The Package — seinfeld

"The Package" is the 139th episode of Seinfeld. This was the fifth episode for the eighth season. It was first broadcast on October 17, 1996. It was written by Jennifer Crittenden and was directed by Andy Ackerman.

Plot

Elaine cannot receive medical treatment for her rash because of a reputation as being a "difficult" patient. Elaine tries to lift her medical records, but he catches her and takes them back. She tries other doctors, but her chart is passed on to her newer providers and they likewise refuse her treatment.

Kramer tells Jerry he can get him a refund on his stereo that is two years out of warranty. Jerry refuses delivery of a package with no return address, so Uncle Leo signs for it. Leo's stove explodes, burning his eyebrows off. Jerry opens the package, and it contains his stereo in pieces. Kramer sent the package to him insured, intending Jerry to claim it was damaged in transit and collect the insurance money.

George discovers the clerk at the photo store (Sheila) is looking at his pictures. He photographs everything, even Jerry taking a screwdriver to his stereo, as an excuse to see her again. George thinks that Sheila has stuck a revealing picture of herself in with his pictures, when, in actuality, it was a lingerie model's picture that accidentally got mixed in. Kramer convinces George to return the compliment by sending seductive pictures of George to Sheila, and takes the photos. George drops off his film at the photo store. Sheila goes on break and passes the job on to her co-worker, Ron. Enticed by the photos, Ron takes his own racy photo and mixes it in with George's photos. When Sheila informs George that she can not find his photos, he assumes she kept them and asks her out. She eagerly accepts.

Elaine accompanies Uncle Leo when he visits the doctor about his eyebrows to try to get a diagnosis for her rash. She panics and flees when the doctor steps out, drawing a new pair of eyebrows on Leo to keep him quiet. This makes him look angry, and his doctor writes him up as "difficult". Elaine gets Kramer to pose as the fictitious Dr. Van Nostrand and ask for her records. Kramer fumbles on his cover story and a file is opened on him. After Kramer contracts Elaine's rash, Elaine, Kramer, and Leo visit a medical office in a rural location, but the doctor is alerted about them.

Newman grills Jerry on suspicion of mail fraud, but Jerry points out that he has no proof. By chance Newman passes the photo store and sees the photo of Jerry with his stereo. He confiscates George's photos as evidence, forcing Jerry to pay a fine for the fraud. He also sees the photos of George and Ron, and accuses George of being involved in a mail-order pornography ring. Seeing Newman's blown-up photos of George and Ron, Sheila runs from George in horror.

Notes About Nothing

Phil Hartman makes an uncredited voice appearance in this episode as the man who wakes Elaine to confirm the spelling of her surname.
Elaine makes reference to the nipple incident when talking with George about Kramer's photography work. The incident occurred in the Season 4 episode “The Pick”.
Kramer poses as "Dr. Van Nostrand, from the clinic". Kramer reprises this character in the Season 9 episode “The Slicer”. The character is also referenced in “The Strike”.
The scene in which Jerry is interrogated on suspicion of mail fraud references the rather infamous interrogation scene from the movie Basic Instinct. Wayne Knight played the role of John Curran in Basic Instinct, and his character was in that scene -- the shots of Newman's sweaty face during Jerry's interrogation look very much like the reaction of his character during that scene.

Season Eight Episodes