"The Statue" is the 6th episode of Season 2, and the 11th episode overall. It originally aired on April 11, 1991.
The episode was written by Larry Charles and directed by Tom Cherones.
Plot
Jerry inherits some old possessions of his grandfather Irving. Among them is a statue that looks just like one George's family had, until George broke it. Jerry promises that George can have it, but leaves it in his apartment for a few days. Kramer takes a few of Irving's old clothes. Elaine persuades Jerry to have his apartment cleaned by her client Rava's boyfriend Ray. Jerry is very impressed by the quality of the cleaning; but when he and Elaine visit Rava, Jerry notices a statue with a vivid similarity to the one he inherited, and believes Ray stole it. He calls Kramer to check his apartment, and when he couldn't find the statue, Jerry's suspicion is confirmed.
Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer discuss the situation and Kramer urges Jerry to do something about it, but Elaine argues that Rava will no longer let her edit her book if Jerry does this. Jerry calls Ray and has lunch with him, while George sits in the next booth and eavesdrops on their conversation. Jerry asks him about the statue, but Ray gets offended and leaves when he hears Jerry's opinion. Elaine and Rava get into an argument about Jerry's accusation, and Elaine is no longer allowed to edit Rava's book. Without notifying anybody, Kramer dresses up in Irving's old clothes and goes to Ray's apartment, pretending to be a cop, and steals back the statue. Kramer returns the statue to a grateful George. But when George holds the statue, Kramer gives him a friendly pat on the back, causing George to drop the statue, which breaks when it hits the floor.
Notes About Nothing
- George explains that he broke the original statue when he was using it as a microphone, singing the song "MacArthur Park", by Jimmy Webb, in early drafts of the script, George broke it while singing "There Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues".
- The episode contained numerous references to the 1960s television crime drama Dragnet; this was because Larry Charles, who wrote the episode, watched a lot of reruns of the show when he was writing for Seinfeld.
- The cop Kramer pretends to be when he retrieves the statue was inspired by Joe Friday, the central character of Dragnet.
- Finland is also mentioned multiple times, as Rava is from there.
- At the end of the episode Kramer states, "Well, let's put it this way. I didn't take them to The People's Court." This is a reference to the judicial television show.
Quotes
- "When I was ten years old my parents had this very same statue on the mantle of our apartment. Exactly. And one day I grabbed it and I was using it as a microphone. I was singing ‘MacArthur Park’ and I got to the part about, 'I'll never have that recipe again,' and it slipped out of my hand and it broke. My parents looked at me like I smashed the Ten Commandments. To this day they bring it up. It was the single most damaging experience in my life, aside from seeing my father naked." - George
- "He cleaned the little one inch area between the refrigerator and the counter. How did he get in there? He must be like Rubber Man!" - Jerry
- "This experience has changed me. It's made me more cynical, more bitter, more jaded." - George
- "Just make love to that wall, pervert!" - Kramer
- "Yeah, I'm a cop. I'm a good cop. I’M A DAMN GOOD COP!" - Kramer
| Season Two Episodes |
|---|
| The Ex-Girlfriend | The Pony Remark | The Jacket | The Phone Message | The Apartment | The Statue | The Revenge | The Heart Attack | The Deal | The Baby Shower | The Chinese Restaurant | The Busboy Un-Produced: |