The Pilot (Seinfeld)

For the pilot episode of the "Seinfeld" series itself, see The Seinfeld Chronicles.

"The Pilot" is the two-part season finale episode of the fourth season of Seinfeld. It makes up the sixty-third and sixty-fourth episodes and first aired on May 20, 1993.

This two-part episode aired at an earlier time, 8:00 PM, to make room for the two-hour finale of Cheers, whose timeslot would be claimed by Seinfeld at the start of the new fall season. Approximately 32 million watched this episode (both parts) when it initially aired, and the show became a major ratings grab for its next five seasons. Airing before the final episode of Cheers, it drew its highest ratings to date.

Plot

The Pilot, Part 1

Jerry and George get the green light to produce Jerry, the pilot for the series based on their "nothing" lives. Russell Dalrymple, the president at NBC behind the pilot, is obsessed with Elaine. George is obsessed with a potentially cancerous white spot on his lip and a box of raisins taken by an actor playing Kramer, played by Larry Hankin (who had actually auditioned for the role of Kramer when Seinfeld began production). The real Kramer has intestinal problems and, on his way to find a bathroom, he gets delayed by being mugged and "misses his chance" to resolve the problem, resulting in constipation. Jerry has an audition with the new "Elaine" (played by Elena Wohl), a method actress interested in being Elaine in every way. The real Elaine has a problem with Monk's coffee shop, as they appear to be only hiring buxom waitresses, so she tries to get hired and files a report.

The Pilot, Part 2

Rehearsals for the pilot begin. NBC executive Russell Dalrymple's obsession with Elaine begins to affect his work; she tries to let him down easy by saying she can't be in a relationship with a high-powered man and would prefer to be with someone selfless, such as a member of Greenpeace. Kramer resolves his constipation by administering himself an enema. George mistakenly thinks that his white spot has been diagnosed as cancer and goes on a tirade at NBC, only to discover that he misunderstood the diagnosis. At the taping of the pilot, "Crazy" Joe Davola jumps out of the audience and onto the set while yelling "Sic semper tyrannis!" He's removed and the taping goes well. The pilot airs, and numerous characters from past episodes comment on its accuracy. In order to prove himself worthy of Elaine, Russell joins Greenpeace and is lost at sea during a botched assault on a whaling ship. His replacement at NBC dislikes the show and cancels it. In the end, George, Jerry, Kramer, and Elaine convalesce at Monk's, where Elaine finally calls out the owner of the cafe for only hiring large breasted women; the owner explains that they are all his daughters, and everything goes back to normal. The last scene is Russell in a Greenpeace boat with his ship mates, one of whom is played by Larry David. The cover for the Jerry Pilot script floats away at sea, along with the former NBC president.

Series continuity

The sample lines used by the actors in the audition sequences are real "Seinfeld" lines, taken from such earlier episodes as "The Pony Remark", "The Deal", "The Note", and "The Boyfriend, Part 1".

Allusions

• Jerry mentions that Elaine's favorite movie is Shaft.^[1]

• Mariska Hargitay, now best known as Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, auditions for the role of Elaine and offends George with her "Bald Convention" comment. As she first appears on screen, a poster showing the cast of the original Law & Order (including Dann Florek, Hargitay's future SVU co-star, as Captain Cragen) is clearly visible on the wall behind her. Also, in the earlier season 4 episode, The Implant, Hargitay's mother, Jayne Mansfield, was referenced.

References