The Stall

"**The Stall**"
"The Stall"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5; Episode 12
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry Charles
Production code	512
Original air date	January 6, 1994
Guest appearances
	Jami Gertz as Jane; Dan Cortese as Tony;

"The Stall" is the 76th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 12th episode of the fifth season, and first aired on January 6, 1994.[1]

Plot

In a movie theater restroom, Elaine, realizing her stall does not have any toilet paper, asks the woman in the next stall to give her some. The woman refuses, claiming she "can't spare a square". Annoyed about Elaine's continued pleas, the woman storms out and returns to her seat, and is revealed to be Jerry's girlfriend, Jane. Elaine returns to her seat next to her boyfriend Tony. Each woman vents about the stall incident to their date.

Jerry is fed up with Kramer using his phone to call phone sex lines. After Elaine tells Jerry about the stall incident, he realizes the woman Elaine was bickering with was Jane and talks his way out of a double date with Elaine and Tony, since Elaine boasts that she will recognize the woman's voice if she hears it again. George idolizes Tony, claiming that "He's such a cool guy" because of his rad and carefree demeanor, and Kramer theorizes George is secretly in love with him, leaving George flustered. Jerry thinks that Elaine dates Tony only because he is physically attractive, and that Tony is a "male bimbo", or "mimbo" for short, which Elaine denies.

Elaine calls Jerry on his buzzer to tell him she's coming up, while Jane is there. Jerry tells Jane she has bad breath and persuades her to chew a lot of pieces of gum, so that her voice is disguised. Tony invites George and Kramer to go rock climbing, although George originally planned the trip to be for him and Tony alone. During the climb, Tony falls when Kramer and George neglect to secure his rope, leaving Kramer and George stranded halfway up the mountain, screaming in panic. Upon hearing the news, Elaine is worried about the possibility of damage to his face. She quizzes Tony (now with a bandaged face) about the extent of his injuries, but Tony is unsure. George apologizes to Tony, who says that he does not want to see him anymore and George is left heartbroken. Later, Elaine admits to Jerry that she did indeed only care about Tony's looks and refers to him as "[her] mimbo."

After being introduced to Jane, Kramer privately tells Jerry that he thinks Jane's voice is that of "Erica", one of the girls on the phone sex line that he has been calling. Despite Jane's suspicious vagueness whenever discussing her job, Jerry doesn't believe him. Kramer makes a date with Erica to prove that she is Jane. When Jane arrives at the coffee shop, she greets Jerry instead of Kramer, but Kramer and Jerry still accuse her. When she angrily maintains that she only sells paper goods, Elaine recognizes Jane's voice. After Jane excuses herself to go to the bathroom, Elaine runs past her, gathers all the toilet paper in the bathroom, and sits in one of the stalls waiting for Jane to ask for toilet paper. When she does, Elaine vengefully says that she "can't spare a square" and walks out with the toilet paper. Upset over everything, Jane tells Jerry to never call her again. She then says the same to Kramer, in a lustful voice, revealing that it was indeed her voice on the phone sex line.

Production

Larry Charles got the idea for the toilet paper argument from a Dear Abby letter.[2] Actor Michael Richards said the episode contained one of his biggest regrets from Seinfeld. Immediately after filming, he realized that the rock climbing scene had great potential for physical comedy, which his performance neglected to tap into.[2]

The ending of "The Stall" was cut due to length constraints. The final scene had Elaine and Tony happily rock climbing together, with Tony's face completely healed. However, upon noticing a pimple on Elaine's face, Tony breaks up with her and leaves her stranded halfway up the mountain. The episode as broadcast leaves the Elaine/Tony plot unresolved.

References

"Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
Seinfeld Season 5: Inside Look - "The Stall" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.

External links

"The Stall" at IMDb

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

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

[InsLook-2] Seinfeld Season 5: Inside Look - "The Stall" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.

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