. His first place doesn't work. George lays out all of the reasons that they should be officially broken up, Maura still doesn't agree "to turn the key." Elaine gives up on her mystery man when he runs from a woman that Elaine deduces is his wife. She returns to Jerry's apartment to find that his intercom is broken. So she shouts to him from the street, about the mystery man, while she waits for the opportunity to get into his building. Jerry inspects his intercom, only to find Kramer's strongbox key hidden inside. Kramer hides his key again. Jerry finds the key again and decides to go down to let George in. While downstairs, a neighbor who's forgotten his key and is unknown to Jerry asks to be let in. Jerry denies him entry. Elaine goes to the mystery man's shabby apartment and discovers he is poor and on welfare. The woman he ran from is his welfare caseworker. Jerry discovers the keyless neighbor, does in fact live in his building, on the 5th floor in apartment 5E, right next door to Kramer.

Elaine tells Jerry about her mystery man's super powers. George decides that cheating on Maura might be his ticket out. Kramer lets Phil, Jerry's "new" neighbor, keep his parrot in the hallway. Kramer also hides his key at Phil's. Glenn, the mystery man, takes Elaine on a date in the alley. Jerry needs his cufflinks for the roast, only to find out that Kramer has locked them in his strongbox. The key to the strongbox was hidden in the parrot's food dish, only now the parrot is dead (because he choked on Kramer's key) and buried in a pet cemetery. George tries getting caught with the other woman, only both women agree that they can work with George through this incident. Elaine discovers that Glenn is, in fact, married. Kramer and Jerry go to the pet cemetery to exhume the key, his neighbor catches only Jerry. George asks what's in the cooler (strongbox) as he easily opens it up. This episode was originally going to be titled "The Buzzer."

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Mary Scheer, who was still doing MADtv, played the welfare caseworker in this episode. She also had a cameo in Season 6's "The Kiss Hello" in a different role as one of Jerry's neighbors.
• Alex Kapp Horner, who appeared in this episode as George's girlfriend, would later be in another Julia Louis-Dreyfus' show, The New Adventures of Old Christine as Lindsay.
• In this episode, Phil's door number is 5E, which in fact is Newman's door number.
• The Godfather Part II is referenced here when Jerry accuses Kramer of Fredo's death; "Fredo was weak and stupid! He shouldn't've eaten that key!!" - Kramer
• The exterior of the apartment of Elaine's secretive new boyfriend is actually located in Manhattan's East Village at 6 St. Mark's Place. Neighborhood landmarks like Trash and Vaudeville and the St. Mark's Hotel can be seen in the shot.

[edit] Superman references

• Jerry: We found out his super power was lack of money.

...

• George: Hey, Elaine. Maybe his girlfriend is Lois Loan.

...

• Jerry: He can wipe out his checking account in a single bounce!

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