The Massive Image
- “The Marine Biologist” deviates from Seinfeld‘s extra grounded plots.
- This episode does not simply function the funniest George blunder, however probably the most epic.
- George’s monologue on this episode, delivered by Jason Alexander in a single take, is among the funniest moments within the sequence.
The quite a few failures and lies of Jason Alexander‘s George Costanza make up for most of the traditional Seinfeld episodes all of us preserve watching over and over. Conning his manner right into a date with Marisa Tomei, his adventures as Artwork Vandelay, and naturally, by accident killing his wife-to-be with low cost envelopes for his or her wedding ceremony invites. There was even an episode of Seinfeld devoted to chronicling his routine failings in Season 8, wherein George compares his life to that of a shipwreck survivor, finally figuring out that his personal life has been extra tragic. Nevertheless, there’s one specific lowlight that stands out probably the most, in its fraudulence, and in simply how humorous it’s. The Season 5 episode “The Marine Biologist” is Costanza at his most tragic, and Jason Alexander at his funniest.
What Makes “The Marine Biologist” Such an Iconic George Episode?
The now-iconic Seinfeld episode follows George mendacity his manner via life as a marine biologist, when out of the blue he should act, and save a beached whale. Now, lots of outlandish issues have occurred on Seinfeld. Giant balls of oil have been dropped out of home windows, holidays have been invented, and far, way more. However usually talking, lots of one of the best stuff with George at all times adopted very grounded, interpersonal points. Usually, we see George commit some social fake pas, and his plot traces observe that to a logical conclusion, normally him making the scenario even worse. This makes lots of sense contemplating George is famously based mostly on sequence creator Larry David, who would observe comparable plots and themes in Curb Your Enthusiasm. A traditional George episode could be one thing just like the Season 6 episode “The Gymnast,” the place George eats an éclair out of the rubbish (subsequently graduating from “man to bum” as Jerry put it), and the ramifications that had together with his girlfriend. Many of the loopy shenanigans on the present normally revolve round Kramer, not George.
This episode is an exception to Seinfeld norms in some ways. Past George being positioned in such a bizarre scenario, additionally it is a uncommon time when George doesn’t mislead anybody, a minimum of not initially. Diane (Rosalind Allen), an outdated school classmate of George and Jerry, solely thinks George is a marine biologist as a result of Jerry mentioned that, not George. This results in not solely one of many best traces in Seinfeld historical past, “You recognize I at all times wished to fake to be an architect,” but in addition to a real change within the feeling the viewers will get for George’s character. He’s now on the again foot, and that opens up a brand new manner of performing for Alexander. When George lies, it is even funnier than traditional as a result of, for as soon as, he actually doesn’t need to, and this time is not his fault.
George Costanza Delivers an Epic Monologue on ‘Seinfeld’
“The Marine Biologist” is most identified for the monologue delivered by George within the last scene of the episode. We final noticed him strolling on the seashore with Diane, when unexpectedly, they encounter a beached whale, and an off-screen voice (which was achieved by Larry David), yells “Is anybody right here a marine biologist?” After being totally satisfied by the group and Diane, George ventures out towards the whale. As he sits within the diner afterward, surrounded by Jerry, Kramer, and Elaine, he begins to inform his story. He begins with “The ocean was offended that day, my pals – like an outdated man making an attempt to ship again soup in a deli.” The monologue is traditional George. Alexander makes use of his physicality and voice to his traditional glorious degree and delivers fairly presumably one of the best single scene in any episode of the present. When he reveals that golf ball to the digital camera, the group goes completely berserk in a manner that would by no means be rehearsed. They have been genuinely shedding it, and who might blame them?
Nevertheless, whenever you actually begin to consider it, the scene turns into even funnier. George genuinely succeeds at one thing for as soon as in his life, and it was all due to a lie he did not inform. And when, for as soon as, he’s sincere about this lie, that’s when the failure occurs. He had his film second, “It was like Rocky 1,” and it will get screwed up, and it wasn’t even his fault. The tragedy of George is on full show right here. The origins of the monologue are fairly fascinating as nicely. This episode was written by Ron Hauge and Charlie Rubin, who additionally wrote “The Fusilli Jerry,” the one different episode they ever wrote for the present. The monologue was really a last-minute addition by David and Seinfeld, and the take we see within the episode was the primary and solely take Alexander carried out. This was uncommon for Seinfeld, and a second thought by any of the folks concerned would have disadvantaged us of one of many funniest moments in tv historical past. Fortunately, that didn’t occur, and we received to see magic.
George Costanza is among the most beloved characters within the historical past of tv, and for excellent cause. He’s impeccably written, at all times constant, and brilliantly carried out by Jason Alexander. Seinfeld at all times glided by the mantra of “no hugging, no studying.” The characters regularly repeat themselves, and it nonetheless by no means will get outdated. George is the best instance of this. Each failure manages to be as humorous because the final one. George has at all times been relatable, however in the best way {that a} character is not actually speculated to be. He is neurotic, a slob, he’s unemployed and lives together with his dad and mom. He has few redeeming qualities, however that has by no means stopped him. He’s Seinfeld‘s Wile E. Coyote, at all times chasing The Roadrunner (Happiness, Success, Love, and so on.), however by no means catching something. He’s doomed to this destiny, and that’s actually the tragedy of Costanza. “The Marine Biologist” exemplifies that tragedy, and reveals simply how humorous it may be. The enduring success of Seinfeld has many elements, however George has at all times been the guts and soul of the present. If you wish to begin Seinfeld someplace, “The Marine Biologist” is the present at its best possible.
