The Raincoats (Seinfeld)

"**The Raincoats**"
"The Raincoats"
Seinfeld episodes
Episode nos.	Season 5; Episodes 18/19
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Tom Gammill ; Max Pross ; Larry David ; Jerry Seinfeld
Production code	518/519
Original air date	April 28, 1994
Running time	42 minutes
Guest appearances
	Wayne Knight as Newman ; Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza ; Estelle Harris as Estelle Costanza ; Barney Martin as Morty Seinfeld ; Liz Sheridan as Helen Seinfeld ; Sandy Baron as Jack Klompus; Michael G. Hagerty as Rudy; Dorien Wilson as Alec; Stephen Pearlman as Mr Goldstein; Annie Korzen as Doris; Judge Reinhold as Aaron; Melanie Smith as Rachel; LaRita Shelby as Tour Leader; Jason Manary as Joey;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Wife"	Next →; "The Fire"
	Seinfeld season 5
	List of episodes

Last updated August 04, 2024

"The Raincoats" is a two-part episode of the American sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 82nd and 83rd episode of the show, and the 18th and 19th episodes of the fifth season.^[1] The episode was first shown on NBC on April 28, 1994,^[1] and garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Judge Reinhold.^[2]

The episode was written by Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Larry David, and Jerry Seinfeld and directed by Tom Cherones. The episode's storylines include George trying to weasel his way out of a commitment to the Big Brother program, Elaine's discomfort with her boyfriend's friendliness, Morty scheming to sell boxes of raincoats he designed before he and Helen go on vacation, and Jerry and his girlfriend being caught making out at a theatrical showing of Schindler's List .

Plot

Part 1

Jerry's parents are staying with him for three days until they leave for Paris, leaving him yearning for some private time with his girlfriend, Rachel, who lives with her parents. Alec approaches George in Monk's with an offer to join the Big Brother program. George reluctantly agrees to look after young Joey. He asks Helen and Morty to send a postcard to Alec from Paris, so it looks like he is in Paris, thus getting out of the Big Brother program. George invites Morty and Helen over for dinner with his parents, but they claim they have plans for the night. In reality, they cannot stand George's parents Frank and Estelle. Elaine brings her new boyfriend Aaron up to the apartment. Aaron stands unusually close to others when speaking to them. Aaron volunteers to escort Jerry’s parents on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After they leave, Jerry phones Rachel, but she is not home. By the time Rachel calls Jerry back, his parents have returned. Kramer greets Helen and Morty. Morty notices Kramer’s raincoat, which is the Executive line (a belt-less model, created by Morty years ago). Kramer says they are a hot item at Rudy’s Antique Boutique. Morty makes plans to get Jack Klompus to send his boxes of unsold Executives up to New York City before he leaves for Paris.

When George tells Alec about his invented trip to Paris, Alec replies that this is great news: Joey’s estranged father lives in Paris but Joey is too scared to fly alone. George goes down to Rudy’s to sell Frank’s old clothes, claiming his father has died. Kramer arrives and explains to George how he and Morty went into business over an impromptu dinner; this alerts George that the Seinfelds lied about having plans, which enrages him. Elaine questions Aaron's actions with Helen and Morty, considering them abnormally nice. Aaron takes Elaine to see a stage production of My Fair Lady , and acquires additional tickets for Helen and Morty. Elaine is annoyed at having to share her date with them. George spots the group riding in a buggy and tells his parents the Seinfelds were avoiding them again.

When the Costanzas make plans to go on a cruise, Frank realizes his vacation clothes are missing. Rudy sells some of Frank's clothes to Kramer, and burns the rest after discovering them to be moth-ridden.

Part 2

Jerry and Rachel go to see Schindler's List but cannot help making out since they have not been alone in such a long time. Newman, also in the cinema, spots them. When Jerry arrives back at his apartment, Helen and Morty quiz him about the movie and Jerry bluffs his way through. George goes to Rudy’s to buy back his father’s clothes, and is told of their fate.

Newman informs Helen and Morty of Jerry and Rachel's making out. When the Seinfelds rebuke Jerry, he realizes Newman must have told. Jack Klompus rings again to tell Morty he had to break a window to get into the garage and that the Executives will be in New York City by 2:00 in the afternoon the next day. Since their flight is at 3:00, Morty decides to cancel the trip to Paris. George asks Jerry for the tickets to Paris, as they are non-refundable. Kramer arrives at the Costanzas' for dinner. Frank notices Kramer is wearing one of his missing vacation shirts, which forces George to confess that he sold Frank's clothes.

Rudy refuses to buy the Executives from Kramer and Morty; after his store was infested with moths from Frank's clothes, he now has a policy of not buying clothes off the street. Frank arrives to buy back his clothes and argues with Morty. At the airport, Jerry and Elaine say farewell to Morty and Helen as they leave to return to Florida. Aaron goes crazy, thinking he could have done more for them while they were in New York City. Rachel’s father forbids her from seeing Jerry again after Newman informs him of their behavior at Schindler's List.

Back at Monk’s, Jerry tells Elaine that his parents were robbed because Jack Klompus never fixed the broken window. Newman comes into the shop and Jerry, angry that he sabotaged his relationship with Rachel, chases him out into the street. George goes to Paris with Joey, who gives him a hard time as they wait for Joey's father to show up. Helen and Morty go on a cruise, but discover that the Costanzas are on the same one.

Production

Larry David said the idea of making out at Schindler's List "must have come from sitting in temple ... thinking what would happen if I reached over and touched my wife's breast now, or something like that. ... You know, I just can't pay attention in there, and so my mind wanders, and I think that's why I put that in."^[3] Jerry Seinfeld commented that Schindler's List was specifically chosen because they knew that the film's director, Steven Spielberg, was a fan of the show.^[3] Aaron's dismay when the Seinfelds return to Florida is an allusion to the scene in Schindler's List in which the title character, Oskar Schindler, is in a state of anguish for not being able to do more to help the doomed Jews during the Holocaust.

The "moths" in the show were added in post-production.^[4] Stephen Pearlman was unable to be present at the audience taping of the episode due to scheduling conflicts, so Larry David stood in for him during the taping of his scene.^[4] The audience's laughter from the performance with David was then applied to a later filming with Pearlman for the broadcast episode.

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References

1 2 "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved 2 December 2021.
↑ "46th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series". Emmys.com. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
1 2 Seinfeld Season 5: Inside Look - "The Raincoats" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.
1 2 Seinfeld Season 5: Notes about Nothing - "The Raincoats" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.

External links

"The Raincoats" 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] 1 2 "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved 2 December 2021.

[2] "46th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series". Emmys.com. Retrieved 25 June 2019.

[InsLook-3] 1 2 Seinfeld Season 5: Inside Look - "The Raincoats" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.

[NaN-4] 1 2 Seinfeld Season 5: Notes about Nothing - "The Raincoats" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.

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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