The Pen

"**The Pen**"
"The Pen"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 3
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry David
Production code	305
Original air date	October 2, 1991
Guest appearances
	Barney Martin as Morty Seinfeld ; Liz Sheridan as Helen Seinfeld ; Sandy Baron as Jack Klompus; Ann Morgan Guilbert as Evelyn; Len Lesser as Uncle Leo ; Annie Korzen as Doris Klompus; Magda Harout as Aunt Stella; Roger Nolan as Chiropractor; Tucker Smallwood as Photographer;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Truth"	Next →; "The Dog"
	Seinfeld season 3
	List of episodes

Last updated April 06, 2024

"The Pen" is the 20th episode of Seinfeld , the third episode of the third season which first aired on October 2, 1991.^[1]

This is the only episode in which the character of George Costanza does not appear^[2] and one of two episodes in which Kramer does not appear (the other being "The Chinese Restaurant").^[3] Additionally, this episode is the first appearance of Morty's rival Jack Klompus^{[ citation needed ]} and of Uncle Leo's wife (and Jerry's aunt) Stella.^{[ citation needed ]}

Plot

Jerry and Elaine travel to Florida to visit Jerry's parents Morty and Helen for the weekend, and plan on going scuba diving. Morty, the outgoing condo association president, is being honored at a ceremony the next night. Jack Klompus and his wife Doris come over to write Morty a check for a previous night's dinner, and Jerry takes interest in Jack's pen. When Jerry asks him about it, Jack tells him that it can write upside down and that astronauts use it in space. Jack offers an interested Jerry the pen. Jerry refuses his offer several times, but Jack persists and Jerry finally gives in. Helen asks why he took the pen and says he should give it back because Doris will tell everyone in the condo that Jerry made Jack give it to him.

That night, Jerry and Elaine struggle to sleep in the heat, since Jerry's parents refuse to turn on the air conditioning; Elaine sleeps on a sofa bed with a bar that sticks up through the mattress and injures her back, causing extreme pain. Jerry tries to console her by saying they only have two more days left before they go back to New York. The next morning, Elaine's back is so sore that she cannot go scuba diving with Jerry, so he goes without her. Morty suggests she take muscle relaxants to ease the pain. Just as Helen predicted, their neighbor Evelyn tells the Seinfelds about the rumors that are beginning to spread around the Pines of Mar Gables Phase II that Jerry wanted Jack to give him the pen. When Jerry returns, he has black eyes because the capillaries around his eyes burst when he went underwater.

Jack comes over again and Jerry returns the pen. Morty takes umbrage with Klompus for "taking that kid's pen".^[4] Elaine takes an excessive dose of the muscle relaxants. Upon being introduced to Uncle Leo’s wife Stella at the dinner honoring Morty, an addled Elaine falls to her knees screaming “Stella! Stella!” like Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire. Jerry has to wear sunglasses because of his black eyes. Jack turns the dinner into a roast, joking at Morty's expense as the host. Morty starts arguing with Jack again about taking back the pen and they start fighting, breaking Jack's dental plate in the process. Helen tells Jerry to do a comedy bit to calm the crowd, to which he reluctantly does with no success.

The next day, a chiropractor looks at Elaine's back and tells her she should not go anywhere for at least five days, much to her and Jerry's dismay. Evelyn appears and tells Morty and Helen that it would take six votes from the council to get them expelled from the condo, and offers her nephew's services as a lawyer in Jack's impending lawsuit against Morty. Morty, having slept on the sofa bed, wakes up with a sore back like Elaine's. Elaine laments having to stay for five more days and Jerry once again tries to console her that it won't be long.

Production

"The Pen" is the only episode not to feature Jason Alexander as George Costanza. Alexander threatened to quit the show after discovering at the table read that he was not featured in the episode.^[2] Alexander would later admit that this was caused by insecurity on his part, as he was worried that Louis-Dreyfus's role would cause George's role to be diminished over time.^[5]

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References

↑ "Seinfeld Season 3 Episodes". TV Guide . Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
1 2 Getlen, Larry. "The backstage drama that nearly brought down 'Seinfeld'". The New York Post . Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
↑ Leeman, Zachary (2022-04-24). "The Only Two Seinfeld Episodes That Don't Feature Kramer". Looper. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
↑ David, Larry (October 2, 1991). "Script: Episode 20 - The Pen". Seinology.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
↑ The Kelly Clarkson Show (May 5, 2020). Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander Discuss SEINFELD and More for Direct Relief Fundraising. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved December 9, 2021.

External links

"The Pen" at IMDb

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.

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 3 Episodes". TV Guide . Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.

[appear-2] 1 2 Getlen, Larry. "The backstage drama that nearly brought down 'Seinfeld'". The New York Post . Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.

[3] Leeman, Zachary (2022-04-24). "The Only Two Seinfeld Episodes That Don't Feature Kramer". Looper. Retrieved 2023-05-11.

[4] David, Larry (October 2, 1991). "Script: Episode 20 - The Pen". Seinology.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2013.

[5] The Kelly Clarkson Show (May 5, 2020). Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander Discuss SEINFELD and More for Direct Relief Fundraising. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved December 9, 2021.

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v t e 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