The Slicer

"**The Slicer**"
"The Slicer"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 9; Episode 7
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Story by	Gregg Kavet & Andy Robin & Darin Henry
Teleplay by	Gregg Kavet & Andy Robin
Production code	907
Original air date	November 13, 1997
Guest appearances
	Marcia Cross as Sara; Daniel von Bargen as Mr. Kruger; Larry B. Scott as Arthur Milano; David Moreland as Mr. Parry;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Merv Griffin Show"	Next →; "The Betrayal"
	Seinfeld season 9
	List of episodes

Last updated April 06, 2024

"The Slicer" is the 163rd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld . This was the seventh episode of the ninth and final season.^[1] It first aired on November 13, 1997.^[2] In this episode, George gets a job with an incompetent industrial firm, but an old photo of his boss with him in the background and Jerry's feuding with his dermatologist girlfriend put George at risk of getting fired, while Kramer's fondness for having his own meat slicer proves to be a source of help.

Plot

George gets a job with Kruger Industrial Smoothing. He sees himself in the background of a photo from a 1989 beach trip Kruger keeps in his office. On the trip, George returned from swimming to find all his things gone. Believing Kruger's two sons had taken them, George screamed at the boys and threw their boombox into the ocean. Moments later, he found his things in the water and concluded that they had been taken by the tide. Kruger demanded George pay for the boombox, and George evaded it by giving him a fake address. George fears he will be fired once Kruger recognizes him from the photo. Kramer suggests sneaking the photo out and getting George's image airbrushed out. However, the clerk mistakenly airbrushes out Kruger's image instead. The only way to restore Kruger's image is to get a photo of him without his shirt on (as he was in the photo).

Kramer is dissatisfied at the meat in his sandwiches, so he buys a meat slicer. Elaine cannot sleep because her neighbor forgot to turn off the alarm clock before leaving for Paris. To fix the problem, Kramer inserts a paper clip into a socket to blow her neighbor's circuit. Elaine hears constant meowing and realizes her neighbor's cat cannot eat because Kramer shut off power to its automatic feeder. Kramer uses the slicer to cut meat thin enough to slip under the door for the cat. Impressed, Elaine borrows the slicer. She slices her shoe heels to even them out, gets a piece of heel stuck in the slicer, and dings up the blade removing it. When Kramer picks it up, she slams the door before he can complain about the damage. Trying to get back in, he accidentally pulls off her doorknob, trapping her inside. To drown out the cat's meowing, Elaine turns up her stereo. She calls a locksmith to fix her door. A neighbor yells at her to turn down her stereo, before getting fed up and blowing Elaine's circuit, cutting off her call.

Jerry dates a doctor, Sara Sitarides, who irks him by boasting about saving lives. When Elaine tells him that Sara is a dermatologist, Jerry becomes indignant, not seeing how a dermatologist could save lives. At George's suggestion, Jerry takes Sara on a "revenge date" and mocks her profession. A man thanks Sara for saving his life from skin cancer. Elaine explains to Jerry that Sara goes to offices screening people for skin cancer. Hearing this, George sets up a screening at Kruger's so he can get a photo of Kruger with his shirt off.

Jerry apologizes to Sara to get her to agree to do the cancer screening at Kruger, and she condescendingly pats his cheek. Jerry gets hives on his jaw. Kramer suggests Sara gave it to him when she patted his cheek as revenge. Jerry goes to the screening and accuses Sara. She storms out. Seeing Kramer in a white butcher's coat (for using his slicer), Kruger mistakes him for the doctor. At George's urging, Kramer accordingly takes Sara's place. He takes a photo of Kruger, but finds a mole on Kruger's shoulder.

George gets the photo fixed and Kramer gets into dermatology. While flipping through Kramer's medical book, Jerry learns hives can be caused by benzene, commonly used in metal cleaner. Kramer had been using Jerry's hand towel with metal cleaner to clean his slicer, and gave him hives. Jerry sees another dermatologist who prescribes aloe for his hives. George suggests Kruger see a dermatologist about his mole, but Kruger reasons that because the mole looks the same in the 1989 photo, it cannot be harmful. Kruger then recounts to George that on the day of the photo, he and his sons took his things and threw them into the ocean. Enraged, George boasts about how he removed himself from the photo. Kruger is surprised but indifferent to George's deception, and keeps him as an employee.

Kramer, George and Jerry camp outside Elaine's apartment, feeding her under the door until the locksmith arrives.

Production

Writers Gregg Kavet and Andy Robin wanted to give George a job again, as they had a number of work-based ideas for the character that they had come up with during his stint with the New York Yankees management.^[3] The beach photo idea was inspired by an incident that happened to Jerry Seinfeld while he was vacationing in Mexico with friends. A local offered to take an instant photo of them for a fee. The chemicals in the photo mixed incorrectly, causing Seinfeld's face to be completely blurred out. The photographer told them he would fix it, and returned minutes later with Jerry's face hand-drawn onto the photo.^[3]

Darin Henry, who joined the Seinfeld crew as a production assistant during its fourth season before writing a handful of episodes during its last two seasons, contributed Elaine's alarm clock problem. When going on trips, Henry would always worry he had forgotten to shut off his alarm, and thought it would be funny to have a story which looked at that scenario from the other perspective.^[3]

The scene where George discusses other possible jobs with Jerry was a deliberate imitation of scenes from the season two episode "The Revenge".^[3]

In the scene where she is in her bedroom folding clothes, Elaine reprises her dance from "The Little Kicks" to Foghat's "Slow Ride."

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmo Kramer</span> Fictional character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld

Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to simply by his surname, is a fictional character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998) played by Michael Richards.

"The Comeback" is the 147th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the thirteenth episode of the eighth season, originally airing on January 30, 1997.

"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 Apartment" is the fifth episode of the second season of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld and the show's tenth episode overall. In the episode, protagonist Jerry Seinfeld gets his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes an apartment above his, but regrets this after realizing it might be uncomfortable living so close together. Meanwhile, Jerry's friend George Costanza wears a wedding ring to a party to see what effect it will have on women.

"The Statue" is the sixth episode of the second season of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and the show's 11th episode overall. In the episode, protagonist Jerry Seinfeld inherits some of his grandfather's old possessions. One of these is a statue, resembling one that his friend George Costanza broke when he was ten years old. When Jerry sees the statue in the house of Ray, the man who cleaned his apartment, he believes Ray stole the statue. Jerry struggles to get back at Ray, as his friend Elaine Benes is editing a book written by Ray's girlfriend.

"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 Fatigues" is the 140th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the sixth episode for the eighth season, originally airing on October 31, 1996. The episode, which centers on the theme of mentorships, won a Writers Guild of America award.

"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 Millennium" is the 154th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It was the 20th episode of the eighth season and aired on May 1, 1997. In this episode, Kramer and Newman plan rival millennium parties, George tries to get fired in the most spectacular manner possible, and Jerry ends up in a three-way struggle with his girlfriend and his girlfriend's stepmother over what numbers they appear at on each other's speed dial.

"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 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 Kiss Hello" is the 103rd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the 17th episode for the sixth season. It aired on February 16, 1995. Although this was the 102nd episode to air, the cast and crew of the series credit this as the 100th episode because it is the 100th episode created. In this episode, Kramer posts the names and photos of all the tenants in his apartment building on a board in the lobby so that everyone will know each other. Jerry is uncomfortable with such pervasive socialization, bringing him to conflict with his neighbors at the same time as he investigates his Nana's story that his Uncle Leo owes his mother Helen $50.

"The Wink" is the 114th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the fourth episode in the seventh season. It first aired on October 12, 1995. In this episode, George's compulsive winking after grapefruit is squirted into his eye is subject to a variety of misinterpretations, Elaine dates her wake-up service caller and feuds with her cousin Holly over their grandmother's old possessions, and Jerry tries to conceal his healthy eating habits from Holly while dating her.

"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 Doll" is the 127th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the 17th episode for the seventh season, originally airing on February 22, 1996.

"The Maid" is the 175th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 19th episode of the ninth and final season. 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.

References

↑ "Seinfeld Season 9 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved December 14, 2021.
↑ "The Slicer" - TV.com
1 2 3 4 Kavet, Gregg; Robin, Andy; Henry, Darin (2007). Seinfeld Season 9: Audio Commentary - "The Slicer" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

External links

"The Slicer" 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 9 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved December 14, 2021.

[2] "The Slicer" - TV.com

[AudioCom-3] 1 2 3 4 Kavet, Gregg; Robin, Andy; Henry, Darin (2007). Seinfeld Season 9: Audio Commentary - "The Slicer" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

[1]

[2]

[3]

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