The Opposite

For other uses, see Opposite.

"The Opposite"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 21
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld & Andy Cowan
Production code	522
Original air date	May 19, 1994
Guest actors
Estelle Harris as Estelle Costanza Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza Richard Fancy as Lippman Marty Rackham as Jake Siobhan Fallon as Tina Paul Gleason as Cushman Dedee Pfeiffer as Victoria Melanie Smith as Rachel Regis Philbin as Himself Kathie Lee Gifford as Herself Hiram Kasten as Michael French Stewart as Manager Ken Takemoto as Chairman Fritz Mashimo as Interpreter Susan Segal as Waitress Oscar Jordan as Counterperson Rolando Molina as Punk #1 Michael Friedma as Punk #2 Marvin Braverman as Poker Player #1 Wesley Thompson as Poker Player #2 Jeff Barton as Poker Player #3 Jeffrey von Meyer as Poker Player #4

"The Opposite" is the 86th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, which was also the 22nd episode of the fifth season. It aired on May 19, 1994. This was the first episode shot for Season 5, but it was intended to be the season finale. This is the last episode Tom Cherones directed. Andy Ackerman would take over as the primary director for the remaining seasons.

Plot

Elaine gets a raise at Pendant Publishing, which is merging with a Japanese conglomerate to avoid bankruptcy, and is publishing Kramer's coffee table book. She has also reunited with her boyfriend Jake Jarmel. (It is never revealed how they got over their exclamation point dispute.) George returns from the beach and decides that every decision that he has ever made has been wrong, and that his life is the exact opposite of what it should be. George tells this to Jerry in Monk's Cafe, who convinces him that "if every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right". George then resolves to start doing the complete opposite of what he would do normally. He orders the opposite of his normal lunch, and he introduces himself to a beautiful woman (played by Dedee Pfeiffer) who happens to order exactly the same lunch, saying, "My name is George. I'm unemployed and I live with my parents." To his surprise, she is impressed and agrees to date him.

Jerry loses a stand-up gig and five minutes later is asked to perform another one on the same night, for the same pay, prompting Kramer to call him "Even Steven". This causes Jerry to start noticing how everything always ends up turning out exactly the same for him as originally planned, never losing or gaining. George continues to do the Opposite on his date with Victoria. He stops shaving, yells at noisy cinema patrons, and refuses to come up to her apartment. Meanwhile, Elaine, upon hearing that Jake has been in an accident (from a theater manager, played by French Stewart), quickly buys some Jujyfruits from the concession stand before heading to the hospital. Jake takes extreme exception to her lack of consideration and breaks up with Elaine on the spot because of it, putting an exclamation point after his parting words: "GOOD NIGHT!"

The next day, Kramer appears on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee to promote his book. After kissing Kathie Lee on the mouth, he accidentally burns his mouth on the hot coffee and spits it all over Kathie Lee. This leads to a premature cancellation of his book tour. Thanks to his date, George gets an interview at the New York Yankees, where he also does the opposite of his instincts and criticizes George Steinbrenner (voiced by Larry David) about his management practices, thus landing him the job of Assistant to the Traveling Secretary. He moves out of his parents' house, making sure to tell them how much he loves them, again, an example of "opposite" behavior.

Elaine finds out that she is being kicked out of her apartment building. The list of grievances includes putting Canadian quarters into the washing machine and buzzing a jewel thief and a group of Jehovah's Witnesses past security, after which "[they] couldn't get them out of the building." Later, when her boss (Mr. Lippman) forgets his handkerchief in her office, Elaine (her mouth full of Jujyfruits) cannot tell him to take it. Later, when he sneezes without his handkerchief, he will not shake hands with his Japanese counterpart (and spread germs); the Japanese executive takes this as a sign of disrespect and becomes angry, refusing to close the deal, thus putting an end to Pendant Publishing. By the end of the episode, Elaine claims that she has "become George," but Jerry can only marvel at how things always even out for him: first, Elaine was up and George was down; now, George is up and Elaine is down, but Jerry's life is exactly the same.

Production

According to Jerry Seinfeld, the line from George's angry rant at the movie theater – "...we're gonna take it outside and I'm gonna show you what it's like!" – is taken almost verbatim from a Buddy Rich bootleg tape, where he would berate his big band players for playing too loud.^[1] Regis Philbin, as recounted in his memoir How I Got This Way, was embarrassed and disappointed with Jerry Seinfeld and the show's writing crew after his repeated line, "This guy's bonkos!" bombed with the audiences. Philbin had objected to the line prior to the taping of the episode, a request which Seinfeld and the writing staff did not honor.^[2]

The concept for George's plotline is in fact already suggested in "The Seinfeld Chronicles", Seinfeld's pilot. In one scene, George tells Jerry not to clean his bathroom before a woman visits, because "...in these matters you never do what your instincts tell you. Always, ALWAYS do the opposite." When Jerry asks if this is George's own practice, he responds, "Yeah, I wish."^[3]

References

↑ "Seinfeld, Season 6 – DVD Extras". Amazon.com. Retrieved Jun 2, 2009.
↑ "Regis Philbin Still Holding 18-Year-old Grudge Against Jerry Seinfeld, Report Says". Fox News. November 22, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
↑ Seinfeld Scripts - The Seinfeld Chronicles

External links

The Opposite at the Internet Movie Database
TV.com Episode summary - The Opposite
Script for The Opposite at seinfeldscripts.com

Seinfeld episodes

Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"

Season 2	"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"

Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend" "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"

Season 4	"The Trip" "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"

Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats" "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"

Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100" "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"

Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac" "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit" "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"

Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"

Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strong Box" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle" "The Finale"

Indicates two-part episode

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