The Strike (Seinfeld)

"The Strike"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 9 Episode 10
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Written by	Alec Berg & Jeff Schaffer & Dan O'Keefe
Production code	910
Original air date	December 18, 1997
Guest actors
Kevin McDonald, Daniel Von Bargen, and Tracy Letts

"The Strike" is the 166th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the tenth episode of the ninth and final season. It aired on December 18, 1997.^[1] This episode featured and popularized the holiday of Festivus. This episode also popularized the concept of a "two-face": someone who looks attractive sometimes and looks bad at other times, depending on exterior conditions, such as lighting. It also explained why Kramer never held a job throughout the show. The episode is also notable for featuring an appearance by actor/playwright Tracy Letts, who won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, for his play August: Osage County. TV Guide ranked this number 3 on its 'Top 10 Holiday Episodes' list.^[2]

Plot

George, Elaine, and Jerry attend Tim Whatley's Hanukkah party, and Elaine meets a man whom she dubs "Denim Vest" (based on his wardrobe) and gives him a fake phone number after he asks her out. Later at the coffee shop, George opens his mail and is offended to receive a gift of a donation in his name from Whatley, and also gets upset when Elaine reads a card from George's father wishing him a "Happy Festivus", referring to a holiday that his father invented.

Kramer gets a call that a 12-year strike at his former job at H&H Bagels ended, so he decides to return to work. Meanwhile, Elaine realizes that she lost her card for a free submarine sandwich after giving it to "Denim Vest" with the fake phone number written on it. Determined to get her free sandwich, she goes to the off-track betting parlor, whose phone number is the fake number she gave to "Denim Vest", hoping he will call the betting parlor and she can get her sandwich card back. The two men at the betting parlor begin flirting with Elaine and ask for her phone number, prompting her to give the number for H&H Bagels. She goes to the bagel shop and waits to receive a call there.

After learning about Festivus from George and Jerry, Kramer becomes fascinated with the concept, and meets up with George's father, Frank, to learn about the holiday. Kramer requests to have off of work to celebrate Festivus and is denied, so he goes back on strike, picketing outside the store. While on strike, Kramer sabotages the bagel machine, causing a steam vent to burst inside the store, which causes Elaine to appear unattractive. She goes to meet "Denim Vest" for her sandwich card, and he does not have it on him, but says he can give it to her another time. Being turned off by Elaine's appearance, he gives her a fake phone number.

While giving out Christmas gifts at work, George hands out cards for donations made to "The Human Fund", a fake charity George created to get out of buying gifts for his co-workers. George's boss, Mr. Kruger, decides to give a large company donation to The Human Fund, only later to find out that the charity does not exist. When confronted by Mr. Kruger as to why George gave him a "fake Christmas gift", George hesitantly replies that he does not celebrate Christmas, but instead celebrates Festivus, and claims he gave out the fake cards to avoid being "persecuted for [his] beliefs". To prove to Mr. Kruger that Festivus is real, George invites him to a Festivus dinner at his parents' house.

Jerry goes on a date with Gwen, a girl whom he met at Whatley's party, and realizes she is much less attractive than when he first met her because of the different lighting. When Kramer first meets Gwen, he finds her rather unattractive, and later does not recognize her when picketing outside the bagel store, claiming that she is more attractive than Jerry's actual girlfriend, which leads Gwen to think Jerry is cheating on her.

Jerry, Elaine, George, and Mr. Kruger attend the Festivus dinner at George's parents' house. Kramer walks in with the two men from the betting parlor after they called H&H Bagels asking for Elaine. Gwen shows up at the dinner after Kramer tells her Jerry was there, and sees Elaine, whom she thinks is Jerry's "ugly" girlfriend that he's cheating on her with, and she storms out of the house. Kramer leaves to work a double shift at H&H Bagels after he ended his strike to use the bathroom. The Festivus dinner continues with the traditional "feats of strength" where Frank forces George to fight him as George refuses. Frank declares it "the best Festivus ever".

During the credits, Kramer is making a fresh batch of bagels, but he gets his chewing gum stuck in the dough. The manager sees this and, finally deciding he's had enough, fires Kramer, who cannot be happier.

Continuity

At the Festivus dinner, Kruger refers to Kramer as "Dr. Van Nostrand", a callback to "The Slicer". In that episode, Kramer pretends to be a dermatologist and screens Kruger for cancer. Kramer also used the name Dr. Van Nostrand in the episode "The Package" while pretending to be Elaine's doctor "from the Clinic". Kramer used the stage name "Martin Van Nostrand" when attempting unsuccessfully to audition for the part of 'Kramer' in part I of the two-part episode "The Pilot" and pretended to be Peter Van Nostrand, a professor of English literature who contended that Shakespeare was an impostor, in "The Nose Job".

The Human Fund

Due to his unconscionable cheapness, George Costanza found yet another way to save money after receiving a gift donation certificate from Tim Whatley. Instead of exchanging Christmas gifts (per normal custom) with his co-workers, when George was given a gift he in turn gave his co-worker a card stating that a donation had been made in their name to a charity called "The Human Fund" (with the slogan "Money For People"), when in fact this organization didn't exist.

The Human Fund is also the name of a legitimate organization based in Cleveland, Ohio established in 2005. This organization reportedly drew its name from the episode.^[3]

In the Lost episode "Everybody Loves Hugo," after being presented with an award for his support of the Golden State Natural History Museum, Hugo Reyes (AKA Hurley) says to his mother that they have an event with the Human Fund next Saturday night.

References

↑ "The Strike" - TV.com
↑ TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. p. 172. ISBN 0-7624-3007-9.
↑ Geezer credo: Never too old to do some good (press release from The Human Fund)

External links

Seinfeld episodes

Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"

Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"

Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend" "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"

Season 4	"The Trip" "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"

Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats" "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"

Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100" "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"

Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac" "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit" "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"

Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"

Season 9	"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 Chronicle" "The Finale"

Indicates two-part episode