The Doodle

Season 6, Episode 19, "The Doodle"

"The Doodle" isn't by any means a bad episode, it's as funny as any Seinfeld and has its share of great moments. It's a good indicator, though, of the series changing direction towards the end of the sixth season, to one that to me wasn't as unique and original as the one of seasons 3-5. These latter episodes focused more on gags and less on dialog and intricate writing, and that made the series weaker, a process that really quickened after Larry David quit the show.

Accordingly, the acting talent of Julia Louis Dreyfus and Jason Alexander goes wasted on this episode; Jerry doesn't have much to do either. They all play straight-men to the more wacky characters who dominate the episode; Kramer gets all the episode's funniest scenes, and Helen, Morty, Uncle Leo and Newman all have brief but hilarious appearances. The writing, though, isn't good enough to put it in my list of classic Seinfeld episodes.

There are several great moments in this episode. It begins with Jerry inadvertently eating a pecan that his girlfriend has just sucked on. He has been shown to be a germaphobe in other episodes. His fussiness shows a weaker side of the guy. Meanwhile, Jerry's apartment is suddenly beset by fleas. Kramer spends time there during a fumigation and ingests lots of insect poison. George, in another one of those, love the one you're with. These guys screw up every relationship they have with these gorgeous women. Elaine throws away another opportunity for a good job because she reacts without thinking. Lots of individual hilarities.