The Bottle Deposit (1)
Aired Thursday, May 2, 1996 ยท 30 min

A garage mechanic steals Jerry's car. Elaine tries to win J. Peterman JFK's presidential golf clubs at an auction. George is asked to work on a mysterious assignment. Kramer and Newman run a recycling scam.
Posts per day after the first airing
The morning after
Posters debate whether Frank Costanza's past selling church items in Korea suggests the family might be Christian rather than Jewish, with mixed reactions about the plausibility.
Fans discuss whether Newman's first name is revealed to be Norman in "The Bottle Deposit," with disagreement over whether the farmer's daughter got his name correct or mistakenly called him Norman.
Viewers debate unresolved plot threads from the two-part "Bottle Deposit" episode, with some joking about explanations while others insist the show simply moved on without resolution.
Fans identify the episode title as "The Bottle Deposit" and discuss a potential continuity error regarding Newman's character knowledge of state abbreviations.
Fans wonder why Susan doesn't appear in the hour-long episode and speculate whether George and Susan have broken up or if the writers simply forgot about her character.
Viewers ask about Brad Garrett's background after his appearance as Jerry's car-stealing mechanic, with replies identifying him as a Star Search winner and stand-up comedian known for impressions.
Fans request and provide descriptions of the second half of The Bottle Deposit episode, detailing plot points involving a stolen car chase and recovered golf clubs.
Fans debate whether Jerry's opening joke about mechanics protecting car seats with paper while getting them dirty is stupid or if the poster misunderstood the joke's actual point.
Fans complain that the hour-long special contains excessive commercials with only 39 minutes of actual content, leading to discussion about standard commercial breaks in television programming.
Viewer found the Bottle Deposit episode funny but posts in the group convinced them it was poorly written, listing multiple plot inconsistencies and logical flaws throughout the episode.
Best of the morning after
โWell, that was the much balleyhooed 1-hour episode....โ
โWe all know that Seinfeld drives a Porsche 911 in real life.โ
โ"I don't know how you guys walk around with those things!"โ
โYou have to remember, Newman is the **brightest** person on earth.โ
โEverybody except you -- including the writers -- has forgotten all about Susan.โ
โThat's 21 minutes of commercials (I did the math for you).โ
Over the years
Thread discusses technical inaccuracies in "The Bottle Deposit" episode regarding a SAAB 900 car, including fuel injection versus carburetor details and turbo specifications on convertible models.
Fans discuss the meaning of a lyric from Petula Clark's "Downtown" that Jerry quotes in the coffee shop scene, clarifying it is an actual line from the song.
Viewers discuss whether Newman's first name is revealed in "The Bottle Deposit" when the farmer's daughter calls him "Norman," debating if it's his real name or indicates her confusion.
Fans discuss whether Newman's first name is Norman based on a farmer's daughter's comment in 'The Bottle Deposit', with consensus that she was confused and his name remains Newman.
Fans discuss what type of car Jerry drives in the episode where a mechanic steals it, with debate over whether it's a Saab 9000 or 900 convertible and details about its engine specifications.
Fans identify the episode where George misses instructions from his boss in the bathroom as "The Bottle Deposit."
Fans help identify an unclear line from The Bottle Deposit script where Kramer offers Jerry artichokes, saying "Choke?"
Fans discuss what George's mysterious assignment was in "The Bottle Deposit" episode, with one proposing he needed to create baseball salary graphs at Kinko's.
Fans discuss a real-world case of can smuggling in Michigan that mirrors the plot of "The Bottle Deposit" episode where Newman attempts to profit from the deposit difference between states.
Fans clarify which episode features a pie-naming sequence, with one correcting that the detailed berry list belongs to "The Bubble Boy" episode, not "The Bottle Deposit."
Viewers question the logic of Kramer recognizing Jerry's stolen car on the highway and debate why the gang didn't call police anonymously instead of following the mechanic.
Fans help identify an episode where George works on a confusing project involving downtown locations, confirming it is The Bottle Deposit.
Fans discuss Newman's first name, with one poster revealing it is Cosmo while another expresses skepticism about the claim.
Elaine will buy JFK's golf clubs at an auction in an upcoming episode.
Fans discuss an upcoming episode where Elaine tries to win JFK's golf clubs at an auction, debating whether she or her boss J. Peterman will actually purchase them.