The Letter (Seinfeld)

"**The Letter**"
"The Letter"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 21
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry David
Production code	320
Original air date	March 25, 1992
Guest appearance
	Catherine Keener as Nina;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Good Samaritan"	Next →; "The Parking Space"
	Seinfeld season 3
	List of episodes

"The Letter" is the 38th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. The episode was the 21st of the third season.^[1] It aired on NBC on March 25, 1992.^[1]

Plot

Jerry is dating Nina (Catherine Keener), an artist. Nina has Kramer pose for a portrait, while using this chance to pry into Jerry's closeness with Elaine. Jerry, knowing about Nina's possessiveness, does not expect their relationship to last. Still, he brings George to her studio, where, despite not understanding art, George succumbs to pressure to buy a painting, without naming a price.

Nina offers the group weekend box seat tickets at Yankee Stadium from her father, the team accountant. George and Kramer take Elaine along; Elaine makes up a family emergency to her boss, Mr. Lippman, to get out of attending a bris ceremony. Nina's father, Leonard, objects to Elaine wearing a Baltimore Orioles baseball cap in the owner's box, and calls a guard when she refuses to remove it. In the scuffle, Kramer is hit in the head by a baseball. A photo of the incident makes the Sunday paper, threatening to out Elaine to Lippman, but she fails to steal his copy of the incriminating sports section before his flight.

A socialite couple (Justine Johnston and Elliott Reid) is captivated by Kramer's portrait, one out of endearment and the other out of disgust. Meanwhile, Jerry breaks up with Nina, and unthinkingly couriers George's painting on his way out. George refuses to pay $500 for the abstract painting if not for Jerry's sake. However, Nina leaves a letter for Jerry, pledging her unfaltering love for him in passionate prose on red stationery. Kramer is so moved that he urges Jerry to win her back, while blowing his nose over the painting and cleaning it off with his used handkerchief.

Back together with Jerry, Nina remains jealous of Elaine. George tries to return his painting, but Nina lets him have it. While fighting over the remote, George, Elaine, and Jerry catch the Neil Simon film Chapter Two on TV, revealing that Nina's letter was word-for-word from the movie script. Jerry dumps Nina again, and George tries to offload his painting on Jerry for $10.

Lippman is none the wiser to Elaine being at the stadium, even after Leonard—who is also his accountant—tells him the story, and even knowing that Elaine wears an Orioles cap. Having received box seat tickets, Lippman insists that Elaine come along after missing the bris, and has Elaine wear her cap to prank Leonard. Later, Jerry and George watch the game on TV as Phil Rizzuto comments on two guards escorting Elaine out.

The socialites buy Kramer's portrait for $5000, then treat Kramer himself to dinner at their mansion in exchange for his life story.

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 included the line "he is a loathsome, offensive brute, yet I can't look away" in his top 20 of Seinfeld lines.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Seinfeld Season 3 Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
^ Thomas, Rob (June 7, 2001). "Top 20 Seinfeld Lines". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 3.

External links

"The Letter" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 3 Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

[2] Thomas, Rob (June 7, 2001). "Top 20 Seinfeld Lines". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 3.

[1]

[2]

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