The Boyfriend (1)

Season 3, Episode 17, Aired
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Episode Summary

Jerry meets Keith Hernandez and wants to make a good impression. Meanwhile, George is out of time on his unemployment and he works harder than ever on his scheme to get a 13 week extension. He tells the unemployment office he was really close on Vandelay Industries, a company that makes latex products and whose main office is Jerry's apartment. Kramer and Newman hate Hernandez back to a time when they were allegedly spit on by him; however, Jerry supports the "second-spitter theory." Keith asks Jerry about Elaine's status. Keith makes a date with her and breaks a date with Jerry.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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  • In this episode Jerry meets baseball star Keith Hernandez and then Kramer and Newman recall of an event much like JFK and they do a spoff on that.

    9.4
    "Superb"
    By Beckerb33, Aug 28, 2010 Report Abuse
    My favorite part of this episode is when they do the whole re inactment of JFK movie. It cracked me up and even recorded it because I loved it so much. And also he whole thing with Jerry appearing to be gay was funny. (not that theres anything wrong with that)

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    4 0

  • One of my favorites! Love seeing Jerry in such a reverse role to his normal self-confident self.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By LisaGansky, Aug 28, 2010 Report Abuse
    Normally Jerry is the one that dumps the gal... he never worries about losing the girl, or not impressing her enough. In The Boyfriend, Jerry meets and be-friends Keith Hernandez, and well-known ball player on the New York Mets. They hang out, and soon Jerry starts acting as if he's a woman, which always tickles me. I love when Elaine says, "Jerry, he's a guy." She tries to bring him back down to earth, but to no avail. Jerry is totally smitten with the thought of hanging out with a famous ball player. I also found Kramer and Newman's story to be hilarious. Wish we knew what really happened!moreless

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  • Jerry meets his sports idol Keith Hernandez and is dying to become friends with him, while Kramer and Newman claim Keith spat on them.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By adelecible, Aug 28, 2010 Report Abuse
    This is a classic episode, one of those you can't help but watch every time it reruns. It's also interesting because Jerry gets to be as funny as George or Kramer, his very "serious" and "scientific" approach to the now famous "second spitter theory" certainly deserves its spot in TV history.

    Even for a Brazilian woman who has absolutely no interest in American sports for a male target audience, I found Jerry's man-crush on a sport legend completely funny and understandable, I guess guys will be guys anywhere in the world, and this kind of man-crushes is really universal.

    A truthly great episode.moreless

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  • Keith Hernandez...

    8.0
    "Great"
    By Canogaparkcindy, Aug 28, 2010 Report Abuse
    Vandaley Industries. I love this episode because Jerry seems more sensitive or revealed to everything once he meets Keith. The baseball player. I love the part when he makes the date with Elaine. Jerry seems so vulnerable, the whole JFK parody was hilarious, with the whole spit reference, Kramer did really well in that scene. I love the part when Jerry walks in and George is down on the floor in his underpants grieving over the phone call. "And you wanted me to b your Latex manager" Something like that, I just burst out laughing, one of the best scenes of Seinfeld.moreless

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  • The Boyfriend

    9.1
    "Superb"
    By poinsecurra, Aug 28, 2010 Report Abuse
    Once again Seinfeld finds a way to surprise me. If it isn't having sex with the cleaning lady ("The Red Dot"), it's a contest to see who can go the longest without gratifying themselves ("The Contest"). In this episode we get one of the oddest and best plots in the show's history. Both Jerry and Elaine "fight" over a guy, but not just any guy, former New York Met All-Star and Gold Glover Keith Hernandez. Not only that we get George trying his best to weasel more time out of his unemployment case worker and Kramer and Newman having a problem with Hernandez because they believe he spit on them after a game.

    From the opening moments of Jerry and George meeting Hernandez in the locker room to the "JFK" movie parody with Wayne Knight this episode is definitely a series classic.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • The second spitter theory doesn't explain the impossible trajectory of the spit around Newman's body. It somehow hits his back, moves around to his wrist and then (as Jerry notes) pauses in mid-air before dropping to his leg. This is just as impossible as if Keith had done it. Edit
    • Kramer asks Jerry to go with him to "see the baby." When Elaine wants to know what baby he means, they explain that a guy who used to live in their building got married and had a baby. However, in later episodes (i.e., "The Hamptons," "The English Patient," etc.) the obnoxious wife is supposed to be Elaine's friend. Isn't it possible that Jerry and Elaine both have two different friends with babies? This is not necessarily the same friend. Edit
    • Goof: Kramer's line, "What-delay industries?" is delivered more as a statement than a question. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • This is the only episode where its title appears on-screen. Edit
    • During his appearence Friday May 15, 1992 on episode #1633 of Late Night with David Letterman, Jerry used a clip from this episode -- the scene in which he uses the golf club to track the spit -- to illustrate 'the secret to acting on TV shows', and creating (in Dave Letterman's words) 'a comedy vortex.' Edit
    • Jerry's line "And you want to be my latex salesman," when he sees George laying on the floor with his pants down, was ad libbed. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • (Jerry comes from the bedroom and sees George lying on the floor in his underwear) Jerry: (in a condescending tone) And you want to be my latex salesman? Edit
    • Jerry: I'm Vandelay Industries? George: Right. Jerry: And what is that? George: You're in latex. Jerry: Latex? And what do I do with latex? George: You manufacture it. Edit
    • Jerry: I'm going to hire you as my latex salesman? George: Right. Jerry: (chuckling) I don't think so. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • While George is talking to Mrs. Sokol at the unemployment office, he does an impression of Jose Jimenez. Jose Jimenez was a fictional character that comedian Bill Dana created on The Steve Allen Show in 1959. The character was popular in the 1960s, but Dana eventually stopped performing the character after many Hispanics found the impersonation offensive. Edit
    • The entire "Magic Loogie" sequence is a direct reference to Wayne Knight's appearance in "JFK," in which he played a very similar role. Edit
    • George rambles on about the likelihood of a plane crash killing off a whole baseball team. This has happened to at least 2 college teams. Wichita State and Marshall both lost their football teams in separate crashes, in 1970. Also, the football team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was killed in a plane crash in 1960. Edit

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