The Deal (Seinfeld)

"The Deal" is the ninth episode of the second season of NBC's Seinfeld, and the show's 14th episode overall. The episode centers on protagonists Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who decide to have a purely physical relationship, with a set of ground rules. However, as their "relationship" progresses, they experience difficulties maintaining their original friendship.

Series co-creator Larry David wrote the episode in a response to NBC's continued efforts to get the two characters back together. The main inspiration behind the episode was a similar agreement David once made with a woman. The episode, which introduced the character of Tina, Elaine's roommate, first aired on May 2, 1991 and was watched by approximately 22.6 million viewers. Critics reacted positively to the episode, and David received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

Plot

As they are watching TV in Jerry's apartment, Jerry and Elaine flip through the channels, stumbling upon the soft-core pornography channel. Upon the realization that neither of them has had sexual relations in a while, they start toying with the idea of sleeping together. They refer to their friendship as "this" and sexual intercourse as "that". However, as they do not wish to ruin their friendship, they establish a set of ground rules. Happy with their agreement, they make their way to the bedroom. The next day Jerry has lunch with his friend George Costanza (Jason Alexander), and makes him aware of his situation with Elaine. George remains skeptical, even after Jerry explains the rules system to him. He is proven right when Jerry and Elaine get into an argument over the second rule: "Spending the night is optional". Jerry eventually does not spend the night, leaving their agreement on shaky terms.

With Elaine's birthday coming up Jerry has to decide on what to get her. Since they are not in a relationship but they are still having sex he feels that the symbolism of the gift needs to be carefully thought out. He looks for a gift with George but is unable to think of anything, though he vaguely remembers her saying "something about a bench". Elaine is unhappy with the eventual gift: $182 cash. When Jerry's neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards) gives Elaine the bench she was looking for, for which she is much more grateful, she and Jerry talk over their agreement. They decide to start dating. When Kramer sees them again and asks what they are up to, Jerry notes that they now do "this, that and the other," "the other" being their romantic relationship as a couple.

Production

Series co-creator Larry David wrote the episode, based on a personal experience.

Series co-creator Larry David wrote the episode, which was directed by Tom Cherones.^[1] Since the start of the show, NBC executives, especially Warren Littlefield, had been pressuring the writing staff to get Jerry and Elaine back together.^[2][3] Larry David had been against this idea from the start.^[2][3] However, brainstorming for an episode idea, he remembered he had once made a deal with a woman to have a purely physical relationship,^[2][4] which he thought "would make a really funny show, even if they had never [told us to get Jerry and Elaine back together]".^[3] Though Jerry and Elaine are still in a relationship at the end of the episode, they are no longer together by the end of the season.^[2] Seinfeld and David decided that they had satisfied the NBC executives and went back to the original format.^[2][3] Seinfeld and David have also noted that "The Deal" is the only Seinfeld episode ever to contain sincere emotions, during the scene in which Jerry and Elaine discuss the ending of their physical relationship.^[4]

On February 25, 1991, the table-read of the episode was held,^[2] subsequent filming occurred at CBS Studio Center in Studio City, Los Angeles, California^[5] three days later.^[2] "The Deal" is the first episode in which Elaine's apartment is shown.^[4] During rehearsals controversy arose over how Jerry and Elaine would sit during their "this and that" conversation.^[2] Several producers believed that, as the scene was intimate, the two should sit close together.^[2][4] David, however, believed the discussion was more of a transaction than an intimate scene and felt that Jerry and Elaine should sit further apart.^[2][4] On audio commentary recorded for the Seinfeld: Volume 1 DVD set, David commented that when he showed his idea of the scene, "I remember everybody saying 'there's no heat, there's no heat', and I said, that's the point, there's not supposed to be any".^[4] David and producer Andrew Scheinman got into a big argument over the issue, which David eventually won.^[4]

Aside from showing Elaine's apartment for the first time, "The Deal" also marks the first appearance of Elaine's roommate Tina, who had been mentioned in earlier episodes.^[6] Siobhan Fallon was cast in the role;^[7] she would reprise the character two more times, in season three's "The Truth" and in the season five finale "The Opposite".^[2] Norman Brenner, who worked as Richards' stand-in on the show for all its nine seasons,^[8] appears as an extra, working in the store George and Jerry visit to look for a gift for Elaine.^[2]

Reception

"The Deal" was first broadcast on May 2, 1991 on NBC and received a Nielsen rating of 15.5 and an audience share of 25, indicating that 15.5 percent of American households watched the episode, and that 25 percent of all televisions in use at the time were tuned into it.^[2] With averagely 22.6 million homes watching the episode,^[2] the series was the eleventh most-watched show in the week it was broadcast, tied with NBC's The Golden Girls.^[9][10] David received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series,^[11] but lost the award to Gary Dontzig and Steven Peterman, writers of the Murphy Brown episode "Jingle Hell, Jingle Hell, Jingle All the Way".^[12]

Critics reacted positively to the episode. Eric Kohanik of The Hamilton Spectator called "The Deal" a "hilarious episode".^[13] Entertainment Weekly critics Mike Flaherty and Mary Kaye Schilling commented "Jerry and Elaine's circuitous verbal dance pondering the relative worth of that [sex] versus this [the friendship] is sublime. The show's ability to be both explicit and vague will become a hallmark."^[14]

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Deal

• "The Deal" at the Internet Movie Database

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