The Mango

"The Mango"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 1
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Story by	Lawrence H. Levy
Teleplay by	Larry David (as Buck Dancer) and Lawrence H. Levy
Production code	501
Original air date	September 16, 1993
Guest appearance(s)
Lisa Edelstein as Karen Leonard Termo as Joe Veralyn Jones as Renee

"The Mango" is the 65th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It aired on September 16, 1993, and is the premiere of the show's fifth season. The episode's working title was "The Orgasm."^[1] It was filmed in front of a live studio audience on Tuesday, August 17, 1993.^[1] In the "Inside Look" commentary on the Seinfeld Season 5 DVD, Larry David revealed that a friend of his came up with the setup of this episode: Elaine never having orgasms with Jerry. Larry David said that the idea was "too good to pass up."

Plot

The episode opens with one of Jerry Seinfeld’s standup comedy bits which centers on the creation of seedless watermelon.

The episode then goes to Monk's Café where George tells Jerry about his lack of confidence in bed with his new girlfriend Karen. The conversation then shifts to orgasm feigning, at which point Elaine mentions that she used to feign with Jerry back when they were dating. Although Elaine didn’t think much of the subject, Jerry was flabbergasted at the info. This also causes George to worry that Karen was feigning too.

A little while later, Kramer takes a bite out of a bad peach, which he tries to return to the store where he got it. This leads to him being banned from the store after he insults the owner, Joe.^[2]

Meanwhile, Jerry begs Elaine to give him another shot at giving her an orgasm, which she rebuffs in the belief that sex will ruin their friendship. This causes Jerry to become more bitter and resentful toward Elaine.

George becomes so obsessed with his performance in bed with Karen, that he experiences what seems to be erectile dysfunction. As George tells Jerry his predicament, Kramer asks Jerry to buy fruits in his place at Joe’s fruit store, having been banned from his store and refusing to get fruits at the supermarket. Jerry reluctantly accepts, and goes to buy fruits for Kramer, but it only ends up in getting banned too, after Joe finds out what he was doing. After the incident, George winds up getting both Kramer’s and Jerry’s fruit. George tastes one of Kramer’s mangoes, which makes an erotic transformation ("I think it moved!").

Afterwards, Elaine gives in to letting Jerry have sex with her once again, after concluding it’ll destroy their friendship if they don't. Meanwhile, Karen throws George out of her apartment when he insults her after sex, doubting that she really had an orgasm (when, in actuality, she did).

The last scene shows Jerry and Elaine in bed, but now it seems Jerry is suffering from erectile dysfunction, and blaming George. Elaine then asks: "Y'know, I'm a little hungry...you wouldn't happen to have any of that mango left?" Jerry then realizes his solution.

Reception

This episode gained a Nielsen rating of 19.3 and an audience share of 29, meaning that 19.3% of American households watched the episode, and 29% of all televisions in use at the time were tuned into it.^[1]

This episode was first read by its cast on August 11, 1993 at 10:30 a.m. to much anticipation, as it was to premiere in a new 9:00 timeslot. NBC officials, however, were a bit more apprehensive because it was taking over the timeslot of the highly successful sitcom Cheers.^[1]

Production

Larry David used the pseudonym "Buck Dancer" for this episode when credited.

The Mango was written by Larry David and Lawrence H. Levy. The subplot where Kramer was being banned from a fruit shop is based on one of Larry David’s personal experiences, where he himself was banned from a fruit shop for squeezing the produce too much.^[3]

When the episode aired, Larry David found himself in the middle of a big media frenzy surrounding the now-popular show. David gave some insight to his approach on writing the script by saying: "I like taking the worst qualities that a person has and trying to make something funny out of it. Doesn’t everybody do terrible things and have terrible thoughts? Just by trying to be as funny, you’re going to deal with a lot of things that are real, so the show’s really about something. The whole thing about the show being about nothing is ridiculous."^[1]

Kenny Kramer (who was the inspiration for Kramer) said that Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer are "the most shallow, superficial, self-indulgent people...but we see there’s a little of us in them, our own dark character."^[1]

Awards and nominations

The Mango received the following awards/nominations:

1994 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series nomination: Larry David & Lawrence H. Levy.
1994 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing in a Comedy Series nomination: Tom Cherones.
1993 Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series nomination: Tom Cherones.^[4]
1995 Writers Guild Award for an Episodic Comedy: Larry David & Lawrence H. Levy.

Episode notes

The exterior shot of Joe’s fruit shop is not in New York City, but is actually on the backlot of CBS Studio center.^[1]
The name "Almo's bar and grill" can be spotted on the storefront next door to Joe’s. This is a reference to the father of Seinfeld set designer Tom Azzari, whose name is Almo.^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Seinfeld Season 5: Notes about Nothing - "The Mango" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
↑ Barnes, Mike (2012-11-02). "Character Actor Leonard Termo Dies at 77". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
↑ This was stated in the "Inside Look" commentary on the Seinfeld Season 5 DVD
↑ "Directors Guild of America -- Official Website search". Retrieved 2009-09-28.

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 Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle" "The Finale"
Indicates two-part episode

Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Comedy (1990–1999)

Diane English for "Brown Like Me" (1990)
David Isaacs & Ken Levine for "Rat Girl" (1991)
Diane English & Korby Siamis for "Uh-Oh: Part II" (1992)
Larry David for "The Contest" (1993)
Larry David & Lawrence H. Levy for "The Mango" (1994)
Joe Keenan for "The Matchmaker" (1995)
David Mandel for "The Pool Guy" (1996)
Gregg Kavet & Andy Robin for "The Fatigues" (1997)
Rob Greenberg for "Frasier's Imaginary Friend" (1998)
Jay Kogen for "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz" (1999)

Complete list
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2000s
2010s

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