The Doodle

Last updated
"The Doodle"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 20
Directed by Andy Ackerman
Written by Alec Berg & Jeff Schaffer
Production code618
Original air dateApril 6, 1995 (1995-04-06)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"The Jimmy"
Next 
"The Fusilli Jerry"
List of episodes

"The Doodle" is the 106th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld . This is the 20th episode for the sixth season and aired on April 6, 1995. [1] In this episode, Jerry's apartment is infested with fleas, George struggles over his girlfriend's opinion of his physical appearance, Kramer indulges his love for Mackinaw peaches, and Elaine loses a literary manuscript that she is expected to review for a job interview.

Contents

Plot

Jerry and George have dinner with their girlfriends, Shelly and Paula. George met Paula at Elaine's drawing class. George whispers to Jerry that he is eating pecans that were in Shelly's mouth. Jerry spits them out and exclaims his disgust, which angers Shelly. George finds a doodle that Paula drew of him and thinks it is an ugly caricature. Elaine's friend, Judy, recommends her for a job at Viking Press. So she can stay at the company's suite at the Plaza Hotel, she lets Viking Press think she is coming from out of town, and gives Jerry's parents' address in Florida as hers.

George implores Elaine to find out if Paula really likes him. At the drawing class, Paula confesses to Elaine that she does like George and says looks are not important to her. When Elaine tells George, he becomes upset, thinking it confirms she thinks him ugly. However, he embraces her lack of concern with looks when he realizes it allows him to fulfill his long-held dream of draping himself in velvet.

Jerry gets flea bites. An exterminator confirms the flea infestation, and closes down the apartment for 48 hours to fumigate. Jerry's parents have just come to town, and he persuades Elaine to give them the hotel suite. Elaine realizes a manuscript Viking Press sent for her to read is in Jerry's apartment, and resolves to enter despite the fumigation. An instant later Kramer walks out, having disregarded the sign on the door and spent an hour and a half in the apartment engrossed with the manuscript. Elaine searches inside, but only finds "Chunky" candy wrappers. Seeing the wrappers, Jerry realizes it was Newman who gave him fleas. He confronts Newman at his apartment, forcing him to confess.

At the Plaza, Morty, Helen, Uncle Leo and Nana use room service, watch four pay-per-view movies at the same time, and order $100 massages and food. Elaine gets Kramer to summarize the manuscript. He is unable to taste food due to the fumigation exposure. Dismayed that he cannot enjoy Mackinaw peaches, which are ripe for only two weeks a year, Kramer gives his remaining ones to Newman.

Jerry is staying at Shelly's apartment but forgets his toothbrush; Shelly tells him to use hers. When he refuses, she throws him out. Elaine has her interview at Viking Press and repeats Kramer's manuscript interpretation. The publisher approves of the interpretation but rejects Elaine due to the extravagant room charges at the Plaza.

George finishes off a Mackinaw peach. When Paula pops the discarded pit into her mouth to suck out the remaining flavor, he gags with revulsion. Kramer's tastebuds return in time for the peaches, but Newman finishes the last one in front of him. Kramer exacts revenge by siccing a bulldog on him.

Production

Mackinaw peaches are a rare instance of an outright fantasy element in Seinfeld; both the name and the concept of peaches which are ripe for only two weeks were made up by writers Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer. [2]

Most of Newman's confession was deleted prior to broadcast. In the full version of the scene, he explains that he got the fleas when he was attacked by Buford, the same dog Kramer sics on him later in the episode, which was why he was so terrified of the small dog.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine Benes</span> Major character on the TV show Seinfeld

Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend in the sitcom is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld, and she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer. Louis-Dreyfus received critical acclaim for her performance as Elaine, winning an Emmy, a Golden Globe and five SAG Awards. She reprised the role during season 41 of Saturday Night Live in 2016.

Newman (<i>Seinfeld</i>) Major character on the TV show Seinfeld

Newman is a recurring character and antagonist of the television show Seinfeld, portrayed by Wayne Knight from 1992 until the show's finale in 1998. He is Jerry Seinfeld's arch-nemesis and Cosmo Kramer's friend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Seinfeld (character)</span> Main character on the TV show Seinfeld

Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the title character and the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998). The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, and played by Seinfeld himself. The series revolves around Jerry's misadventures with his best friend George Costanza, neighbor Cosmo Kramer, and ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes. He is usually the voice of reason amid his friends' antics and the focal point of the relationship.

"The Bizarro Jerry" is the 137th episode of the American television sitcom Seinfeld. This was the third episode of the eighth season, originally airing on the NBC network on October 3, 1996. The title and plot extensively reference Bizarro Superman originally published by DC Comics. This episode introduced the phrase "man-hands.”

"The Sniffing Accountant" is the 68th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld, being the fourth episode of the series' fifth season. It aired on NBC on October 7, 1993.

"The Chicken Roaster" is the 142nd episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the eighth episode for the eighth season, originally airing on November 14, 1996. The episode's story follows the mishaps which follow when Kenny Rogers Roasters opens a branch in the characters' neighborhood. The restaurant's neon sign shines into Kramer's apartment, disturbing first him and then Jerry after they switch apartments, but Jerry opposes Kramer's efforts to shut the restaurant down since a college friend of his is assistant manager at the branch. Meanwhile, Elaine is in danger of being fired from J. Peterman after she misuses the company account for personal purchases.

"The Andrea Doria" is the 144th episode of American television sitcom Seinfeld. This was the tenth episode for the eighth season, originally airing on NBC on December 19, 1996. In this episode, Jerry helps Newman with getting a transfer by filling in for him on his mail route, Kramer's preference for veterinarians over doctors leads to him exhibiting dog-like behavior, Elaine dates a "bad breaker-upper", and George tries to win the pity of a tenant association so he can get a new apartment.

"The Blood" is the 160th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the fourth episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on October 16, 1997. This was Lloyd Bridges's last television performance before his death. He reprised his role as Izzy Mandelbaum, who becomes Jerry's personal trainer in the episode. Other plotlines include George becoming obsessed with combining sex with food and TV and Kramer donating three pints of blood to save a mortally injured Jerry.

"The Merv Griffin Show" is the 162nd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the sixth episode of the ninth and final season. It aired on November 6, 1997, and appeared on DVD ten years later. In this episode, Kramer finds the original set for The Merv Griffin Show and uses it to revive the show in his apartment, Elaine contends with a new co-worker who stealthily sidles behind her, and Jerry drugs his girlfriend so that he can play with her collection of toys.

"The Betrayal" is the 164th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the eighth episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on November 20, 1997. In this episode, Jerry betrays George by having sex with his girlfriend Nina, right before Elaine invites all three of them to come with her to India for the wedding of Sue Ellen Mischke, Elaine's longtime rival. The episode is colloquially referred to as the "backwards episode" due to its reverse chronology, starting with the final scene and playing in reverse order. Written collaboratively by Peter Mehlman and David Mandel, the episode bridges Seinfeld's final season to its past with scenes from George's engagement to Susan Ross and Jerry's moving in to his apartment, and with a gimmick-based format which evoked the series' early gimmick-based episodes like "The Chinese Restaurant" and "The Limo".

"The Bookstore" is the 173rd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 17th episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on April 9, 1998. In this episode, Jerry catches his Uncle Leo in the act of shoplifting, George is forced to buy a book after he is caught reading it in the bookstore's public bathroom, and Kramer and Newman attempt to start a rickshaw business.

"The Big Salad" is the 88th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the second episode for the sixth season. It aired on September 29, 1994. In this episode, George becomes irritated when he doesn't receive thanks for buying Elaine a salad, Elaine must deal with an annoying store clerk in order to get her boss a rare top-of-the-line pencil, Kramer fears he may be partially responsible for the murder of a dry cleaner, and Jerry comes to suspect there is something wrong with his girlfriend when he learns she was dumped by Newman.

"The Switch" is the 97th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and the 11th episode of the show's sixth season. It aired on January 5, 1995. In this episode, Jerry wants to switch from dating a non-laughing woman to dating her roommate, Elaine has difficulty retrieving a tennis racket she loaned out, and George enlists Kramer's mother to spy on his seemingly bulimic girlfriend, leading to him learning Kramer's first name.

"The Label Maker" is the 98th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 12th episode for the sixth season. It aired on January 19, 1995. The episode follows a pair of Super Bowl tickets which are repeatedly gifted from one person to another, while Kramer and Newman take drastic steps to keep each other from cheating at Risk and George fears he is competing for his girlfriend's affections with her roommate. The episode popularized the term "regifting".

"The Diplomat's Club" is the 108th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the 22nd episode for the sixth season. It aired on May 4, 1995. The episode was the final appearance of Mr. Pitt as a recurring character, as he comes to suspect Elaine of plotting to kill him in order to receive the benefits from his will. In the episode's other plotlines, Jerry takes an ill-fated trip to Ithaca with an overly pampering assistant, Kramer returns to his gambling habit by betting on flight arrivals, and George tries to prove he is not racist by getting a black friend.

"The Sponge" is the 119th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the ninth episode for the seventh season. It aired on December 7, 1995. In this episode, George and Elaine face sexual crises when the Today brand of contraceptive sponges is taken off the market, while Kramer participates in an AIDS walk and Jerry dates a tireless do-gooder whose phone number he got from the list of Kramer's sponsors.

"The Seven" is the 123rd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 13th episode for the seventh season, originally airing on February 1, 1996. In this episode, Elaine and Kramer turn to Newman to resolve a dispute over which of them is rightful owner of a bike, George wants to name his first child Seven, and Jerry dates a woman who seemingly never changes her clothes.

"The Shower Head" is the 126th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the sixteenth episode for the seventh season. It aired on February 15, 1996. It had 32.3 million US viewers. This episode focuses on Jerry and George's struggles to get their respective parents to move out of New York. Meanwhile, the tenants of Jerry's apartment building are made miserable by the new low-flow showerheads, and Elaine takes a drug test for work which comes back positive for opium.

"The Reverse Peephole" is the 12th episode of the ninth season(the 168th overall) of the television comedy series Seinfeld. It was written by Spike Feresten and directed by Andy Ackerman. In this episode, Jerry gets rid of his wallet and ultimately replaces it with a European carry-all, Kramer and Newman face possible eviction after they reverse the peepholes on their doors and Newman begins an affair with the super's wife, and Elaine has to recover a friend's fur coat which she mistakenly threw out a window.

References

  1. "Seinfeld Season 6 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  2. Seinfeld Season 6: Notes about Nothing - "The Doodle" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.