The Rye: Difference between revisions

"**The Rye**"
"The Rye"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 7; Episode 11
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Written by	Carol Leifer
Production code	711
Original air date	January 4, 1996
Guest appearances
	Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza; Estelle Harris as Estelle Costanza; Heidi Swedberg as Susan Ross; Grace Zabriskie as Mrs. Ross; Warren Frost as Mr. Ross; Frances Bay as Mabel; Jeff Yagher as John; Leonard Lightfoot as Clyde; Don Amendolia as Dennis; Kathryn Kates as Counter Woman; Steve Ireland as Music Guy; Dean Fortunato as Manager; Eugene Lew as Man in Hansom Cab (uncredited);
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Revision as of 04:48, 6 January 2020

"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. It was written by American comedian Carol Leifer.

Plot

Elaine dates a jazz saxophonist named John Jermaine, but tells Jerry that John doesn't give her oral sex. Jerry later meets Clyde, one of Jermaine's bandmates, and describes the relationship to him as "hot and heavy". When Elaine hears of this, she is upset with Jerry as this line makes her seem more into the relationship than John might be comfortable with.

George's and his fiancé's Susan Ross's parents meet for the first time at Susan's parents' house. George's father Frank makes a point to pick up a rye bread out of their way. After an uncomfortable dinner, George's mother Estelle finds the rye bread in the car on their way home. She thinks they forgot to present it to the Rosses, but Frank says he took it back because they didn't serve it at dinner.

George wants to fix the situation by sneaking the rye bread back into the Rosses'. Coincidentally, Kramer is looking after a hansom cab driver's horse for the week, and the Rosses' wedding anniversary is coming up. Using this opportunity, he plots to bring the rye back in while he sends them on a hansom cab ride as an anniversary present.

As part of the plan, Jerry is supposed to buy an identical rye and bring it to George while the Rosses are on the cab ride. As the old lady that was in front of him at the bakery gets the last one, he tries to buy it from her, and when she refuses, in desperation, Jerry steals it from her.

Kramer, who had previously overbought cheap food items, had gotten the idea to feed the horse some "Beef-A-Reeno" (a fictional beef and pasta concoction). This causes the horse to get flatulent to the point neither the Rosses nor Kramer can bear it, and they turn back, cutting their trip short and making Jerry unable to deliver the stolen rye bread to George secretly.

The Rosses and George head into the house without George being able to get the bread. Jerry tries to throw it up so George can catch it through the third floor window to no luck. George then gets the idea to use the fishing pole he finds in the room to reel the rye bread up but gets caught by the Rosses.

Elaine confronts John Jermaine about the "hot and heavy" line, telling him it was from Jerry not herself. John tells her he was happy Clyde told him that and offers to give her oral sex. After "trying so hard" to perform cunnilingus on Elaine, his lips became so numb that he coulgn't make a one note during a showcase in front of important music industry figures, making a series of whistles instead. Disgusted Elaine leaves the show.

Critical reception

Sara Lewis Dunne, in the book Seinfeld: Master of Its Domain, comments on possible reasons why the Costanzas and the Rosses clash:

Dinner party "rules" seem to baffle all the regular characters on Seinfeld... [I]n this episode we see a peculiarly New York culture clash between the schlubby Costanzas and the ritzy Rosses. Much has been written about whether the Costanzas, whose name "sounds" Italian, are really Jewish, with George, according to both Carla Johnson and Jon Stratton (in this volume), as the ultimate schlemiel. A food called Schnitzel's Marble Rye certainly would seem to fit into the ethnic tradition that would offer it as a dinner-party gift, and its rejection by the Rosses seems an affront, which could easily be read as an ethnic affront, to Frank Costanza. When I first saw this episode, I (and probably many other viewers as well) was reminded of Jackie Mason's summation of the difference between Jews and Gentiles: Jews eat and Gentiles drink, and the Rosses are usually seen with a drink in their hands.^[1]

David Sims of The A.V. Club "was in general disappointed with the return of the Ross family here, especially with the juicy setup of them meeting the equally bonkers Costanzas." He thought that the episode The Cheever Letters was stronger: "the whole thing feels more like your classic in-law dinner from Hell rather than the special kind of crazy we might come to expect. But The Rye redeems itself somewhat with the much wackier sight of Jerry stealing a marble rye from an old lady and trying to toss it to George on a second-floor [sic; it was third-floor] window..."^[2]

Linda S. Ghent, Professor in the Department of Economics at Eastern Illinois University, discusses this episode in view of its economic themes, specifically willingness to pay and willingness to sell.^[3]

References

^ Dunne, Sara Lewis (2006). "Seinfood: Purity, Danger, and Food Codes on Seinfeld". Seinfeld, Master of Its Domain: Revisiting Television's Greatest Sitcom. New York: Continuum. p. 154. ISBN 9780826418036.
^ Sims, David (September 8, 2011). "The Rye/The Caddy". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
^ Ghent, Linda S. (2010). "Seinfeld Economics: The Rye". Critical Commons. Retrieved July 13, 2012.

External links

[1] Dunne, Sara Lewis (2006). "Seinfood: Purity, Danger, and Food Codes on Seinfeld". Seinfeld, Master of Its Domain: Revisiting Television's Greatest Sitcom. New York: Continuum. p. 154. ISBN 9780826418036.

[2] Sims, David (September 8, 2011). "The Rye/The Caddy". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 18, 2012.

[3] Ghent, Linda S. (2010). "Seinfeld Economics: The Rye". Critical Commons. Retrieved July 13, 2012.

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