The Robbery
Encyclopedia
"The Robbery" is the fourth episode
of the first season
of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld
. It aired as the third episode of the season on June 7, 1990. It was written by Matt Goldman, therefore making this the first Seinfeld episode not written by the show's creators: Jerry Seinfeld
and Larry David
.
In the episode, Jerry
leaves Elaine
in charge of his apartment while he goes on tour. When he returns, he finds the apartment has been robbed after Kramer
left the front door open. While Kramer promises to find the robbers, George
offers him the chance to move into a much better apartment—a move he accepts, allowing Elaine to move in Jerry's apartment and away from her annoying roommate Tina.
, leaving Elaine to look after his apartment. Elaine is having trouble with an annoying roommate, Tina, who is a "Waitress/Actress" hoping to get a part, and asks George if he can find her some new accommodation. She then tries to persuade Jerry to give her his current apartment, with George offering Jerry a new apartment on West 83rd Street by Central Park
which he claims is great, but Jerry turns the offer down. When Jerry returns he finds the apartment has been burglarized because Kramer left the front door open by mistake. As a way of making up, Kramer promises to find the items that were stolen from Jerry.
After the robbery, Elaine still asks Jerry to give her the apartment. Jerry decides to have a look around the new apartment first. The apartment is great and Jerry takes it, allowing Elaine to move into the old apartment. Jerry is about to sign the lease to the apartment, but George tells him that if he has having second thoughts, he should not take it. This results in him thinking that George may want the new apartment for himself. The two have an argument resulting in neither of them wanting to move. They gamble for the apartment and Jerry wins. Meanwhile, Kramer claims that he thinks he knows where Jerry's stolen objects are, and suspects an Englishman along the hallway who denies having any "stuff" on him.
Later in Monk's Cafe
, Jerry goes back on the deal and decides not to take the place because George wants it. The two continue to argue about who should own it, and decided that neither of them should take it. A waitress, Carolyn, played by Anita Wise, overhears them and George offers the place to her, which she accepts. The waitress invites them and Elaine to her housewarming, but it is clear that Jerry, George and Elaine are not enjoying themselves. They overhear two people having a conversation about someone else moving out of their apartment, to which all three ask what the apartment's rent is.
was given a $20,000 bonus by Castle Rock
and was promoted to executive producer
for his work on the episode. During the shooting of the episode, an earthquake
struck the set, but no one was hurt.
The episode is the first to mention the character of Tina, Elaine's actress roommate, although she does not appear in this episode. It is also the first episode to feature Kramer making a sliding entrance into Jerry's apartment, which became a trademark in all the later episodes. Carolyn the waitress, played by Anita Wise, and her husband Larry, are named after Seinfeld's own sister and brother-in-law.
In the original draft of the script, the Englishman is called "Berbick." In the same script, Elaine asks Jerry what happened between Kramer and the Englishman. Jerry replies, "Kramer stayed there three hours. They're like best friends now."
Reviews of the episode are mixed. Andy Patrizio from IGN.com wrote that "The Robbery" was the best episode of the first season of Seinfeld, saying that it showed, "the dynamics that would come to define the show." However, Colin Jacobson for DVD Movie Guide said, "It lacks the great banter and play that marks the best episodes, but it doesn't come across as a total dud. It just seems a bit uninspired in the greater scheme of things."
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the first season
Seinfeld (season 1)
Season one of Seinfeld, an American television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on July 5, 1989 on NBC. Originally called The Seinfeld Chronicles, the series' name was shortened to Seinfeld to avoid confusion with another sitcom called The Marshall Chronicles...
of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
. It aired as the third episode of the season on June 7, 1990. It was written by Matt Goldman, therefore making this the first Seinfeld episode not written by the show's creators: Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
and Larry David
Larry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
.
In the episode, Jerry
Jerry Seinfeld (character)
Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
leaves Elaine
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
in charge of his apartment while he goes on tour. When he returns, he finds the apartment has been robbed after Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
left the front door open. While Kramer promises to find the robbers, George
George Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
offers him the chance to move into a much better apartment—a move he accepts, allowing Elaine to move in Jerry's apartment and away from her annoying roommate Tina.
Plot
Jerry goes away to perform some stand-up in MinneapolisMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, leaving Elaine to look after his apartment. Elaine is having trouble with an annoying roommate, Tina, who is a "Waitress/Actress" hoping to get a part, and asks George if he can find her some new accommodation. She then tries to persuade Jerry to give her his current apartment, with George offering Jerry a new apartment on West 83rd Street by Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
which he claims is great, but Jerry turns the offer down. When Jerry returns he finds the apartment has been burglarized because Kramer left the front door open by mistake. As a way of making up, Kramer promises to find the items that were stolen from Jerry.
After the robbery, Elaine still asks Jerry to give her the apartment. Jerry decides to have a look around the new apartment first. The apartment is great and Jerry takes it, allowing Elaine to move into the old apartment. Jerry is about to sign the lease to the apartment, but George tells him that if he has having second thoughts, he should not take it. This results in him thinking that George may want the new apartment for himself. The two have an argument resulting in neither of them wanting to move. They gamble for the apartment and Jerry wins. Meanwhile, Kramer claims that he thinks he knows where Jerry's stolen objects are, and suspects an Englishman along the hallway who denies having any "stuff" on him.
Later in Monk's Cafe
Monk's Cafe
Monk's Café is a fictional coffee shop from the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. The exterior of Tom's Restaurant on the corner of West 112th Street and Broadway, near Columbia University, is often shown on the show as the exterior of Monk's, though the interiors were shot on a sound stage. The coffee shop is...
, Jerry goes back on the deal and decides not to take the place because George wants it. The two continue to argue about who should own it, and decided that neither of them should take it. A waitress, Carolyn, played by Anita Wise, overhears them and George offers the place to her, which she accepts. The waitress invites them and Elaine to her housewarming, but it is clear that Jerry, George and Elaine are not enjoying themselves. They overhear two people having a conversation about someone else moving out of their apartment, to which all three ask what the apartment's rent is.
Production
"The Robbery" was written by Matt Goldman, therefore making this episode the first not to be written by Seinfeld or David and the only one not written by Seinfeld and David for the season. The idea for the episode was inspired by Seinfeld's own experiences of his apartment being robbed when he was a student, although rather than the door being unlocked as it was in the episode, the burglars broke through the walls. Co-creator of the series Larry DavidLarry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
was given a $20,000 bonus by Castle Rock
Castle Rock
-Islands:*Castle Rock , an island off the coast of the U.S. state of Alaska*Castle Rock, Hong Kong , an island of Hong Kong, part of the Po Toi Islands*Castle Rock , an island in the U.S...
and was promoted to executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
for his work on the episode. During the shooting of the episode, an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
struck the set, but no one was hurt.
The episode is the first to mention the character of Tina, Elaine's actress roommate, although she does not appear in this episode. It is also the first episode to feature Kramer making a sliding entrance into Jerry's apartment, which became a trademark in all the later episodes. Carolyn the waitress, played by Anita Wise, and her husband Larry, are named after Seinfeld's own sister and brother-in-law.
In the original draft of the script, the Englishman is called "Berbick." In the same script, Elaine asks Jerry what happened between Kramer and the Englishman. Jerry replies, "Kramer stayed there three hours. They're like best friends now."
Reception
When "The Robbery" first aired on June 7, 1990, it received a Nielsen rating of 13.6/24. This means that the episode was watched by 13.6% of American households, and that 24% of all televisions in use at the time were tuned into it.Reviews of the episode are mixed. Andy Patrizio from IGN.com wrote that "The Robbery" was the best episode of the first season of Seinfeld, saying that it showed, "the dynamics that would come to define the show." However, Colin Jacobson for DVD Movie Guide said, "It lacks the great banter and play that marks the best episodes, but it doesn't come across as a total dud. It just seems a bit uninspired in the greater scheme of things."
External links
- The Robbery at the official Seinfeld site.