The Susie

"**The Susie**"
"The Susie"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 8; Episode 15
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Written by	David Mandel
Production code	815
Original air date	February 13, 1997
Guest appearances
	John O'Hurley as J. Peterman; Lee Arenberg as Mike; Shannon Kenny as Allison; Megan Cole as Peggy; Richard Herd as Wilhelm; Jane Edith Wilson as Woman;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Van Buren Boys"	Next →; "The Pothole"
	Seinfeld season 8
	List of episodes

"The Susie" is the 149th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 15th episode for the eighth season, originally airing on February 13, 1997.^[1] In this episode, Jerry unintentionally terrorizes a bookie, George avoids all contact with his girlfriend so that she cannot break up with him, and Elaine ends up leading a double life at the office after a co-worker starts mistakenly calling her "Susie".

Plot

Kramer's friend Mike has become a bookie. Kramer, a compulsive gambler, places bets with Mike on Jerry's behalf. But when Jerry wins, Mike can't pay up. When Jerry accidentally slams Jerry’s trunk lid on Mike's thumbs, breaking them, Mike becomes afraid of him. Mike tries to make up his debt by fixing Jerry's trunk but gets trapped inside.

Kramer sets his watch ahead one hour even though Daylight Saving Time hasn't started yet. Elaine's co-worker Peggy calls Elaine "Susie," but Elaine neglects to correct her. When she attempts to do so later, Peggy unknowingly bad-mouths Elaine, prompting Elaine to vouch for Elaine as Susie, and when Peggy addresses Elaine as "Suze," Elaine vehemently objects to the use of any diminutive. Peggy complains to Peterman about the rude outburst, and Peterman arranges a meeting between Peggy, Elaine, and "Susie." At the meeting, Elaine manages to simultaneously pretend that she is Susie to Peggy and that she is Elaine to Peterman, but Peterman then begins giving "Susie" her own assignments. While driving Elaine, Jerry recognizes that her charade has gone too far and tells her she should "eliminate Susie." Mike, still trapped, overhears and interprets this to mean murder.

George is excited about Steinbrenner's ball because he wants to make a grand entrance with his girlfriend Allison with her wearing a backless dress. Allison tells George, "We need to talk." He goes to great lengths to avoid her so that she cannot break up with him. She resorts to using Kramer as a go-between, and Kramer breaks up with George on her behalf. George tries in turn to use Kramer as a go-between for making up with Allison, but she refuses, and Kramer shows up at the ball in her place. During a scuffle in the lobby, George tears off the back of Kramer's tuxedo, and Kramer is thrown into the main hall, making a (backless) "grand entrance" of his own.

Elaine tells Peterman that Susie committed suicide, so Peterman organizes a memorial service. Elaine and Jerry attend. When he arrives, Peterman rear-ends Jerry's car, inadvertently freeing Mike. Peggy is confused to see "Susie" at the service, so Elaine belatedly corrects her about her name. Mike bursts in and accuses Jerry of murdering Susie.

Peterman proposes establishing a foundation in Susie's honor, so Elaine finally tells him the truth. However, he misunderstands and expects Elaine to devote all of her non-working hours to running the foundation.

Production

The impetus for the episode's story was when one of writer David Mandel's co-workers on Saturday Night Live called him the wrong name. Mandel didn't correct him, so he continued to call Mandel by this name for their entire time together on the show. Mandel said he was struck by the fact that there was no one on Saturday Night Live with that name that he knew of, inspiring "The Susie"'s core idea of a misremembered name leading to a belief in a non-existent person.^[2]

George's answering machine message, a George-sung parody of "Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)", was also based on real-life events. A friend of a friend of Mandel's used this same parody for her answering machine message.^[2] Since actor Jason Alexander is a good singer in real life, he was told to sing as poorly as he could after his first take of the song was judged too good to be funny.^[2]

Mandel later said he considers "The Susie" one of the weakest TV episodes he has written, feeling that the bookie plotline didn't go anywhere.^[2]

References

^ "Seinfeld Season 8 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Mandel, David; Mehlman, Peter (2007). Seinfeld Season 8: Audio Commentary - "The Susie" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

External links

"The Susie" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 8 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2021.

[AudioCom-2] Mandel, David; Mehlman, Peter (2007). Seinfeld Season 8: Audio Commentary - "The Susie" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

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v t e 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