The Hamptons (Seinfeld)

"**The Hamptons**"
"The Hamptons"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5; Episode 21
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Peter Mehlman & Carol Leifer
Production code	521
Original air date	May 12, 1994
Guest appearances
	Melanie Smith as Rachel; Lisa Mende as Carol; Melora Walters as Jane; Richard Burgi as Ben; Mark L. Taylor as Michael; Jesse D. Goins as Cop;

"The Hamptons" is the 85th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, the 21st episode of the fifth season.^[1] It aired on May 12, 1994.^[1] In the episode, over a weekend at a Hamptons beach house, everyone else sees George's girlfriend topless before he can; Jerry's girlfriend sees George's penile shrinkage after a swim; Elaine receives the same compliment as the hosts' ugly baby; and Kramer treats everyone to stolen lobster.

Plot

Carol and Michael have invited everyone to their Hamptons beach house for the weekend to see another new baby. Jerry brings Rachel, having made peace with her devout Jewish father with a gift of kishka. George brings Jane, assuming that they will have sex for the first time.

Preoccupied with buying local tomatoes, George is absent when Jane casually goes topless in front of Jerry, Kramer, and Elaine. Sorely jealous that Jerry got an eyeful before himself, George wants to see Rachel naked in return. He fruitlessly tries to catch Rachel changing before a swim, but she walks in on him changing after, and laughs at his shrunken penis from the cold water. Elaine confirms that she does not know this happens to men. George is desperate to explain "shrinkage" to Rachel, but Rachel, paying him no heed, gossips to Jane.

Kramer stumbles onto a commercial lobster trap, and steals the lobsters for dinner. Since lobster is non-kosher, Rachel cannot have any. Michael is outraged by Kramer's theft, since his father fished lobsters to put him through school.

The guests are revolted by the ugly baby, but the family pediatrician, Ben, praises Elaine and the baby alike as "breathtaking". When Elaine gets Ben alone, he confides that he was just being polite, but does not clarify whether to her or to the parents.

In the middle of the night, Jane, not believing George's protests, goes home by herself, while Kramer catches and stops Rachel trying to sneak a taste of lobster, to her gratitude. George gets his revenge on Rachel by serving her scrambled eggs with lobster for breakfast, then successfully walking in on her naked, but gets a tomato in the face from her later. Michael hands Kramer over to police for the lobster theft, and he is sentenced to trash pickup duty to work off his fine.

Influence on popular culture

The episode has been credited with giving "new meaning to the word 'shrinkage'".^[2] Seinfeld writer Peter Mehlman took credit for introducing the word, with Larry David encouraging him to use it in the episode; inversely, Mehlman gave David credit for "sponge-worthy", the catchword from "The Sponge" in the seventh season.^[3] The word was later used in a Budweiser commercial, cited as a testament to the show's influence.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
^ Garner, Joe (2004). Made You Laugh!: The Funniest Moments in Radio, Television, Stand-up, and Movie Comedy. Andrews McMeel. p. 57. ISBN 9780740746956. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
^ Neuwirth, Allan (2006). They'll Never Put That on the Air: An Oral History Of Taboo-Breaking TV Comedy. Skyhorse. p. 242. ISBN 9781581154177. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
^ Bjorklund, Dennis (September 2017). Seinfeld Reference: The Complete Encyclopedia With Biographies, Character Profiles & Episode Summaries. Praetorian. p. 27. ISBN 9780967985244. Retrieved May 18, 2012.

External links

"The Hamptons" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

[2] Garner, Joe (2004). Made You Laugh!: The Funniest Moments in Radio, Television, Stand-up, and Movie Comedy. Andrews McMeel. p. 57. ISBN 9780740746956. Retrieved May 18, 2012.

[3] Neuwirth, Allan (2006). They'll Never Put That on the Air: An Oral History Of Taboo-Breaking TV Comedy. Skyhorse. p. 242. ISBN 9781581154177. Retrieved May 18, 2012.

[4] Bjorklund, Dennis (September 2017). Seinfeld Reference: The Complete Encyclopedia With Biographies, Character Profiles & Episode Summaries. Praetorian. p. 27. ISBN 9780967985244. Retrieved May 18, 2012.

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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