"The Letter" is the 38th episode of the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. The episode was the 21st of the third season. It aired on March 25, 1992.

Plot

Kramer poses for a portrait to be painted by Jerry's new girlfriend, Nina (

Catherine Keener Catherine Ann Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Acad ...

), which an elderly, art-loving couple (

Elliott Reid Edgeworth Blair "Elliott" Reid (January 16, 1920 – June 21, 2013) was an American actor. Early life Reid was born in Manhattan, the son of artist Christine Challenger Reid and banker Blair Reid. He attended the Professional Children's Sc ...

and

Justine Johnston Justine Johnston (June 13, 1921January 13, 2006) was an American film, television, and musical theatre actress. Life and career Johnston was born in Evanston, Illinois. She was occasionally mistaken for Justine Johnstone, a similarly named sil ...

) admire.

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

feels obligated to buy something when he accompanies Jerry to Nina's art studio, especially when she offers George her father's tickets to the owner's box at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

. George then reluctantly purchases a $500 painting, which he tries to sell to Jerry for $10 at the end of the episode. With Nina's tickets, George brings both Elaine and Kramer to the owner's box at Yankee Stadium. In order to get out of a prior engagement (her boss's son's bris), Elaine lies to her boss,

Mr. Lippman This is a list of characters who appeared on ''Seinfeld''. This list features only characters who appeared in multiple episodes; those that appeared in only one are not included here. Primary characters Jerry Seinfeld George Costanza Elaine ...

, saying she must tend to her ill father. However, once the three are seated in the box, Elaine refuses to remove her

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

baseball cap A baseball cap is a type of soft hat with a rounded crown and a stiff bill projecting in front. The front of the hat typically displays a design or a logo (historically, usually only a sports team, namely a baseball team, or names of relevant c ...

and they are consequently ejected. Kramer, while attempting to climb over the dugout to retrieve George's Yankee cap after Elaine threw it, is struck in the head by a baseball. At the same time, Nina and Jerry have an argument and break up. Upon returning to Jerry's apartment, Elaine discovers her confrontation in the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

' owners box was published with a picture in the sports section of the paper. After an unsuccessful attempt at stealing the sports section of the paper from her boss' office desk, Elaine fears her boss will recognize her picture and her lie about her father. Meanwhile, a poetic and emotional letter is delivered to Jerry's from Nina. Although he is initially moved and humbled, Jerry soon finds out that the letter was

plagiarized Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...

from the

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

film '' Chapter Two''. While Jerry reinstates his breakup with Nina, the elderly couple who admired Kramer's portrait walk in to confirm their purchase. Elaine is summoned to her boss's office, whose accountant is revealed to be Nina's father. As he recites the baseball cap story over the phone, Lippman is amused and apparently does not realize that the offender was Elaine. He informs her that Nina's father has given him tickets to Yankee Stadium and invites her to wear a Baltimore cap (which she coincidentally has in her office) as a joke. In the closing scene, Jerry and George watch the televised Yankees game, only to find Elaine in yet another cap altercation as described by

Phil Rizzuto Philip Francis Rizzuto (September 25, 1917 – August 13, 2007), nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career with the New York Yankees (1941–1956), and was elected to th ...

and Kramer dines with the elderly couple who purchased his portrait.

Popularity

Both the oil painting of Kramer and the words the elderly couple use to describe it became popular among ''Seinfeld'' fans. Rob Thomas of the ''

Wisconsin State Journal The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of September ...

'' included the line "he is a loathsome, offensive brute, yet I can't look away" in his top 20 of ''Seinfeld'' lines.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Letter Seinfeld (season 3) episodes 1992 American television episodes Television episodes written by Larry David