"The Rye" = A Costanza 'tour de force'

"The Rye"

First aired: Jan. 4, 1996

This is probably the best performance by George's parents - Frank and Estelle. I love the contrast between the Costanza's and Susan's parents while they were at dinner. Frank doesn't know what he's eating and end's up exclaiming, "That's perverse!" when it's revealed that the chicken, hen, and rooster all mate together.

Frank and Estelle finally agree on something - it was "stupid" for Susan's parents not to put out the rye bread, and to not provide cake.

Frank and Estelle produced some great lines while at dinner and while on the car ride home, with George sitting in the back seat. For one, everthing was directed well. Second, the acting was in top form. I thouroughly enjoyed this episode, eventhough it was a "new" one.

I find it hilarious when Jerry and George are tossing the rye bread around at the end.

Great episode! Even Larry David considers it to be one of his favorites.

Justin Tribble Sedona, Az.

But doesn't that make them "out of character" and ruin it for you? I mean it contradicted what they've always been...Suddenly you like this...other posts by you have said that the reason you didn't like something is because certain characters didn't "act the way they should..." Has anyone else seen this with Justin?

Let me point out that in this case, things were handled very well. It DID make sense that Frank and Estelle would agree on this matter. The show built up a tension between George's parents and Susan's parents - this was handled beautifully. I don't think that the Costanza's were out of character at all. In this epsiode, the Costanza's were given two other people to fight about other than with themselves. This has happened before with the Seinfelds.

There were times in the Old years when the Costanza's did agree on things.

Justin T.

[email] (Josh Frazee) wrote:

In article , [email] says...

I just think that if the Costanzas had agreed with each other this season, in the same fashion, you would have pointed it out as a weakness in the writing and blamed it on Jerry directly...Like in The Serenity Now, I recall you complaining at the fact that because everyone acted out of character it was a bad episode...but that's what made it so funny...no one expected them to act the way they did and it created great humor...I think you're just upset that Larry David stopped doing the show but it continues to be popular...

This is not out of characer. Just because they fight and insult each other doesn't mean they disagree on everything. Jerry's parents are always disagreeing. I have Uncles and Aunts just like this.

Sorry, I agree with Justin. The Marble Rye episode was brilliant. The dinner conversation Merlot - did they just invent that? And Susan's mother reaching for another drink. If I had a dime for every book he read... The Chicken, Hen, Rooster was classic ... And Joe pepitone... civil war practicing on grass... ROTFL...every second.

I don't think anyone was out of character on that episode - Perhaps Jerry a little for stealing the Marble Rye - he should not have been that loyal to George. He could have purchased a cinnamon rye. Definetly not a lesser rye!

I was sick as a dog when this episode aired. It hurt to laugh. But I was in pain all throughout, as I just couldn't help it. I had to take some extra medicine when I saw that ending (George holding the fishing pole in one hand and the rye in the other), I was laughing so hard...

Dixon Hayes wrote:

  Beefarino rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In , Christina Schwartz writes:

Fit for a keng and a queen-o, What a delicious quisine-o!!

Dixon Hayes wrote in message ...

This episode was written by Carol Leifer, former producer of the show, the "model" for the Elaine character (she's an ex-girlfriend of Jerry's) and current star of her own sitcom on the WB, "Alright Already".

It is not only one of my favorites, but was included in the TV Guide artlicle of last year, as one of the 10 top episodes of "Seinfeld". It is IMHO, the best Elaine story, of all.