Season 8
EPISODE 127
THE FOUNDATION
FIRST AIRED 9/19/96 WRITERS Berg/Schaffer DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
The Rosses establish a foundation in Susan's honor. To his disgust and surprise, George
finds that (1) he's on the board of directors, and (2) his dead fiancée was worth
millions. Elaine— now running the show, with burnt-out Peterman in Burma—
fashions the Urban Sombrero. Kramer takes up karate. INTRODUCES Bruce Davison as
Mr. Wyck, chairman of Susan's foundation. HISTORIC MOMENT No more opening stand-up;
Seinfeld is now too busy picking up the creative slack in David's absence. CRITIQUE
A solid return, capitalizing nicely, yet again, on an untimely demise. Kramer's encounter
with the "little fists of fury," however, foreshadows the more slapsticky bent
of this season. B+
EPISODE 128
THE SOUL MATE
FIRST AIRED 9/26/96 WRITER Mehlman DIR Ackerman SYNOPSIS
Kramer's attraction to Jerry's new girlfriend, Pam (Kim Myers), makes a formerly blasé
Jerry gaga over her. Elaine, in turn, is gonzo for her flighty equal, Kevin.
George—thinking Wyck suspects him of guilt in Susan's death—pulls a "Jerry
Lewis" and secretly tapes a foundation meeting. INTRODUCES Tim DeKay as Kevin,
Bizarro Jerry in the next episode. HISTORIC MOMENT A boyishly cropped Elaine. CRITIQUE
An agreeable paean to infatuation, despite an awful Jerry-chasing-Newman bit (see
foreshadowing in previous CRITIQUE). B
EPISODE 129
THE BIZARRO JERRY
FIRST AIRED 10/3/96 WRITER Mandel DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
Jerry's whole system breaks down as George becomes a model magnet, Kramer becomes a
nine-to-five suit, and Elaine takes up with a trio of new buds (Kevin, Gene, and Feldman),
the sensitive, cerebral opposites of her current klatch. If that isn't enough, Jerry's
dating Gillian (Kristin Bauer), a man-handed woman. CRITIQUE This Superman
reference writ large makes for the first post-David masterpiece. Two inspired moments:
Jerry's wifely bickering with ersatz exec Kramer and the sidewalk showdown between
Elaine's two worlds. A
EPISODE 130
THE LITTLE KICKS
 FIRST AIRED 10/10/96 WRITER Feresten DIR.
Ackerman SYNOPSIS Elaine's dancing ("a full-body dry heave set to
music") makes her an object of ridicule among her staff. When Peterman employee Anna
(Rebecca McFarland) gets a crush on George, believing him to be a "bad boy," he
eagerly makes like a latter-day Fonzie. Kramer's pistol-packin' pal Brody (Neil Giuntoli)
forces Jerry to become a video-bootlegging auteur. CRITIQUE Jerry's and George's
forays into delinquency pay off, but Elaine's spastic mutation of the Hitchhike provides
the mother lode. Sweet fancy Moses! A
EPISODE 131
THE PACKAGE
FIRST AIRED 10/17/96 WRITER Jennifer Crittenden DIR. Ackerman
SYNOPSIS "Difficult" Elaine is shunned by the medical community. George
pursues a misguided "dance" of seduction with photo-shop employee Sheila
(Heather Campbell). Thanks to Kramer, Jerry is investigated for mail fraud. CRITIQUE
Elaine is not nearly as difficult as watching this flaccid package. The
medical-establishment-as-conspiratorial-secret-society gambit is a loser, and so is an
overused Newman; like any pungent seasoning, he's best in small amounts. C-
EPISODE 132
THE FATIGUES
FIRST AIRED 10/31/96 WRITERS Kavet/ Robin DIR. Ackerman
SYNOPSIS It's mentor madness, as Jerry, Elaine, and George find themselves guiding
the careers of hack Ovaltine comic Bania, soldier-of-fortune mail-room guy Eddie Sherman
(Ned Bellamy), and risk-management student Abby (My So-Called Life's A.J. Langer).
Kramer's hosting of a Jewish singles night provokes Frank Costanza's Platoon-like
memories of a Korean War cooking debacle. CRITIQUE Bania's wide-eyed rankling
("That's gold, Jerry, gold!") just slays us, as does most of this
military-tinged romp. B
EPISODE 133
THE CHECKS
FIRST AIRED 11/7/96 WRITERS Steve O'Donnell/Gammill/Pross DIR.
Ackerman SYNOPSIS Jerry (very) modestly cashes in on Japanese stardom thanks
to a spot on The Super Terrific Happy Hour. Kramer puts up a trio of Japanese
tourists. Elaine dates Überyuppie Brett (James Patrick Stuart), a "Desperado"
devotee who won't share his song. HISTORIC MOMENT Wilhelm is abducted by the
Sunshine Carpet Cleaners cult. CRITIQUE A plethora of in-jokes (references to the
Urban Sombrero, the NBC pilot, Jerry's stand-up act, etc.) and one unforgettable
image—the Japanese bunking in Kramer's dresser—make this B-worthy. Our weariness
with yet another eccentric-to-the-max Elaine boyfriend demotes it to a B-.
EPISODE 134
THE CHICKEN ROASTER
FIRST AIRED 11/14/96 WRITERS Berg/ Schaffer DIR. Ackerman
SYNOPSIS Kramer's Newman-abetted Kenny Rogers Roasters addiction overcomes his
initial boycotting of the chain. Elaine's expense-account abuse takes her to Burma in
search of Peterman and sends George on a misguided pursuit of a hat saleswoman. CRITIQUE
An episode as unconvincing as Seinfeld's acting (highlighted here in a brief Jerry-
and-Kramer identity switch) is salvaged by Kramer and Newman's clandestine gluttony. B-
EPISODE 135
THE ABSTINENCE
FIRST AIRED 11/21/96 WRITER Steve Koren DIR. Ackerman
SYNOPSIS George's forced celibacy turns him into a Phenomenon-style
brainiac. Elaine dates a doofus almost-doctor, Ben (Bob Odenkirk), and tries the no-sex
route, with brain-draining results. Kramer's at-home smoking lounge ends in a
tobacco-company lawsuit. HISTORIC MOMENT We learn of a second alma mater that Jerry
and George share, Edward R. Murrow Junior High School, when Jerry is bumped from their
Career Day. CRITIQUE Another foray into bizarro land as Elaine and George become
mental opposites. But we don't mind repetition when it yields such smart comedy. Bonus
points for the David Letterman closer. B+
EPISODE 136
THE ANDREA DORIA
FIRST AIRED 12/19/96 WRITER Feresten DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
To score a two-bedroom apartment, George must convince a tenant board he's more pathetic
than a shipwreck survivor. Big-headed Elaine dates bad breaker-upper Alan (Tom Gallup).
Newman's dreams of a Hawaii transfer get surprising support from Jerry. M.D.-hating Kramer
seeks a doggy-style cure for his cough. CRITIQUE With Kramer channeling Lassie and
George playing the victim to the hilt, how can you miss? B
EPISODE 137
THE LITTLE JERRY
 FIRST
AIRED 1/9/97 WRITER Crittenden DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
Kramer buys a rooster and is soon running afoul of cockfighting impresario/deli owner
Marcelino (Murder One's Miguel Sandoval). George finds out that fugitive sex is
even better than conjugal-visit sex when convict squeeze Celia (Andrea Bendewald) breaks
out and pops in. Elaine encourages bald-by-choice Kurt (John Michael Higgins) to grow his
hair back, only to find he's losing it. CRITIQUE Jerry and Kramer training their
champion pecker had us howling—a mere moment in a media hora muy excellente. A-
EPISODE 138
THE MONEY
FIRST AIRED 1/16/97 WRITER Mehlman DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
Financial insecurity abounds: George worries that his parents are blowing his nest egg;
Elaine finds herself demoted when Peterman returns; and the Seinfelds, fearing Jerry's
broke (after he bounces a check at Marcelino's in 137), sell the Cadillac to Jack Klompus.
CRITIQUE Awash in comic transactions but bankrupt nonetheless. C
EPISODE 139
THE COMEBACK
FIRST AIRED 1/30/97 WRITERS Kavet/Robin DIR. Trainor SYNOPSIS
George is insulted during a Yankees lunch meeting and becomes obsessed with delivering his
(he thinks) brilliant "jerk store" retort. Abysmal tennis player and pro-shop
manager Milos (Mark Harelik) recruits Jerry to help him save face. Elaine begins a phone
affair with mysterious video-store cineaste Vincent. Kramer drafts a living will. CRITIQUE
George has a vindictive field day. And once again the show milks ethnicity for laughs,
this time with pompous yet inept Eastern Bloc émigré Milos. B
EPISODE 140
THE VAN BUREN BOYS
FIRST AIRED 2/6/97 WRITER Darin Henry DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
Jerry dates Ellen (Christine Taylor), a "fantastic" woman who nevertheless
appears to have no friends. (George to Jerry: "Every group has [its loser]—like
us, with Elaine.") George selects a kindred spirit as the first Susan Ross Foundation
scholar—underachieving liar Steven Koren (Jed Rhein). Peterman co-opts Kramer's life
stories for his autobiography. CRITIQUE George's sponsorship of his deceitful
protégé is abandoned too soon (in favor of the dopey Van Buren Boys angle), as is the
Ellen-as-social-pariah concept. And Kramer's "ripping yarns" should have been
hysterical; instead, he's reduced to slipping on golf balls. C+
EPISODE 141
THE SUSIE
FIRST AIRED 2/13/97 WRITER Mandel DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
More identity games, as Elaine is mistaken for a nonexistent coworker named Susie; Kramer
becomes George's girlfriend by proxy; bookie Mike Moffet (38) believes Jerry is a hitman. CRITIQUE
"Susie" is possibly the most ill-conceived premise yet. Two things save this
from D-dom: Kramer and George's romantic rapport and the latter's infamous Greatest
American Hero answering-machine message. C+
EPISODE 142
THE POTHOLE
FIRST AIRED 2/20/97 WRITERS O'Donnell/Dan O'Keefe DIR. Ackerman
SYNOPSIS Obsessions run amok: Fastidious Jerry can't kiss his girlfriend (Melrose
Place's Kristin Davis) after her toothbrush falls in the toilet; Elaine's hankering
for a Chinese flounder dish has her assuming an address within the restaurant's delivery
zone; and Kramer takes the adopt-a-highway concept a bit too literally. HISTORIC MOMENT
The highway scenes, pothole explosion, and the toilet's-eye camera shot, add up to,
according to Seinfeld, the most technically ambitious sitcom episode in TV history. CRITIQUE
Physical high jinks dominate. We, however, are sorely missing the witty erudition that is,
after all, the show's claim to fame. C+
EPISODE 143
THE ENGLISH PATIENT
FIRST AIRED 3/13/97 WRITER Koren DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
Elaine's English Patient antipathy turns the world against her. A trip to Florida
finds Jerry mired in one-upmanship with the Mandelbaum clan, headed by Izzy (Lloyd
Bridges), and transporting Cubans (literally) back to Kramer. George meets a foxy blond
and becomes obsessed with her boyfriend— his supposed twin. CRITIQUE The one
pure travesty—unbearably simplistic and broad (especially that Mandelbaum
crap)—of this season made us feel as burned as the episode's eponymous protagonist. D-
EPISODE 144
THE NAP
FIRST AIRED 4/10/97 WRITERS Kavet/Robin DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
A sleep-deprived George engages Jerry's conscientious carpenter, Conrad (Stephen Lee), to
construct a mini-bedroom beneath his office desk. Kramer unwittingly initiates a
lap-swimming craze—in the East River. CRITIQUE A good start (George as
workplace snoozer) quickly devolves into a lame terrorist farce. Remember what we said
about Newman in 131? That goes double for Steinbrenner. C+
EPISODE 145
THE YADA YADA
FIRST AIRED 4/24/97 WRITERS Mehlman/ Jill Franklyn DIR. Ackerman
SYNOPSIS Conversation fudger "Yada, yada" infects the group thanks to
George's succinct, shoplifting girlfriend Marcy (Suzanne Cryer). Jerry suspects that
dentist Tim has converted to Judaism purely for the jokes. After Elaine screws up an
adoption opportunity for Beth (125)—now married to Arnie (Stephen Caffrey)—she
sinks to a new low redeeming herself. Kramer and Mickey squabble over double dates. CRITIQUE
Bad news: A feckless Kramer/Mickey sideshow gets no help from gratuitous Robert Wagner and
Jill St. John cameos. And are we actually to believe that Elaine has stooped to
quid pro quo sex with the adoption counselor? Good news: Tim's conversion and Jerry's
"anti-dentite" outrage against it (containing the show's only outright
acknowledgment of its ethnicity—Jerry's anyway) are brilliantly handled and a welcome
return to the verbal virtuosity we love. As for Jerry in the confessional—a blessed
event! B+
EPISODE 146
THE MILLENNIUM
FIRST AIRED 5/1/97 WRITER Crittenden DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
The Mets will hire George, but only if he gets himself fired; alas, each of his purposeful
fiascos (including streaking across Yankee Stadium—in a bodysuit) only makes him more
of a hero to Steinbrenner. Competing plans for a 1999 New Year's Eve party force Kramer to
choose between Jerry and Newman. Elaine tries to drive Putumayo out of business. CRITIQUE
Though Jerry gets stuck with a silly speed-dialing subplot, we never tire of watching
George fail—this time upward. B-
EPISODE 147
THE MUFFIN TOPS
FIRST AIRED 5/8/97 WRITER Feresten DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
Mistaken for an out-of-towner by Mary Anne (Rena Sofer), an attractive New York Visitor's
Center employee, George avidly assumes the role. Lippman returns, co-opting Elaine's
brainstorm: A store selling muffins, sans stumps. Kramer creates the Peterman Reality Bus
Tour in response to the autobiography filled with the K-man's life stories (140). Jerry
shaves his chest. HISTORIC MOMENTS George is traded by Steinbrenner to Tyler
Chicken in Arkansas. Kramer's reality tour is based on an actual NYC jaunt hosted by the
real-life Kramer. CRITIQUE The top of this muffin is deliciously moist and tasty.
Midway through, however, it suddenly goes stale, crumbling into howling inanity. Nothing
will prepare you for that moonlit bus drive—to the dump, indeed. A for the
first half. F for the second.
EPISODE 148
THE SUMMER OF GEORGE
FIRST AIRED 5/15/97 WRITERS Berg/Schaffer DIR. Ackerman SYNOPSIS
Kramer inadvertently receives a Tony for the musical Scarsdale Surprise, then is
asked to fire their ''train wreck'' of a star, Raquel Welch (playing herself).
Now-unemployed George offers to be Jerry's summer intern, helping him attend to the needs
of Lanette (Amanda Peet), a particularly high-maintenance girlfriend. Elaine is pegged a
catty shrew, then stalked, by coworker Sam (Saturday Night Live's Molly Shannon),
she of the simian walk. The season concludes with a (rather lazy) harkening back to last
year's finale: George gets his comeuppance when an invitation-related accident lands him
in the hospital. CRITIQUE All kinds of, um, wacky stuff goes on in this, er, really
convoluted.... Hey, you try writing 20,691 words about nothing! B-
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