Happy Tuesday everyone! I’m kicking off a weekly episode review series called “Two-Part Tuesday” where I’ll review a two-part episode of Seinfeld every Tuesday. There are six two part episodes, not including the clip shows. I’ll be reviewing them in episodic order, starting today. All of the two-part episodes of Seinfeld are adored by most Seinfeld fans, but today’s episode holds a special place in most fans hearts. Today’s episode is: The Boyfriend.
As previously mentioned, The Boyfriend is the first two-part episode of the series. The Boyfriend is episode number 17 and 18 of season three and both parts of the episode aired on February 12th, 1992.
The episode opens with Jerry and George in the locker room at the gym. Jerry spots former New York Mets great Keith Hernandez across the locker room. After some banter between George and Jerry about whether or not they should go up and talk to him, (George: That’s Keith Hernandez. You tell jokes for a living!) Keith comes up to Jerry to tell him what a fan he is of Jerry’s. That sets up the premise for the episode.
Keith and Jerry forge a friendship that the entire episode is based on. The friendship becomes a metaphor for a typical male/female relationship. Some very clever writing uses asking a friend to move as a metaphor for sex in a relationship and how fast they are moving in the friendship.
Another great storyline uses Newman and Kramer as nemeses of Keith Hernandex and claims that Keith Hernandez spit on them on June 14, 1987 after a Mets game. This JFK recreation is one of the most famous Seinfeld scenes of the entire series. https://youtu.be/tBz3PqA2Fmc
George has a situation of his own he’s trying to deal with: keeping unemployment benefits. Jerry has a very relatable stand-up in the episode about George working harder to keep unemployment benefits than he would if he just got a job. This metabolizes in the form of a classic scene with George running out of the bathroom with his pants down, shouting to Kramer, “SAY VANDELAY!! SAY VANDELAY!!!”
This episode is an all-time great. In fact, I consider this the best two-part episode of the series, and it even cracks my top 10. I adore this episode.
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