The Good Samaritan (Seinfeld)

"**The Good Samaritan**"
"The Good Samaritan"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 20
Directed by	Jason Alexander
Written by	Peter Mehlman
Production code	319
Original air date	March 4, 1992
Guest appearances
	Joseph Malone as Michael; Ann Talman as Robin; Melinda McGraw as Angela; Helen Slater (uncredited) as Becky Gelke;

"The Good Samaritan" is the 37th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 20th episode of the third season, and first aired on NBC on March 4, 1992.^[1] This is the only episode of Seinfeld to be directed by one of the show's stars, Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza.

Plot

Over car phone with Elaine, Jerry witnesses a hit-and-run on a parked car. Elaine demands he confront the driver, calling him chicken. The call gets cut off just as the driver stops and emerges; seeing that the driver, Angela (Melinda McGraw), is an attractive woman, Jerry changes his tune and goes out with her. Angela shamelessly ignores Jerry's nudges to redeem herself.

George is impressed by Jerry's story, and they rationalize forgiving Angela's transgression. To save face to Elaine, Jerry boasts that he tailed the hit-and-run driver to Queens and bested "him" in a fight, likewise impressing her. Elaine needs company for dinner with a married friend, Robin, to make up for feelings of inferiority, but Jerry backs out due to his next date. Since Elaine is paying, George goes in Jerry's place.

At dinner with Robin (Ann Talman) and her husband, Michael (Joseph Malone), Elaine makes up an exotic romance with bullfighter "Eduardo Carochio" to one-up them. Robin sneezes, but no one says "God bless you" until George fills the silence. This turns out to be a sore spot for the couple, and marital tensions flare up as Michael takes umbrage. Afterwards, George and Jerry argue over "right of first refusal" for a response to sneezing, and Jerry proposes replacing "God bless you" with "You're so good looking".

Kramer repeatedly goes into seizures whenever Entertainment Tonight comes on TV, falling over and hitting his head. Elaine deduces that the trigger is host Mary Hart's voice, even as Kramer questions if it could be John Tesh instead.

Robin calls George to apologize, and to meet for an illicit tryst. After sex, she confides her discontent that Michael has never said "God bless you" in three years. However, Michael sees through Robin's cover story when Elaine fails to corroborate it, and he vows grievous violence upon George.

Jerry learns from Kramer that the hit-and-run victim was a neighborhood woman he has long pined after. Jerry immediately righteously condemns Angela, but is impotent to bring her to justice when she intimidates him into silence. Elaine sees, and needles him for his false boasts. George and Elaine throw blame at each other for the discovered affair, and Jerry turns the tables on Elaine over her invented bullfighter.

Jerry recompenses Angela's victim, Becky (an uncredited Helen Slater)^[2]. However, he incriminates himself by covering for the perpetrator, and Becky shoots down his overtures. Jerry's novel response to Becky's sneeze fails to win her over.

Fearing for his safety, George skips town with Jerry on tour. Kramer meets Becky for a date, only to greet her with another seizure when Entertainment Tonight comes on.

Production

The cast and crew had hoped the saying "You're so good looking" would catch on with fans just as "These pretzels are making me thirsty" did, but it proved to be a comedic flop.^[3]

The subplot concerning Kramer having seizures every time he hears Mary Hart's voice is based on an actual case reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.^[4]^[5]

References

^ "Seinfeld Season 3 Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
^ Pantozzi, Jill (December 7, 2009). "Helen Slater Is Still "Super"". CBR. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
^ Seinfeld Season 3: Notes about Nothing – "The Good Samaritan" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
^ "Doctor Says Voice on TV Caused Seizures". The New York Times. Vol. 140, no. 48658. AP. July 11, 1991. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020.
^ Ramani, V. (July 11, 1991). "Audiogenic Epilepsy Induced by a Specific Television Performer". New England Journal of Medicine. 325 (2): 134–135. doi:10.1056/NEJM199107113250218. ISSN 0028-4793. PMID 2052053. S2CID 37226256.

External links

"The Good Samaritan" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 3 Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

[2] Pantozzi, Jill (December 7, 2009). "Helen Slater Is Still "Super"". CBR. Retrieved June 4, 2024.

[3] Seinfeld Season 3: Notes about Nothing – "The Good Samaritan" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

[4] "Doctor Says Voice on TV Caused Seizures". The New York Times. Vol. 140, no. 48658. AP. July 11, 1991. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020.

[5] Ramani, V. (July 11, 1991). "Audiogenic Epilepsy Induced by a Specific Television Performer". New England Journal of Medicine. 325 (2): 134–135. doi:10.1056/NEJM199107113250218. ISSN 0028-4793. PMID 2052053. S2CID 37226256.

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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 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 Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode