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The Chinese Restaurant
"The Chinese Restaurant" is the 11th episode of the second season of the American sitcom Seinfeld, and the 16th episode overall. Originally aired on NBC on May 23, 1991, the episode is set entirely within a Chinese restaurant as Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and George (Jason Alexander) wait for a table. George struggles to call his girlfriend, Elaine resorts to increasingly desperate stunts to sate her hunger, and Jerry's lies to get out of dinner with his uncle come back to bite him. They are all thwarted by the maître d' (James Hong) at every turn.
Co-written by the series' creators Seinfeld and head writer Larry David and directed by Tom Cherones, the episode is set in real time, without any scene breaks. It is the first of two episodes in which Jerry's neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards) does not appear (the other being "The Pen"). It is considered a "bottle episode", and NBC executives objected to its production and broadcast due to its lack of an involved storyline, thinking that audiences would be uninterested. It was not until David threatened to quit if NBC forced any major changes upon the script that NBC allowed the episode to be produced, though NBC postponed broadcast to near the end of season two. Jason Alexander later said, "They thought this was a betrayal. They thought this was just sacrilege," adding, "To me, it was the defining beginning of the anarchy of Seinfeld."
Television critics reacted positively to "The Chinese Restaurant", widely considering it one of the show's "classic episodes". In 1998, a South Florida Sun-Sentinel critic wrote that the episode, along with season four's "The Contest", "broke new sitcom ground".
Jerry, George, and Elaine go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner before a movie. They ask for a table for four, including George's girlfriend Tatiana, and the maître d'hôtel gives them a 5-10 minute wait time. Jerry is so eager to make a one-night showing of Plan 9 from Outer Space that he lied to get out of dinner with his uncle. Elaine is starving as she waits; George needs a payphone to call Tatiana; and Jerry recognizes a woman at a table, but cannot remember where from.
Jerry and Elaine complain when another party of four gets seated immediately. The maître d' and the hostess confer, then claim the other party arrived first.
George gets repeatedly ignored by a man who is hogging the phone, and asks for Jerry's backup if they come to blows. Elaine is still suffering, so Jerry offers her $50 to eat from the table of a group of elderly diners. She approaches excitedly, but meekly offers to split the money with the diners. Failing to hear her clearly, the table erupts in confusion, so she flees empty-handed. Meanwhile, another woman beats George to the phone since he was distracted. Despite his furor, he plays nice with the phone-hogger from earlier.
George finally confesses that he sabotaged his relationship with Tatiana by abruptly stopping in the middle of sex due to sudden bowel urges. Unwilling to use the open bathroom in her apartment, he hurried out without explanation, and is now desperate to make amends. Jerry and Elaine complain again when a man enters to a warm reception and gets seated. Since the man is a regular, the maître d' laughs it off. George leaves a message for Tatiana to call the restaurant.
Jerry still cannot place the mystery woman as she recognizes and greets him, until Elaine finally gets her name. Jerry realizes that she is his uncle's coworker, and that his lie will not only be exposed to his uncle, but spread to his entire family. He tediously rattles off how the chain of gossip runs through his relatives.
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The Chinese Restaurant
"The Chinese Restaurant" is the 11th episode of the second season of the American sitcom Seinfeld, and the 16th episode overall. Originally aired on NBC on May 23, 1991, the episode is set entirely within a Chinese restaurant as Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and George (Jason Alexander) wait for a table. George struggles to call his girlfriend, Elaine resorts to increasingly desperate stunts to sate her hunger, and Jerry's lies to get out of dinner with his uncle come back to bite him. They are all thwarted by the maître d' (James Hong) at every turn.
Co-written by the series' creators Seinfeld and head writer Larry David and directed by Tom Cherones, the episode is set in real time, without any scene breaks. It is the first of two episodes in which Jerry's neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards) does not appear (the other being "The Pen"). It is considered a "bottle episode", and NBC executives objected to its production and broadcast due to its lack of an involved storyline, thinking that audiences would be uninterested. It was not until David threatened to quit if NBC forced any major changes upon the script that NBC allowed the episode to be produced, though NBC postponed broadcast to near the end of season two. Jason Alexander later said, "They thought this was a betrayal. They thought this was just sacrilege," adding, "To me, it was the defining beginning of the anarchy of Seinfeld."
Television critics reacted positively to "The Chinese Restaurant", widely considering it one of the show's "classic episodes". In 1998, a South Florida Sun-Sentinel critic wrote that the episode, along with season four's "The Contest", "broke new sitcom ground".
Jerry, George, and Elaine go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner before a movie. They ask for a table for four, including George's girlfriend Tatiana, and the maître d'hôtel gives them a 5-10 minute wait time. Jerry is so eager to make a one-night showing of Plan 9 from Outer Space that he lied to get out of dinner with his uncle. Elaine is starving as she waits; George needs a payphone to call Tatiana; and Jerry recognizes a woman at a table, but cannot remember where from.
Jerry and Elaine complain when another party of four gets seated immediately. The maître d' and the hostess confer, then claim the other party arrived first.
George gets repeatedly ignored by a man who is hogging the phone, and asks for Jerry's backup if they come to blows. Elaine is still suffering, so Jerry offers her $50 to eat from the table of a group of elderly diners. She approaches excitedly, but meekly offers to split the money with the diners. Failing to hear her clearly, the table erupts in confusion, so she flees empty-handed. Meanwhile, another woman beats George to the phone since he was distracted. Despite his furor, he plays nice with the phone-hogger from earlier.
George finally confesses that he sabotaged his relationship with Tatiana by abruptly stopping in the middle of sex due to sudden bowel urges. Unwilling to use the open bathroom in her apartment, he hurried out without explanation, and is now desperate to make amends. Jerry and Elaine complain again when a man enters to a warm reception and gets seated. Since the man is a regular, the maître d' laughs it off. George leaves a message for Tatiana to call the restaurant.
Jerry still cannot place the mystery woman as she recognizes and greets him, until Elaine finally gets her name. Jerry realizes that she is his uncle's coworker, and that his lie will not only be exposed to his uncle, but spread to his entire family. He tediously rattles off how the chain of gossip runs through his relatives.