S02E13 · EP 14
season 2 · 1991-05-02
The Deal
written by ? · directed by ? · 22.9M viewers · image Seinfeld Wiki (CC BY-SA)

Episode DNA

15 scenes · 3 threads
deadpan 15%deal 12%awkward 9%confession 6%tense 5%social rule violation 4%tender 4%cheerful 4%angry 4%misunderstanding 3%

Story threads over runtime

click a block to open the scene
0:005:0010:0015:0020:00
A · Jerry & Elaine's arrangement
B · Birthday gift dilemma
C · George's skepticism
01

Every scene

15 scenes · our breakdown
1 · Comedy club stage · cold_openStand-up: Women Trying Clothes

Jerry performs stand-up about how women try on clothes differently than men.

00:01–00:52social_rule_violation
2 ▸ 00:52
2 · Jerry's apartment · act1Flipping to Adult Channel

Jerry and Elaine watch TV, find a porn channel, and discuss their dry spells.

00:52–04:39seduction · deal
3 ▸ 04:39
3 · Jerry's apartment · act1Establishing Ground Rules

Jerry and Elaine create rules to preserve friendship while adding sex.

04:39–06:44deal · social_rule_violation
4 ▸ 06:44
4 · Jerry's apartment · act1Kramer's Morning Visit

Kramer enters asking for the newspaper and notices something different.

06:44–07:08eavesdropping · coincidence
6 ▸ 07:19
6 · Monk's Cafe · act1Lunch with George: The Reveal

Jerry tells George he slept with Elaine; George demands details.

07:19–09:38confession · interrogation
7 · Monk's Cafe · act1George Calls It Impossible

George insists friends-with-benefits cannot work and mocks Jerry's ego.

09:38–10:38rivalry · bet
8 · Monk's Cafe · act1Explaining the Rules to George

Jerry shares the two rules; George predicts the sleepover rule will fail.

10:38–11:19deal · misunderstanding
9 ▸ 11:19
9 · Jerry's apartment · act2The Sleepover Argument

Elaine wants Jerry to stay; he refuses per rules, causing a fight.

11:19–13:11deal · betrayal
10 ▸ 13:11
10 · Shop · act2Shopping for Birthday Gift

Jerry and George debate gift ideas; Jerry recalls mention of a bench.

13:11–14:45obsession · petty_grievance
11 ▸ 14:45
11 · Comedy club stage · act2Stand-up: Greeting Cards

Jerry rants about the difficulty of writing birthday cards and blank cards.

14:45–15:43social_rule_violation · petty_grievance
12 ▸ 15:43
12 · Elaine's office · act2Birthday Party: Cash vs Bench

Elaine gets $182 cash from Jerry; Kramer gives her the bench she wanted.

15:43–17:17humiliation · coincidence
13 ▸ 17:17
13 · Elaine's office · act3Confrontation: This, That, and the Other

Jerry and Elaine argue; she wants a full relationship; he realizes the deal is broken.

17:17–19:06breakup · confession
14 · Monk's Cafe · act3Monk's: Post-Breakup Analysis

Jerry and George dissect the collapse; George jokes about prison.

19:06–20:43rivalry · avoidance
15 · Jerry's apartment · act3Jerry Calls Elaine

Jerry calls Elaine; they confirm they are now a couple doing 'this, that, and the other.'

20:43–21:27deal · confession
16 · Comedy club stage · tagStand-up: Commitment and Exits

Jerry compares commitment to a highway exit men refuse to take.

21:27–22:04avoidance
03

Same DNA

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04

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Episode facts

Wikipedia · Wikidata
Aired
1991-05-02
Overall
#14
Writers
Director
Viewers
22.9M (US)
Pace
121 words/min · 122 questions

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