The Truth (Seinfeld) - Misplaced Pages

"The Truth" is the 19th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It is the second episode of the show's third season, first airing on September 25, 1991. Directed by David Steinberg, this is the first episode (other than the pilot) not directed by Tom Cherones. Steinberg would later direct three others. The episode is the first written by Elaine Pope. She later co-wrote a Seinfeld episode with Larry Charles, "The Fix-Up", that won an Emmy Award in 1992 for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series. She also is credited for the story of one other episode, "The Cheever Letters". Both Steinberg as a guest star and Pope as a writer worked on Fridays, a show that included Larry David and Michael Richards as cast members.

Plot

Jerry is being audited by the IRS as a result of a fraudulent relief fund Kramer persuaded him to donate to. George gives Jerry's tax papers to his girlfriend Patrice, an accountant and former representative for the IRS.

At Monk's, George breaks up with Patrice, telling her that “It’s not you. It’s me.” After Patrice insists on the real reasons, George tells her he can't stand her pretentious and showy pronunciation habits. Patrice seems to take it well, but when Jerry finds out, he gets upset, as she hadn't finished his tax papers and he does not believe that she could be genuinely unoffended at being called pretentious.

Meanwhile, Elaine gets tired of Kramer dating her roommate Tina. They pour spaghetti sauce in the strainer, play loud tribal music, and have make-out sessions. Kramer uses a windshield that he found on the side of the road as a coffee table. Elaine is further upset after Kramer unknowingly walks into Elaine's bedroom and sees her naked.

George calls Patrice to ask about Jerry's tax papers, only to learn she checked into a depression clinic. Jerry and George go to visit her and George recants what he said about her being pretentious. She reveals to them that after the breakup, she got upset and threw out Jerry's tax papers. Jerry never made copies of the receipts that he collected over the years, so he begins tracking them down.

Elaine enters her apartment with dirty dishes piled high in the kitchen, loud tribal music playing, and Kramer dancing with only a towel wrapped around his waist. When Tina and Kramer ask Elaine if she is upset, she decides, after thinking about the problems George caused by telling the truth, to lie. She tells them they are a great couple. Kramer and Tina begin an African dance together but accidentally break the windshield coffee table as they move to the couch to make-out, severely injuring themselves and leading to Tina being admitted to the hospital.

Reception

The 16.7 million viewers (19% share, rank of 51) of the episode on its first airing fell well below the 21.7 million viewers (25% share, rank of 24) of the season three premiere, The Note. Web reviews generally give the episode a relatively low ranking. Matt Singer on Screen Crush ranks it at 153 out of 169, commenting that Jerry's storyline “feels like a waste.” Larry Fitzmaurice on Vulture rates it at 134 out of 169. The staff at Place to Be Nation give it ratings of 4 or 5 on a 1 to 10 scale. Collin Jacobson on DVD Movie Guide calls it a solid show but too reliant on Kramer's “schtick.” The hosts of Seincast find it solid but forgettable. More positively, Tina is one of their favorite Kramer girlfriends.

References

"Seinfeld Season 3 Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
Fretts, Bruce (1993). The Entertainment Weekly Seinfeld Companion. Atomic Wedgies to Zipper Jobs: An Unofficial Guide to TV’s Funniest Show. New York: Hachette Book Group.
"David Steinberg | Director, Additional Crew, Actor". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
"Elaine Pope". Television Academy. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards (2005). Seinfeld – Season 4. DVD Boxed Set.
Perrin, Dennis (2012-01-31). "'Fridays': The 'SNL' Ripoff That Nearly Surpassed the Original". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
Donlon, Brian (September 25, 1991). "New faces try to save 'One Life to Live'". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
Donlon, Brian (October 2, 1991). "'Roseanne' comes out on top". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
Singer, Matt (2018-05-14). "Every Episode of 'Seinfeld' Ranked From Worst to First". ScreenCrush. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
Fitzmaurice, Larry (2023-05-15). "All 169 Seinfeld Episodes, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
"Seinfeld – Place to Be Nation". Retrieved 2024-07-31.
"Seinfeld: Season 3 (1992)". www.dvdmg.com. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
"Seincast: A Seinfeld Podcast : Seincast 020 - The Truth". seincast.libsyn.com. Retrieved 2024-07-31.

External links

"The Truth" at IMDb

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

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