The Chinese Restaurant - Superman

S02E11 The Chinese RestaurantretroJan 17, 2002, 2:13 PM ET11 years later8 posts by 4 posters
🧩 Trivia
8 posts
Derek Tagliarino

Okay, so this one is little rough, but I did find it:

First, in terms of general superheroes: George compares himself to Batman after explaining to Jerry why left Tatiana's (sp?) because of his bowel problems. Although this is not a Superman reference in itself, both characters are from DC comics, so it is pretty darn close.

Otherwise, while explaining his bowel problems, George describes them as an "unstoppable force," which is a term often applied to Superman. He also uses terms such as "extricate" and "realm" to describe the situation. Although all of the characters will often use SAT type words to explain themselves, these words in particular have Superman-like connotations.

-Derek

"Work smarter, not harder." -- Scrooge McDuck "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." -- Luke 11:23 "Once I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll
Derek TagliarinoDerek Tagliarino

I just wanted to add that although these references do not seem very explicit, that is what makes them references. As for the Parking Garage, I haven't seen that in a long time, but I imagine something could be found...perhaps in the security guard's office (that's just a guess). In addition, I am not a very big Superman fan, so I would problem not get many of the references anyway.

-Derek

"Work smarter, not harder." -- Scrooge McDuck "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." -- Luke 11:23 "Once I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll
John TwernboldDerek Tagliarino

Yes, the Batman reference in The Chinese Restaurant is a definite superhero reference (and we've actually discussed that one in here before), but it's the only one in that episode. You really can't call the "unstoppable force" line a superhero/Superman reference; if you're going to go that far, then you could probably find a superhero reference in every TV show ever made.

"See, Lucy just said 'building' to Ricky! And Superman leaps over buildings in a single bound, see, so that's a superhero reference!"

No, there isn't. Unless you're going to claim that Superman was a Scientologist, or that the goldfish was a friend of Aquaman's. :-)

Remember, there are no Superman references in about a third of all episodes. Even if you extend it to superhero references of any kind, you'll still have several DOZEN episodes without one.

Look, it's just a myth which seems somewhat believable because there *are* a lot of Superman references/images. And it's not the only one--some people think a bowl of cereal is eaten in every episode, too. But just because you want this myth to be true doesn't mean it IS true. It's not. It's a myth. A myth so common it's refuted in the Seinfeld Frequently-Asked Questions document.

And if you're still hung up on it, I've got a lobster-boy skeleton I can sell you, too. :-)

John Twernbold jtwernbold (at) yahoo.com
unknownJohn Twernbold

On Thu, 17 Jan 2002 13:55:06 -0600, "John Twernbold" wrote:

<snip>. But just because you

Remember, "It's not a myth if you believe it."

The News Guy(Mike) - Seinfeld Lists http://www.geocities.com/tnguym All things Seinfeld; scripts, trivia, lists,
Jupiter's MoonJohn Twernbold

And don't forget that the myth grew because of Jerry Seinfeld's real life love for Superman. That is confusing to our little sitcom watcher's minds... :)

Clara

Derek TagliarinoJupiter's Moon

Well, I don't know if it was confusing as much as the fact that I was bored. Forgive me for trying to post something a tad more interesting than "Mulva is hot". Of course, there won't be a direct reference in every single episode, but it seems a little more fun to try to target things like that than to simply wonder how minor celebrity like Jerry always got such lovely women to date him. :)

Cuddles, Derek

"Work smarter, not harder." -- Scrooge McDuck "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." -- Luke 11:23 "Once I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll
John TwernboldDerek Tagliarino

Go for it! Whatever floats yer boat. :-)

I'm just suggesting that you initially trust the people who have already looked into this instead of repeatedly insisting that they're all wrong and you're the only one who is correct, despite the fact that you have no proof whatsoever other than an urban myth. If you disagree with their analysis, feel free to view all 180 episodes and analyze them for Superman content.

If you're able to document a superhero image or reference in all 180 episodes (and if these references are the real deal, rather than wishful thinking like "unstoppable force"), we'll all gladly apologize for our mistake.

John Twernbold jtwernbold (at) yahoo.com
Derek TagliarinoJohn Twernbold

"If you disagree with their analysis, feel free to view all 180 episodes and analyze them for Superman content."

No, I actually do have something of a life. Someone just challenged to find a reference in The Chinese Restaurant after I pointed out that I had seen a few episodes where the references appeared. I already said that "unstoppable force" was probably pushing it a little, myself. However, I'll also that the Batman reference probably was not.

Otherwise, there's a good chance that a lot was edited from the episodes, especially the earlier ones where Jerry probably had less control. Maybe we'll see some deleted scenes and hear commentary if the DVD ever comes out (another of the interesting and varied posts on this group :).

-Derek

"Work smarter, not harder." -- Scrooge McDuck "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." -- Luke 11:23 "Once I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll