The Betrayal

Season 9, Episode 8, Aired
EDIT

Episode Summary

In this unique, "backwards" episode, Jerry, George, and Elaine go to India for Sue Ellen Mishky's wedding. Meanwhile, Kramer stays behind in New York and tries to "out wish" a friend who wants him to drop dead.
8.6
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
219 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It

Watch Online

TBS
Subscription

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Fan Episode Reviews (14)

See All

  • Episode Seinfeld kind-a-of-one a....

    8.0
    "Great"
    By uk6strings, Dec 02, 2011 Report Abuse
    "The Betrayal" is a one-of-a-kind episode of Seinfeld - and a good one at that. As usual, every character has their own thing going on in this film (Jerry, George and Elaine's story lines are all intertwined while Kramer has his own set of problems that are removed from the rest of the cast) but what is unusual about this episode is that the story is played linearly - backwards! Jerry, George, Nina (Jerry's ex who George is now dating) and Elaine go to India for the wedding of Elaine's hated arch-nemesis Sue Ellen Mishky - one can only guess how well that turns out - and Kramer seeks every superstitious way out of FDR's death wish. While the episode is presented in a unique fashion - you can see that it's a typical story for our Seinfeld crew.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

  • Here it is,the famous backwards episode!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By TomBosley11, Nov 24, 2008 Report Abuse
    I know you most likely have heard about the famous "Backwards Episode". But if you haven't, or are wondering if it is a good episode, let me be the first to tell you that it is. To start with Elaine's situation isn't the only storyline. In fact, I beleve that Kramer vs. FDR (Franklin Delono Romanowski) is better. Now I don't want to give away that much about either of the extremely funny, and very cleaver storylines but rest asured you won't be disapointed when you watch it. You might be wondering, "Dosen't this storyline sound a little tacky?" you should know that they execute it very well. Finally, if you haven't been inticed already, all the backtracking eventually leads to a big suprise!moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    3 0

  • Epsiode that plays backwards, making it very interesting and funny to watch the story unravel...or de-ravel...or something like that

    9.9
    "Superb"
    By omarlittle, Jul 27, 2008 Report Abuse
    This episode is amazing! the pieces of the episode are backwards so you never get the whole picture until the end, and what I really loved about this episode is that not only the story is backwards, but it even starts with the credits and ends with the opening (Seinfeld logo). What was also great was the extra flashback, unrelated to the episode itself, but a great wink to the show in its totality; it shows Jerry and Kramer on the day Jerry moves in 10 years earlier; Jerry: "Come in, do you want some coffee?" Kramer: "No I couldn't intrude" Jerry: "Oh come on, we're neighbors, whats mine is yours". And the rest we all know.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 0

  • The show starts in the present and goes backward, all the way back to where Jerry moves in next door to Kramer years ago. Three themes weave together -- the wedding in India, Kramer getting hit by a snowball and Newman dating a model.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By jlawn, Jan 09, 2008 Report Abuse
    May be the greatest TV show ever, what an idea by the writers. Each of the backward plot lines is clever and the key idea is to find out the why about what we know has already happened. I thought the best plot line was the smallest, how did Newman get the beautiful model to go out with him. The answer is that he is on an incredible great run of birthday wishes. Kramer's problems with his friend, "F.D.R." are brought to light in the past. A tip of the hat to the writers who came up with this great idea. Works all the way, can't be missed.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 0

  • A truly original episode...

    9.1
    "Superb"
    By titiembe, Dec 24, 2007 Report Abuse
    This episode was a truly magnificent and unique piece of art. At a few moments for me it felt a bit off, but otherwise it was hilarious. Elaine's unvitation to the wedding, the love triangle was the best with Jerry sleeping with Nina, and Elaine sleeping with the groom, everything fit into place so well. Kramer also had a funny part in this episode. He starts a whole rally of wishing and unwishing, the evil eye was also really funny. I really liked how it showed Elaine drunk, and everyone took advantage of her when she always told the truth when she would get drunk. So it was a good episode, season 9 the last season... so many memories.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Elaine tells Elaine that "Jugdish" is how to say Jerry in "Indian". However, there is no language called Indian. Furthermore, most languages do not have direct translations of English names. I think a lot people would call Hindi "Indian" when they're as drunk as Elaine was. Edit
    • When Sue Ellen is pleased to see Elaine, Elaine cites the reasons why they "hate each other", namely that Sue Ellen doesn't wear a bra and is tall. Sue Ellen's previous appearances were in Season 7's "The Caddy" and "The Bottle Deposit (1)", and in Season 8's "The Abstinence". Although "The Caddy" deals with Sue Ellen's habit of not wearing a bra and how this infuriates Elaine, neither in that episode, nor in either of the other two, is there any references to Sue Ellen's height being a source of annoyance for Elaine. Edit
    • At the end of the episode, upon just moving into his apartment, Jerry, having read his name on the mailbox, calls Kramer, "Kessler". This is a reference to the fact that Kramer's name was originally going to be Kessler, and that Jerry even calls him by that name in the pilot. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • All the producers were credited during the ending credits. Edit
    • For the first and only time, Heidi Swedberg receives the "And" credit. Edit
    • Wayne Knight receives the "With" credit. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Elaine: (drunk and peering through the slats in Jerry's door) Goodnight, Jugdish! Edit
    • Elaine (drunk): What if I got myself a nose piercing? That'd be pretty freaky! Edit
    • George: So, how come nothing ever happened between you and Nina? (suspicious) Is there a problem with her? Is she a man? Jerry: Are you? Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • George: FDR? Kramer: Yeah, Franklin Delano Romanowski. FDR's name and initials are an allusion to 32nd president of the United States - Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Edit
    • This episode's backward theme is not unique or original. It is actually based on a Harold Pinter play called "Betrayal." Sue-Ellen Mishkie's fiancĂ©e is named Pinter in homage to this playwright. Edit

Show Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies

Watch Seinfeld Full Episodes

See All

Related Shows

  • The Soup

    Available Episodes: 179

    Source: E!

  • Peep Show

    Available Episodes: 42

    Source: Channel 4

  • Coupling

    Available Episodes: 31

    Source: BBC Three

  • Louie

    Available Episodes: 26

    Source: FX

  • The Office

    Available Episodes: 167

    Source: NBC

Season 9 Episodes

See All
Ep 25
The "Seinfeld" Story
Ep 24
The Finale (2)
Ep 23
The Finale (1)
Ep 22
The Clip Show (2) (a.k.a. ...
Ep 21
The Clip Show (1) (a.k.a. ...
Ep 20
The Puerto Rican Day
Ep 19
The Maid
Ep 18
The Frogger
Ep 17
The Bookstore
Ep 16
The Burning
Ep 15
The Wizard
Ep 14
The Strongbox
Ep 13
The Cartoon
Ep 12
The Reverse Peephole
Ep 11
The Dealership
Ep 10
The Strike
Ep 9
The Apology
Ep 8
The Betrayal
Ep 7
The Slicer
Ep 6
The Merv Griffin Show
Ep 5
The Junk Mail
Ep 4
The Blood
Ep 3
The Serenity Now
Ep 2
The Voice
Ep 1
The Butter Shave

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
BROWSE | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use