The Rye
Encyclopedia
"The Rye" is the 121st episode of the NBC
sitcom Seinfeld
. This was the 11th episode for the seventh season. It aired on January 4, 1996.
dates a jazz saxophonist named Johnny Germaine and admits to Jerry
that she is upset because Johnny doesn't do "everything," a reference to oral sex
; in spite of this, Jerry tells one of the band members that Johnny and Elaine are "hot and heavy." Susan's parents meet and have dinner with the Costanzas for the first time. The Costanzas bring a loaf of marble rye bread
which, when it isn't served after the meal, Frank takes back home. George
thinks that by getting Susan's parents out of the apartment for one evening, he can get a new rye and place it in the kitchen, making it appear as though it had always been there. Kramer
has taken over a friend's horse-drawn tourist carriage for a week and has agreed to take Susan's parents on a hansom cab
ride in the Central Park
area as a distraction for George.
The plans fall apart when neither Kramer nor Susan's parents can bear the smell
emitted by the horse after consuming an entire can of Beef-A-Reeno. Meanwhile, Johnny wants to try adding something "new" with Elaine and takes her back to his place before a performance in front of some record executives. Furthermore, Schnitzer's Bakery sells the last rye to an elderly woman (portrayed by Frances Bay
) who refuses to sell it to Jerry for fifty dollars. Jerry then follows the woman down the street in order to obtain the marble rye loaf, though she still refuses to sell it. Eventually he steals it from her. By now the Rosses have returned and the only way George can retrieve the rye is by fishing it out of Jerry's hands from a third story window and is subsequently caught by Susan and her parents. Johnny shows up late to his show with Elaine and finds he can't play even a single bar
well. Elaine sheepishly sneaks out of the club.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
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...
. This was the 11th episode for the seventh season. It aired on January 4, 1996.
Plot
ElaineElaine 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...
dates a jazz saxophonist named Johnny Germaine and admits to 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...
that she is upset because Johnny doesn't do "everything," a reference to oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
; in spite of this, Jerry tells one of the band members that Johnny and Elaine are "hot and heavy." Susan's parents meet and have dinner with the Costanzas for the first time. The Costanzas bring a loaf of marble rye bread
Rye bread
Rye bread is a type of bread made with various percentages of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat flour...
which, when it isn't served after the meal, Frank takes back home. 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"...
thinks that by getting Susan's parents out of the apartment for one evening, he can get a new rye and place it in the kitchen, making it appear as though it had always been there. 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...
has taken over a friend's horse-drawn tourist carriage for a week and has agreed to take Susan's parents on a hansom cab
Hansom cab
The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn cart designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York. The vehicle was developed and tested by Hansom in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. Originally called the Hansom safety cab, it was designed to combine speed with safety, with a low...
ride in the 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...
area as a distraction for George.
The plans fall apart when neither Kramer nor Susan's parents can bear the smell
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...
emitted by the horse after consuming an entire can of Beef-A-Reeno. Meanwhile, Johnny wants to try adding something "new" with Elaine and takes her back to his place before a performance in front of some record executives. Furthermore, Schnitzer's Bakery sells the last rye to an elderly woman (portrayed by Frances Bay
Frances Bay
Frances Bay was a U.S.-based Canadian character actress, best known for playing quirky, elderly women on film and television...
) who refuses to sell it to Jerry for fifty dollars. Jerry then follows the woman down the street in order to obtain the marble rye loaf, though she still refuses to sell it. Eventually he steals it from her. By now the Rosses have returned and the only way George can retrieve the rye is by fishing it out of Jerry's hands from a third story window and is subsequently caught by Susan and her parents. Johnny shows up late to his show with Elaine and finds he can't play even a single bar
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
well. Elaine sheepishly sneaks out of the club.