The Maid (Seinfeld)

Last updated
"The Maid"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.Season 9
Episode 19
Directed by Andy Ackerman
Story byAlec Berg & David Mandel & Jeff Schaffer and Kit Boss & Peter Mehlman
Teleplay by Alec Berg & David Mandel & Jeff Schaffer
Production code919
Original air dateApril 30, 1998 (1998-04-30)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Frogger"		Next →
"The Puerto Rican Day"
Seinfeld season 9
List of episodes

"The Maid" is the 175th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld . This was the 19th episode of the ninth and final season. [1] It aired on April 30, 1998. In this episode, Jerry hires a maid and ends up having a sexual relationship with her, George tries to get people to give him a good nickname, and Elaine falls into a chain of phone problems after Kramer subscribes her phone number to an incessant fax service.

Contents

Plot

Jerry hires a maid, Cindy, whom he then starts having sex with. On one visit Cindy leaves without getting around to any work, but still takes the money he left for her, which Jerry realizes could be considered prostitution. He stops leaving money for Cindy, and when she demands money on her next visit, he points out that she didn't do any work. Angered, she walks out on the job and the relationship. Cindy's boss Maxwell demands that Jerry pay Cindy for this last visit, threatening to publicly expose Jerry's fastidious cleaning requests and make Cindy pay for the visit. Wanting to avoid trouble, Jerry agrees to pay her.

George tries to get a nickname at work, T-Bone, by ordering a T-bone steak for lunch and talking about how much he likes T-bones, but a co-worker makes the same order and gets the nickname instead. George tries reasoning with T-Bone to get the nickname. When this doesn't work, George throws a fit, yelling, crying, and flailing around with a banana in his hand until T-bone agrees to surrender the nickname. However, after witnessing this scene, his coworkers nickname George Koko the monkey. George hires a woman named Coco as vice president of acquisitions; Kruger states there should not be two Koko/Cocos, and George goes back to being George again, much to his satisfaction. However, when Coco mentions her Gammy, Kruger is inspired to give George the nickname "Gammy".

Kramer signs up to receive restaurant menus by fax with a service called "Now We're Cookin'", but uses Elaine's phone number, mistakenly thinking she had a fax machine. Annoyed by the nonstop calls from the fax service, Elaine changes her phone number and gets one with the new 646 area code, so callers have to dial 1-646 in addition to her seven digit number. She gives her number to a prospective date, but when he sees the 646 area code, he says he is already in a relationship and walks off. When her neighbor Mrs. Krantz dies, Elaine gets Mrs. Krantz’s old 212 number. Krantz's grandson Bobby keeps calling the number, because his parents are reluctant to break it to him that his grandmother is dead. Elaine pretends to be Bobby's grandmother for a few weeks; then, fed up with his parents' irresponsibility, she tells Bobby she is dying and hangs up. Bobby dials 9-1-1 and firefighters beat down Elaine's door.

Kramer's girlfriend moves downtown, leading him to struggle with the drawbacks of a "long-distance relationship". He breaks up with her when she refuses to move, and he gets lost in the Lower East Side. Jerry goes to pick him up, spots Cindy, and slows down to give her her money. A patrolling NYPD unit mistakes her for a prostitute and arrests them. Still waiting for Jerry, Kramer is approached by Maxwell and talked into a maid job.

Production

According to Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and David Mandel, who wrote the teleplay for the episode based on a story by themselves, Kit Boss, and Peter Mehlman, "The Maid" was the last "normal" episode of Seinfeld, since "The Puerto Rican Day" was scripted as a writers' jam involving the entire Seinfeld writing staff and filmed entirely on location, "The Chronicle" was a clip show and largely a retrospective of the series's history, and "The Finale" was not written by any of the regular writing staff. As such, it became a sort of dumping ground for all of the writers' favorite ideas that they had been unable to work into an episode yet, since the writers all saw it as their last chance. [2] One of the working titles for this episode was "The Long-Distance Relationship". [3]

The story of George wanting a nickname was contributed by Kit Boss. [2] Initially the story developed much differently: Irritated by another employee getting the "T-bone" nickname, George was to issue a stern office-wide memo forbidding the use of nicknames, but misspells his own name in the signature as "Gorge". The office staff would then assign him the nickname "Gorge". In an attempt to dispel the unwelcome nickname, George would get a copy of his birth certificate, only to discover that due to his father misspelling his name in the same exact way, his legal name is in fact "Gorge Costanza". Jerry Seinfeld vetoed this idea, arguing that "Gorge" was essentially just a fat joke. [2] The writers replaced it with George being nicknamed "Koko", which was Seinfeld writer Steve Koren's nickname in the offices, due to the gorilla-like haircut he had at the time. [2]

Anthony Crivello and Jerry Seinfeld filming the episode on set in Los Angeles. Anthony Crivello on Seinfeld.jpg
Anthony Crivello and Jerry Seinfeld filming the episode on set in Los Angeles.

The Jerry/Cindy story was inspired by the real-life Jerry Seinfeld's relationship with his trainer, who he began dating. Seinfeld had commented to the other writers about the oddity of paying a woman to come to his house while also carrying on a sexual relationship with her. [2] Seinfeld's voice was hoarse during filming, to the point where some of his dialogue had to be re-recorded in post-production. [2]

The phone story grew out of the office trend where employees' phone numbers are almost inevitably mistaken by some other employee for a fax number. [2] Elaine deleting a message from George, though it occupies just a few seconds of screen time, was originally intended to be an entire story. The writers wanted to satirize the practice of deleting messages from friends without listening to them, with the intent of simply calling the person back, but couldn't think up a way to develop the idea. [2]

Jerry's line, "stay alive, no matter what occurs, I will find you," is an allusion to the 1992 film The Last of the Mohicans . [3]

When Cindy tells George that one of the girls at the maid service she works at is named Coco, she mentions "That girl's all right." This is a reference to "The Dealership", where Jerry and Puddy discuss Koko, the gorilla that can do sign language, and Puddy says, "That chimp's all right." Mandel later commented, "I don't know why we thought that line was funny." [2]

The table read for "The Maid" was held on March 8, 1998, with filming taking place on March 9, 10, and 12. [3] Sequences which were filmed for the episode but deleted before broadcast include George and Jerry recounting George's first failed attempt at getting a nickname ("Crash" Costanza), Kramer saying he and Madeline did a jigsaw puzzle together over the phone, and Maxwell telling Jerry that the maids at his service are considered the best because they're willing to do anything. [3]

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.

"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 Boyfriend" is an hour long episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It makes up the 34th and 35th episodes of the show, and 17th and 18th episodes of the show's third season. It first aired on February 12, 1992. In the "extras" section of the Season 3 DVD, Jerry Seinfeld says it is his favorite episode. The first extended episode of the series, it was later split into two parts for syndication; the original version can be seen on the season 3 DVD and Netflix.

"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 Package" is the 139th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the fifth episode for the eighth season, originally airing on October 17, 1996.

"The Susie" is the 149th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 15th episode for the eighth season, originally airing on February 13, 1997. In this episode, Jerry unintentionally terrorizes a bookie, George avoids all contact with his girlfriend so that she cannot break up with him, and Elaine ends up leading a double life at the office after a co-worker starts mistakenly calling her "Susie".

"The Nap" is the 152nd episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 18th episode for the eighth season. It aired on April 10, 1997. In this episode, Elaine's boyfriend gets her an ergonomic mattress, Jerry has his kitchen redesigned by a contractor who annoys him by asking for his preference on every aspect, and George takes naps under his desk at work. Larry David returned as recurring character George Steinbrenner, whom he would play in two other episodes near the end of this season and in the show's final episode.

"The Summer of George" is the 156th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It was also the 22nd and final episode of the eighth season. It originally aired on May 15, 1997 on NBC. In this episode, after being fired from the New York Yankees, George wallows in idleness, while assisting Jerry with a girlfriend who is too much work for him to handle by himself. Meanwhile, Elaine is menaced by an unstable, violent woman who does not swing her arms when she walks, but everyone else dismisses the matter as a catfight.

"The Voice" is the 158th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the second episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on October 2, 1997. The episode's title refers to a joke Jerry and his friends share about his girlfriend's stomach having a voice, which ends up coming between Jerry and his girlfriend. Meanwhile, a chance encounter with David Puddy leads to Elaine renewing their relationship, George sticks with a job where his co-workers all hate him because he has a one-year contract with the company, and Kramer hires an intern and works with him on creating an oil bladder system.

"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 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. This episode features and popularized the holiday of Festivus.

"The Strongbox" is the 170th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 14th episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on February 5, 1998. In this episode, George's girlfriend stubbornly refuses to accept his breaking up with her, Elaine dates a man who won't tell her his phone number or where he works, and Jerry develops an adversarial relationship with his neighbor Phil after he fails to recognize Phil when he asks to be let into their apartment building.

"The Burning" is the sixteenth episode of the ninth and final season of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and the 172nd episode overall. This episode first aired on March 19, 1998. It was written by Jennifer Crittenden and directed by Andy Ackerman.

"The Frogger" is the 174th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 18th episode for the ninth and final season. It first aired on April 23, 1998. In this episode, Elaine eats a vintage cake from King Edward VIII's wedding, Jerry maintains a relationship with a woman he doesn't like in order to avoid running into a serial killer, and George tries to preserve his high score on the Frogger machine at his high school hangout.

"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 Pool Guy" is the 118th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the eighth episode of the seventh season. It aired on November 16, 1995. The end credit states "In Memory of our Friend Rick Bolden". Rick Bolden was one of the musicians who worked on the show's theme song.

"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 Cadillac" is an hour-long, two-part episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It was the 124th and 125th episode and 14th and 15th episode for the seventh season. It aired on February 8, 1996. This was the last episode to be co-written by Jerry Seinfeld.

"The Friar's Club" is the 128th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the 18th episode for the seventh season, originally airing on March 7, 1996. In this episode, Jerry jeopardizes his chances of becoming a member of the New York Friars' Club when he accidentally takes a club jacket home with him, George hopes to spend more time with Jerry by fixing him up with his fiancé Susan's best friend, and J. Peterman saddles Elaine with the workload of her hard-of-hearing co-worker.

References

  1. ↑ "Seinfeld Season 9 Episodes". TV Guide . Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Berg, Alec; Schaffer, Jeff; Mandel, David (2007). Seinfeld Season 9: Audio Commentary - "The Maid" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Seinfeld Season 9: Notes About Nothing - "The Maid" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.