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“Seinfeld’s most famous scene was created at the last minute”

“Seinfeld’s most famous scene was created at the last minute”

The big picture

  • “The Marine Biologist” is an unforgettable
    His field
    Episode showing George’s passion and lies.
  • Jason Alexander had limited time to learn his monologue for the iconic scene.
  • George Costanza’s character is
    His field
    is the best and most relatable film that showcases insecurity and outrageousness.



His field could be a show named after its co-creator, Jerry Seinfeldbut the series was never just about him. Hell, of the four main characters, he is actually the least interesting in the group. First-rate actors portrayed the incredibly fascinating characters of Elaine, Kramer and George. As the only woman Julia Louis-Dreyfus“Elaine Benes is branded as the only woman who has to deal with all the disgusting men in her life, even though she is just as horrible and self-centered as everyone else.” Michael Richards“Cosmo Kramer stood out not only because he was so eccentric that he got the most laughs, but also because he was much nicer and more sociable than the others. Then there is Jason Alexander‘s poor George. He could be the buddy based on Larry Davidbut his role as the insecure loser of the group gave him the best storylines. Alexander knew what he had and what he was capable of, which is why he almost quit when he didn’t get enough screen time. That’s also why he receive a script thirty minutes before shooting and make it His fieldThe greatest scene of all time.


Poster for the television series “Seinfeld”

His field

The ongoing misadventures of neurotic New York stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York friends.

Release date
July 5, 1989

Creator
Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld

Seasons
9

Streaming service(s)
Netflix


“The Marine Biologist” has the most memorable moment of “Seinfeld”

The early seasons of His fieldwere good, but a little rocky as the show tried to decide how far it would go. Season 4 was where it all came together and led to a great fifth season and beyond. Season 5 is where it all begins His field gave fans probably the best episode (a Collider ranking puts it in second place, just behind “The Contest”) with “The Marine Biologist”, written by Ron Hauge And Charlie Rubin. The Marine Biologist is beloved not only for its over-the-top plot, but also for its insane ending, which shows why Jason Alexander was a Broadway actor before he got his big break.


In the episode, George tells Jerry about a fascinating whale documentary he saw the night before, and tells his best friend that he is “such a whale fan.” Meanwhile, Kramer is excited because he has collected hundreds of Titleist golf balls from a driving range and wants to hit them into the ocean, even though no one else shares his excitement when he invites them over. Jerry goes to an ATM alone when he meets a woman named Diane, who he went to college with (Rosalind Allen). Diane asks about George and wonders if the “slacker” ever made anything of his life. So, with the conversation still fresh in his mind, Jerry tells Diane that George is a marine biologist specializing in lowering cholesterol in whales. George is later excited to hear that Diane has been asking about him, and even more excited to learn that Diane is going to call him. Jerry has to let his friend in on the lie he’s made up, but George plays along when the call comes. To say George has never had any luck with the ladies is an understatement, so if he has to pretend to get attention, so be it.


George is nervous about the lie, but he deceives himself by going on a date with Diane on the beach. She believes him completely, so much so that Diane begs George to save him as a crowd gathers around a beached whale. George cannot admit the lie and marches into the water. “The Marine Biologist” ends with His fieldThe best scene is when George tells what happens next to the gang in the diner. For the next minute and a half, he goes into great detail, painting a picture of his experience to his friends as if he were Ernest Hemingway. It begins with the hilarious line“The sea was angry that day, my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup at a delicatessen.” Jerry, Kramer and Elaine hang on every word, as if a sailor were telling the story of his life at sea. George is deadly serious and tells his story with passion, and at the end he pulls an obstacle out of the whale’s blowhole. George then holds up a golf ball, which provokes such sustained laughter from the studio audience that Michael Richards has to wait a few seconds before saying, “Is that a Titleist? Hole in one, eh?” George then said he decided to tell Diane the truth. “She told me to go to hell and I took the bus home.”


Jason Alexander had 30 minutes to learn his monologue

Ron Hauge and Charlie Rubin may have written the script for “The Marine Biologist,” but they did not come up with this ending. The episode was originally supposed to end differently until Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David came up with an alternative finale at the last minute. In a media campaign in May 2024 for his Netflix film UnfrostedJerry appeared on The Rich Eisen Showwhere he reported the change. They were in the middle of filming the episode and were about to shoot the scripted ending the next day when Jerry got it. His field is known for its subplots converging at the end, but here they almost missed an opportunity. Jerry said they gave Jason Alexander the new script with a two-page speech to memorize the next day.. He said, “You go to a TV actor like Jason and give him two and a half pages, and I say, ‘We have to shoot this in half an hour. Memorize it.’ He says, ‘No problem.'” Jerry also revealed that a shot during George’s speech where Jerry looks shocked was not his acting for the story, but, “Me reacting, I can’t believe he literally got that speech perfect. That’s what I think… I’m just watching Jason get the scene right in front of a live audience.” Seinfeld pointed out that if it were a movie, they could have just reshot it if Alexander messed up, but with a live audience that will be hearing that speech for the first time, they had to get it right in one take to get the perfect reaction.


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Jason Alexander has commented on this ending and confirmed that Jerry Seinfeld was right except for one small detail. The change at the end of “The Marine Biologist” was not written the night before, but on the day of shooting.. In an interview with Triple M, Alexander said he had rehearsed the original ending, but then Larry David came to him and asked him how long it would take him to memorise a new monologue. Alexander told him he could do it in three minutes, but because the studio audience was already there, the cast couldn’t rehearse it. Alexander added: “We ran it once for the cameras, but the audience couldn’t see it, and then they pulled the curtain away and we did it once for the audience, and that’s the recording that’s in the show.”


“The Marine Biologist” proves again why George Costanza is “Seinfeld’s best character”

George (Jason Alexander) talking in a diner in
Image via NBC

Jason Alexander is a chameleon. His first film was the 1981 slasher The burningwhere he plays a confident athlete (everything George would like to be), and he pulls it off. In 1990, he was an absolute villain in Pretty Womanso much so that you think the actor might be too. He’s acted in comedies and theater and even sings, but Jason Alexander will always be George Costanza.


His field Fans love George because he’s so outrageous. He’s as insecure as can be, the product of truly crazy parents, and feels like the world is out to get him. Sometimes that’s true, but his belief in himself is so low that he constantly lies to build himself up in front of others and be accepted. Although George takes it to extremes, it’s a feeling we can all relate to at some point. He wants to be an architect and his name is Art Vandelay. So he pretends to be one.. When George wants an accessible bathroom at work, he relies entirely on his disability. Sometimes he succeeds, whether it’s writing a pilot for NBC, getting engaged, or working for the New York Yankees, but time and time again he screws it up. That’s what makes The Marine Biologist so hilarious. For once, George Costanza is the hero. He does something big. And he talks passionately about it. It’s perhaps his greatest accomplishment, and a story that will always stay with him. Better yet, it’s a great way to pick up women that’s not a lie. Well, most of the time.


His field can be viewed on Netflix in the USA

WATCH ON NETFLIX