The Cigar Store Indian

"The Cigar Store Indian" is the 74th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It is the tenth episode of the fifth season, and first aired on December 9, 1993.^[1]

Plot

While Jerry helps George with a coffee table stain, Elaine must take the subway home; she takes one of Frank Costanza's many TV Guides as reading material. George meets a woman at a furniture refinishing store and takes her to his parents' home, pretending that it is his. Elaine and Kramer are on the subway when Kramer stops to get a gyro, but when his arm gets stuck in the door, a patron steals it. Jerry is interested in a Native American woman named Winona (Kimberly Norris), but she is offended when Jerry, unaware of her ethnicity, presents Elaine with a cigar store Indian as a peace offering. Jerry further offends her by using racial epithets in a note and rocking it back and forth, mimicking Native American chants in front of her. Upon learning of her ethnicity, Jerry tries to make amends with Winona by going out on a date with her, during which he also obtains her copy of the TV Guide with Al Roker on the cover to give to Frank.

Jerry offers to take Winona out for dinner where, after an argument with an Asian postal worker (Benjamin W.S. Lum), she becomes offended at Jerry's behavior and becomes even more infuriated with him after Kramer, in a taxi with the cigar store Indian, shouts at Jerry that he secured the Indian and celebrates by making Indian whoops. While on the subway, Elaine forgets the TV Guide and it is obtained by a creepy patron (Sam Lloyd), who cuts it up to make a flower bouquet for her. George, having had sex with his furniture store date, leaves a condom wrapper in his parents' bed; his parents discover not only the wrapper but also the absence of Frank's TV Guide (he is a collector) and punish him by grounding him, despite George being in his mid-30's.

Jerry tries again to make amends with Winona by going on another date, but tries avoiding words like reservation and scalper, which later backfires on him when she asks for the TV Guide and they get into an argument after she accuses Jerry of trying to refer to her as an Indian giver. Elaine shows up at the Costanzas' house with Winona's copy of the TV Guide. Much to her surprise, she sees the creepy guy at the house (he obtained the Costanzas' address by reading the postal address). Elaine gives Frank the copy of the TV Guide, only to find the cover was ruined by the tzatziki sauce from the gyros she was eating. When Frank yells at Elaine about taking the TV Guide, the creepy guy comes to her defense and inadvertently knocks the refinished coffee table over.

While trying to sell the cigar store Indian to a dealer of another cigar shop, Kramer meets Elaine's boss, Mr. Lippman, who offers to buy the cigar store Indian for $500. Kramer then helps Lippman carry the Indian to his office, where Kramer then pitches his idea for a coffee table book about coffee tables. Much to Elaine's surprise (since she thought it was a dumb idea), Lippman is intrigued by the idea and reprimands Elaine for not coming up with such ideas.

Estelle takes the coffee table to the same furniture store George took it into, where she runs into the same woman George had sex with and reveals the truth about George. Later, Elaine and Jerry are on the subway going to Queens to give Frank the same TV Guide (which they had to order) when Jerry runs to get a gyro during a brief stop. He attempts to get back on the subway in time, but gets his arm stuck in the door and has his gyro taken by none other than Al Roker himself, who then becomes interested in Elaine.

References

External links

• "The Cigar Store Indian" episode at IMDB

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