The Stand In

"The Stand In" is the 80th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 16th episode for the 5th season. It aired on February 24, 1994.

Plot

Riding on a bus Jerry and George meet a friend, Al Netche, who tells them another friend, Fulton, is in a hospital, and that Jerry may want to visit him as he might need a "good laugh." George feels bored when he has nothing to talk about with his girlfriend, Daphne, and he wants to break up.

Later, Daphne tells George that Al encouraged her to end the relationship as George doesn't commit and may end hurting her. George decides to postpone the break-up and sustain the relationship just for spite, to prove Al wrong. Kramer has got a job as a stand-in actor, in the series All My Children, along with his friend Mickey Abbott (Danny Woodburn), a "little person" who is offended by the term "midget". Mickey, however, is worried to keep up his role as a rapidly-growing child. Kramer suggests Mickey use "lifts" to increase his height. Jerry sets up a date for Elaine with his friend, Phil Totola.

Jerry visits Fulton in the hospital where he tells a story about a guy "Pachyderm" and the hot pizza slices he was juggling, but Fulton doesn't laugh. Other "little" actors notice something different on Mickey as he plans to eat with Tammy, a little woman. Johnny Bigiano, another small actor, sets to find out what is going on with Mickey.

Jerry feels added pressure to be funny after his first visit to the hospital coincides with a deterioration in Fulton's condition. He offers to do his act with new material. Elaine had a good evening with Phil, including the Pachyderm story, until Phil "took it out".

When Johnny discovers the lifts, Mickey is ostracized by the other dwarf actors, including Tammy, and blames it all on Kramer. At the hospital, Jerry is being so funny that Fulton cannot stop laughing, and ends up dying from it. Back at Monk's, George has said to Jerry that he would marry Daphne just to prove he can commit. However, to George's relief, Daphne says that she met another person: Jerry Pursack, who George reveals is "Pachyderm" who used the pizza trick from his earlier mentioned story to woo Daphne.

Series continuity

This is the first appearance of Kramer's friend Mickey Abbott, one of Kramer's eccentric circle of friends.

The kid in which Mickey stand in for was actor Thomas Dekker, who would later play the kid in the hospital in season 7's "The Wink".

Syndication

In syndication, this episode doesn't feature Jerry's stand-up comedy routine.

Superman reference

• Jerry: ...and this whole Justice League, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman. You mean to tell me Superman can't cover everything? For cryin' out loud, he's Superman!