"The Couch"

Seinfeld episode

Episode no.

Season 6
Episode 5

Directed by

Andy Ackerman

Written by

Larry David

Production code

605

Original air date

October 27, 1994

Guest appearances

Reni Santoni as Poppie
David James Elliott as Carl
Robert Hooks as Joe Temple
Denise Dowse as Mother
Patton Oswalt as Clerk
Diana Theodore as Remy
Jessica Hecht as Lindsay
Mari Weiss as Woman #1
Tamar Cooper as Woman #2
Beverly C. Brown as Woman #3
Jeris Poindexter as Man

Episode chronology

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List of episodes

"The Couch" is the 91st episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the fifth episode for the sixth season.^[1] It aired on October 27, 1994.^[1] In this episode, George joins a book club, Jerry buys a new couch which acquires an unsanitary stain, Poppie and Kramer collaborate on a pizza-making business, and Jerry puts Elaine's stance on abortion to the test in social situations.

Plot

Jerry buys a new couch, giving his old one to Elaine. Elaine falls for Carl, the man who delivers Jerry's couch.

Kramer plans to start a "pizza business where you make your own pie". He starts the business with Poppie, who has bounced back from his troubles with the Board of Health in the season five episode "The Pie". Jerry and Elaine go to Poppie's restaurant for a dinner of duck, but get into a discussion in which Poppie tells them he is anti-abortion. Elaine walks out in protest. Other diners overhear the discussion, causing numerous arguments to break out. Hoping to cause further trouble for his amusement, Jerry asks Elaine what Carl's stance is on abortion. She breaks up with him after finding out that he is anti-abortion, despite being madly in love.

Poppie ends up in the hospital as a result of the disruption Jerry and Elaine caused in the restaurant. Kramer rebukes them, and they send Poppie wine and five-alarm chili as an apology. Poppie is offended by the gift since he has a gastrointestinal disorder. After his release from the hospital, he comes to Jerry's apartment to get payment for the duck dinner and his gastrointestinal disorder causes him to unconsciously urinate on Jerry's new couch. Jerry gives the couch to George, who is unconcerned about the stain as he can turn the cushion over. Jerry takes his old couch back from Elaine. While in her apartment to move the couch, Elaine offers Carl something to drink. She throws him a bottle of grape juice, but it breaks and spills on the couch.

Kramer's pizza business with Poppie ends because Poppie objects to Kramer putting cucumbers on his pizza. Poppie and Kramer get into an argument that alludes to the theme of abortion.

George's girlfriend gets him to join her book club, which is assigned to read Breakfast at Tiffany's. George struggles to focus on the book and visits video stores in an unsuccessful attempt to rent the movie instead. After a video store clerk declines George's request to call the customer who has rented the movie, George surreptitiously peeks at the computer screen to see who has the rental copy. He heads to the renter's apartment and asks if he can watch the movie with the renter and his daughter. Before he can see the movie's ending, George accidentally spills grape juice on the family's couch and is kicked out of their apartment. When the book club meets, he remarks that Holly Golightly got together with her neighbor Paul "Fred" Varjak. Since this did not happen in the book, only the movie, George's girlfriend realizes that he did not read it.

Production

The opening scene at the furniture store was significantly abridged after filming. Among the cuts was George professing his enthusiasm for velvet; despite being cut before broadcast, this speech is referred back to several times during season six.^[2]

The episode is the television debut of Patton Oswalt, who played the video rental clerk.^[3]

References

External links

Seinfeld episodes

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