Original Airdate: November 18, 1992
Writer: Larry David
Director: Tom Cherones
Executive Producers: Larry David, Andrew Scheinman, George
Shapiro, Howard West
Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards,
Jason Alexander
Masturbation.
“The Contest” is famously about it, and also famous because
the word is never spoken during its 23-minute running time. The episode is
smart enough to be subtle about the subject and its writer, Larry David, understands
that the lack of overt references is often funnier than screaming obscenities
at the top of your lungs. We live in an era where it’s in vogue to blatantly
state everything about our lives in detail with no filter, but the very best
comedy remains the type which is subtle and has a slow build. In an era where
so much is being made of cable’s apparent overthrow of network television and
the freedom creators now feel without Standards and Practices breathing down
their necks, it’s important to note that the majority of quality comedy shows
are still being produced for networks, not cable. Yes, “Girls” is getting a
bunch of buzz and “Louie” is breaking all the conventional rules of television
storytelling, but on the networks you can find shows like “Community,” “NewGirl,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23,” “Happy Endings,” and new classics like “Parks & Recreation,” “30 Rock” and “Modern Family.” Part of this is certainly that subtlety goes hand-in-hand with the
very best comedy, and always will, and network comedies can more easily embrace
that than cable, which comes with the pressure of being edgy and cutting edge.
But I digress, and digressing in your first paragraph is
never a good thing. Back to “Seinfeld,” which by its fourth season was expert
on turning the everyday machinations of human nature into fodder for humor,
probably never more so than in this episode. It begins with a gut-bustingly
funny story related by George (Jason Alexander) where he is walked in on by his
mother while masturbating to Glamour Magazine (yes, you read that right)
and inadvertently caused her to throw her back out and be hospitalized. The
story is funny because it’s relatable and yet taken to an extreme, and this
segues perfectly into a bet between the friends to see who can abstain from
masturbation the longest. Everyone throws in a hundred bucks, except for Elaine
(Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who must bet $150 because it will be more difficult for
the guys.
How will they ensure that the contest is honest? The honor
system, of course, though considering how well these dirtbags knew one another
it probably wasn’t the best version of checks-and-balances. In fact George, the
eventual winner of the contest, reveals later in the series that he cheated, which
renders some of the comedy in the episode less funny because George isn’t
really suffering as much as we assume, but you just have to put that revelation
out of your head for now.
The lowbrow version of this lowbrow storyline (and I mean
that in the best way possible) would involve jokes about the penis and bodily
fluids, but David is more interested in bypassing the potty humor and turning
the bet into a psychological torture session for our characters, which was
exactly the right decision. Kramer (Michael Richards) doesn’t last past seeing
a hot naked woman wandering through her apartment across the street from Jerry
(Jerry Seinfeld). Jerry is dealing with the fact that his current girlfriend,
the Virgin (Jane Leeves), will stop proceedings before it gets too hot and
heavy.
Both those are funny, but the trials for Elaine and George
are brilliantly over-the-top. George goes to visit his mother (Estelle Harris)
in the hospital and finds that the gorgeous female in the next bed is getting a
sponge-bath from an even-hotter nurse. It’s one of the ultimate male fantasies
come true only inches away from George, and he has to watch it while unable to
release his frustrations and while sitting next to his mother, who is
lying in what appears to be a butt sling.
 |
| THAT John F. Kennedy Jr. |
And then there’s Elaine. She finds herself in an exercise
class directly behind John F. Kennedy Jr. and his assets. Yes, THAT John F.
Kennedy Jr. More than that, he actually is interested in her (!), hits on her
(!!) and they share a cab ride home together (!!!). Because masturbation is
essentially about fantasy, David gleefully takes the episode over the top and
parodies some of our most fantastical daydreams.
Because of the subject matter and nature of the episode, the
humor can’t help but be very frontloaded (no pun intended). And while the
teaser and first act of the episode are damn near perfect because we are
quickly amused by the storyline and the introductions to the various character
trials, the sense of discovery ebbs away by the second act. A small misstep is
a second scene where George returns to the hospital to watch the sponge-bath
again that covers the same territory. Luckily, David gives the viewers a
genuinely funny pay-off by having the virgin break up with Jerry and fall into
the arms of JFK Jr., who just happens to be outside Jerry’s apartment to meet
Elaine.
And as for the winner of the contest? David never blatantly
states it in the episode, but doesn’t have to. Jerry walks over to the window,
defeated after losing the Virgin, and spies the naked neighbor strutting her
stuff. Enough said, and sometimes the best climaxes (only a little pun
intended) come without being underlined and given a huge punchline.
“The Contest” is available in the fourth season DVD of
“Seinfeld” and is probably being rerun right now on television.
No comments:
Post a Comment