The Dinner Party

"The Dinner Party" also referred to The Pepsi Episode (see below) is the 77th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 13th episode for the fifth season. It aired on February 3, 1994.

Plot

Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer prepare to attend a dinner party, but Elaine feels they must bring wine and cake to the party. George, who is sporting a large Gore-Tex coat due to the cold weather outside, doesn't understand why and suggests they bring Pepsi and Ring Dings, which Elaine dismisses out of hand.

Jerry and Elaine stop at a bakery to purchase a chocolate babka while Kramer and George go to buy wine. Jerry and Elaine forget to take a number at the counter. As a result, David and Barbara Benedict, a couple on their way to the same dinner party, get ahead of them in line and purchase the last chocolate babka. Jerry and Elaine eventually resort to purchasing a cinnamon babka, which Elaine considers "a lesser babka."

George wants to pay for the bottle of wine with a $100 bill but the shop owner refuses to give him change. They go to a newsstand to break the bill by purchasing some chewing gum, but the attendant forces them to buy other things since the gum isn't worth enough for him to give that much change. Kramer buys a Clark bar, a newspaper and a Penthouse Forum magazine before the attendant relents. When they finally buy the wine, they find that their car is stuck in its space because someone has double parked and obstructed their way. They are forced to wait for the driver to come back before they can pick up Jerry and Elaine. Disgusted at the turn of events, George likens double parkers to dictators, saying Mussolini or Idi Amin would never look in vain for an open spot.

Adding to their misfortune, Jerry and Elaine find that the babka has a hair on it, and they are forced to wait in line again to purchase a new cake. While they wait, Jerry eats a black and white cookie, on which he claims to base philosophical theories on race relations. They eventually exchange their babka for one that the saleswoman coughs on. They have to wait for Kramer and George to pick them up. However, the cookie causes Jerry to throw up, ending his non-vomit streak, which he claims had held since June 29, 1980. Meanwhile, a man with a cane crushes Elaine's toe, further adding to their misery.

Because of the cold weather, Kramer insists on going back inside the liquor store, where he is told that it is "not a hangout." George's coat accidentally knocks down some bottles of wine and he has to surrender the coat to pay for them. Outside, it turns out the double parker is Saddam Hussein (or a look-alike with a British accent), who suggests George should wear warmer clothing or else he might catch a cold. The four friends finally arrive at the party, where they give the hostess the babka and the wine at the door and leave immediately thereafter without staying for the party.

External links

• The Dinner Party script