"The Note" is the 18th episode of ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

''. It is the first episode of the show's third season. It aired on September 18, 1991.

Plot

During a

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patie ...

massage Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In E ...

Jerry Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * Jerry (film), ''Jerry'' (film), a 200 ...

frightens his therapist by talking about a small boy who was kidnapped in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, suggesting that he could also be a deranged kidnapper, and then asking questions about the therapist's own son.

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 Pres ...

later becomes very uncomfortable when he is assigned a man as his masseur, fearing the massage might turn into a homosexual experience. He tells Jerry that he felt the beginnings of an

erection An erection (clinically: penile erection or penile tumescence) is a physiological phenomenon in which the penis becomes firm, engorged, and enlarged. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular, ...

during the massage. The two of them discuss whether or not this means George is homosexual, with Jerry arguing the con position. Kramer claims he saw

Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Ya ...

in Dinky Donuts but the others do not believe him. According to Kramer, DiMaggio was a very focused eater—the same way he used to play; to prove his point, he made noises (such as banging the table and yelping), which DiMaggio ignored. George convinces Jerry to ask his dentist Roy for a note, allowing the group to secure free massages. In Roy's office, George's insecurity over his sexuality resurfaces when Roy asks for his opinion of

Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and is the o ...

. Roy later comes under investigation for passing around fake notes. Jerry tries to see the physical therapist once more, but she refuses because she's afraid he will kidnap her son. While eating in Monk's, Jerry, George,

Elaine Elaine may refer to: * Elaine (legend), name shared by several different female characters in Arthurian legend, especially: ** Elaine of Astolat ** Elaine of Corbenic * Elaine (short story), "Elaine" (short story), 1945 short story by J. D. Salinge ...

, and Kramer all see Joe DiMaggio dunking his donuts. Kramer once again bangs the table and yelps to demonstrate DiMaggio's unbreakable concentration.

Theme song

This was the only episode - other than the original pilot - with a different version of the theme song. Female singers harmonize over the iconic slap-bass tune, an addition made by composer Jonathan Wolff at the request of Jerry Seinfeld, who wanted to add "a little sparkle" to the music, suggesting the addition of some scat lyrics. Seinfeld and executive producer Larry David both liked Wolff's additions, and three episodes were produced with the new style music. However, they had neglected to inform

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

and

Castle Rock Castle Rock may refer to: Geography Islands * Castle Rock (Alaskan Island), an island off the coast of the U.S. state of Alaska * Castle Rock, Hong Kong (螺洲白排), an island of Hong Kong, part of the Po Toi Islands * Castle Rock (Massachusett ...

of the change, and when the season premiere aired, the latter were surprised and unimpressed, and requested that they return to the original style. The subsequent two episodes were redone, leaving this episode as the only one with the additional music elements."Seinfeld - Season 3" DVD bonus material, "Inside Look". Since this episode's end credits played "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" in place of the theme tune, the full version of the revised theme was never used.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Note, The Seinfeld (season 3) episodes 1991 American television episodes Television episodes written by Larry David