The Checks

"The Checks" is the 141st episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the seventh episode for the eighth season. It aired on NBC on November 7, 1996.

Plot

Elaine's new boyfriend, Brett (James Patrick Stuart), is obsessed with furniture designed by a (fictional) designer named Karl Fardman, and the song "Desperado" by the Eagles; he is so obsessed with the latter that he insists Elaine be silent whenever it plays. Jerry spots an umbrella salesman using the sales technique he invented which was named "The Twirl". However, the salesman explains that it was in fact invented by Teddy Padillac, a long-time umbrella salesman who Jerry once worked with.

Meanwhile, hundreds of twelve-cent royalty checks keep arriving from Jerry's brief appearance on a Japanese television show, the "Super Terrific Happy Hour". Kramer warns George that the carpet cleaners he hired are actually a front for a religious cult. Intrigued, George tries to be converted, but they're not interested in him.

Kramer meets some Japanese businessmen on vacation and he takes them on a tour around the city. Confused about the exchange rate of ¥30,000 (which is about $250 in American dollars), Kramer spends all of their money on expensive clothing and souvenirs. Brett delivers an oversized chest of drawers to Kramer and thinks that Jerry might be jealous. Kramer thinks the TV pilot that Jerry and George did would be perfect for Japanese television, hence his trying to impress the Japanese tourists. They pitch it to a couple of Japanese TV executives who are uninterested and tell Jerry and George to leave. Jerry, due to his writer's cramp from signing all the royalty checks, spills his coffee and leaves a stain on the carpet.

Elaine tries to find a song that she and Brett can share, including "Witchy Woman", also by the Eagles, but he rejects them out-of-hand; Elaine then suggests that they share "Desperado", but Brett says that it's "his" song. Having run out of money, Kramer puts his Japanese friends up at his place, sleeping in the chest of drawers (much like a capsule hotel) and has fun drinking with them in his hot tub. Jerry, caught in the rain and needing an umbrella, runs into former co-worker and umbrella salesman, Teddy Padillac. Padillac, incensed that Jerry is trying to take credit for "The Twirl", demands $200 for an umbrella. Jerry, unable to come up with the money, is left standing in the pouring rain. Brett happens to drive by and converses with Jerry for a moment. He is convinced that Jerry is down on his luck since he is unable to afford an umbrella and that he would offer him a ride, but he's with Karl Fardman in a two-seated car.

George gets the cleaners to do the offices at Yankee Stadium where they find a new recruit—George's boss, Mr. Wilhelm. He joins under the name of Tania, the name Patty Hearst took after she was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army; upset, George says to the head cult cleaner, "Him you brainwashed?? What's he got that I don't have?!" and the cleaner simply shrugs his shoulders. Because of the humidity from the hot tub, the wooden chest warps and Kramer's guests, who, just before the meeting, along with Kramer, convinces George to come in the tub, get stuck in the drawers, because of the sake they had. Jerry, still having writer's cramp from check signing, uses a fire ax from the hallway to smash open the chest, which scares the Japanese guests and injures Brett who is knocked unconscious when he attempts to stop Jerry from harming the chest. The scared Japanese tourists tell the Japanese TV executives about the incident, thus ruining the chances of selling the "Jerry" pilot to Japanese television. During the coda, it is strongly implied by the sound of a heart rate monitor flatlining that Brett dies from his earlier injury when the surgeon operating on him becomes distracted by the song "Witchy Woman" playing in the background in much the same way Brett would become distracted by "Desperado".

Production

The opening scene of the episode was filmed on September 29, 1996. The scene was also originally intended for the episode "The Fatigues". The second scene was filmed on October 7, 1996, while the third scene was filmed on October 8, 1996.

The last line before the credits had two versions made—one for if the New York Yankees won the World Series and one for if they lost the World Series. Two of the episode's guest stars (Richard Herd and Sab Shimono) had both previously appeared in the 1980 M*A*S*H episode "Back Pay".

Brett drives around with furniture designer Karl Farbman. In the episode "The Hamptons," the doctor on whom Elaine has a crush notes that the homes in the area were designed by a man named Mark Farbman. In the scene where Jerry is denied the purchase of an umbrella on the street by former colleagues a man walks by wearing an 'urban sombrero'. The 'urban sombrero' was featured in the season eight premiere episode "The Foundation". It was an item placed on the cover of the J. Peterman Catalog by Elaine after she is left in charge following the disappearance of Peterman to Burma after an apparent nervous breakdown.

External links

• The Checks at the Internet Movie Database

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