The English Patient (Seinfeld episode)
Encyclopedia
"The English Patient" is the 151st episode of the NBC
sitcom
Seinfeld
. It was the 17th episode for the 8th season
and aired on March 13, 1997.
), mistakes George
for her boyfriend Neil, a man who she claims looks just like him. This intrigues George; he wants to meet Neil. Jerry
is going to Florida
to help his parents move. Kramer
asks him to pick up some "Cubans" for him and gives him a pale blue T-shirt that says "#1 Dad."
Elaine
and her boyfriend see The English Patient
; she hates it, and her boyfriend breaks up with her as a result. Morty finds the "#1 Dad" T-shirt and is very flattered by the "gesture" (going as far as saying that it is the nicest thing Jerry has ever done for him, much to Jerry's dismay, since he has bought him a Cadillac
twice) and proudly wears his new shirt despite its small size. At his parents' exercise room, Jerry meets Izzy Mandelbaum, an 80-year-old man who cannot stand to lose. Izzy promptly challenges Jerry to a weightlifting competition ("It's go time!"), but throws his back out again and again. Kramer's Cubans arrive, but they are people, not cigars. George is obsessed with Neil to the point where he is missing out on Danielle. Jerry is back in New York, where Izzy Mandelbaum has returned to see a back specialist. It turns out that Kramer's Cubans are really Dominicans
that are trying to pass off as Cuban cigar rollers; it fails spectacularly.
Elaine's dislike for The English Patient alienates her from everyone. Not wishing to upset J. Peterman, she claims to have never seen the film. Her plan backfires, however, when he immediately takes steps to correct the situation by dropping everything and taking Elaine to see it. Jerry meets the rest of the Mandelbaums, all of whom are fiercely competitive and old. Izzy's son and father also injure their backs. Jerry finds work for Kramer's "Cubans" at Izzy's "Magic Pan
" restaurant, rolling crêpe
s. Elaine is eventually forced to reveal her dislike of the movie to Peterman, and in turn, is punished with a trip to Tunisia
(the filming location of The English Patient), where she must live in a cave to save her job.
The "Cubans" roll the crêpes too tightly, causing the filling to spray out and burn customers. Kramer fears that his unemployed Dominicans, whom he educated about communism
, are planning to revolt. George finally meets Neil in a hospital, after Neil was burned by a crêpe; Danielle chooses Neil over George, but George gets the last laugh by pulling out his intravenous
cord. Elaine's plane to Tunisia is about to play the movie Sack Lunch, but is hijacked
by the angry Dominicans, who are all wearing pale blue "#1 Dad" T-shirts. They demand the movie be turned off, much to Elaine's chagrin.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
. It was the 17th episode for the 8th season
Seinfeld (season 8)
Season eight of Seinfeld, an American comedy television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on September 19, 1996, and concluded on May 15, 1997, on NBC.-Production:...
and aired on March 13, 1997.
Plot
A beautiful woman, Danielle (Chelsea NobleChelsea Noble
Chelsea Noble is an American actress who is best known for her role as Kate MacDonald on the American television sitcom Growing Pains...
), mistakes George
George Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
for her boyfriend Neil, a man who she claims looks just like him. This intrigues George; he wants to meet Neil. Jerry
Jerry Seinfeld (character)
Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
is going to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to help his parents move. Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
asks him to pick up some "Cubans" for him and gives him a pale blue T-shirt that says "#1 Dad."
Elaine
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
and her boyfriend see The English Patient
The English Patient (film)
The English Patient is a 1996 romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Sri Lankan-Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje. The film, written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella, won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture...
; she hates it, and her boyfriend breaks up with her as a result. Morty finds the "#1 Dad" T-shirt and is very flattered by the "gesture" (going as far as saying that it is the nicest thing Jerry has ever done for him, much to Jerry's dismay, since he has bought him a Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
twice) and proudly wears his new shirt despite its small size. At his parents' exercise room, Jerry meets Izzy Mandelbaum, an 80-year-old man who cannot stand to lose. Izzy promptly challenges Jerry to a weightlifting competition ("It's go time!"), but throws his back out again and again. Kramer's Cubans arrive, but they are people, not cigars. George is obsessed with Neil to the point where he is missing out on Danielle. Jerry is back in New York, where Izzy Mandelbaum has returned to see a back specialist. It turns out that Kramer's Cubans are really Dominicans
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
that are trying to pass off as Cuban cigar rollers; it fails spectacularly.
Elaine's dislike for The English Patient alienates her from everyone. Not wishing to upset J. Peterman, she claims to have never seen the film. Her plan backfires, however, when he immediately takes steps to correct the situation by dropping everything and taking Elaine to see it. Jerry meets the rest of the Mandelbaums, all of whom are fiercely competitive and old. Izzy's son and father also injure their backs. Jerry finds work for Kramer's "Cubans" at Izzy's "Magic Pan
Magic Pan
The Magic Pan was an American chain of full-service restaurants specializing in crêpes, popular in the late 1970s through early 1990s.-History:...
" restaurant, rolling crêpe
Crêpe
A crêpe or crepe , is a type of very thin pancake, usually made from wheat flour or buckwheat flour . The word is of French origin, deriving from the Latin crispa, meaning "curled". While crêpes originate from Brittany, a region in the northwest of France, their consumption is widespread in France...
s. Elaine is eventually forced to reveal her dislike of the movie to Peterman, and in turn, is punished with a trip to Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
(the filming location of The English Patient), where she must live in a cave to save her job.
The "Cubans" roll the crêpes too tightly, causing the filling to spray out and burn customers. Kramer fears that his unemployed Dominicans, whom he educated about communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, are planning to revolt. George finally meets Neil in a hospital, after Neil was burned by a crêpe; Danielle chooses Neil over George, but George gets the last laugh by pulling out his intravenous
Intravenous therapy
Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the infusion of liquid substances directly into a vein. The word intravenous simply means "within a vein". Therapies administered intravenously are often called specialty pharmaceuticals...
cord. Elaine's plane to Tunisia is about to play the movie Sack Lunch, but is hijacked
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
by the angry Dominicans, who are all wearing pale blue "#1 Dad" T-shirts. They demand the movie be turned off, much to Elaine's chagrin.