The Outing

From one of the best sitcoms ever, a take on what it means to be thought of as gay.

As a gay man, it's my opinion that this Seinfeld episode is an extraordinarily sharp, clever, and brutally honest commentary on straight attitudes toward gay people.

Of course, I'm speaking about contemporary urban/suburban life where "liberal" or "tolerant" views are not only accepted, they're enforced. They're enforced by peer pressure; few would admit to homophobia or anything other than an accepting take on gay life. In a phrase: political correctness.

This episode exposes the hypocrisy of many straight people who declare gay people as their equals. It happens every time Jerry (or any other character) says, "Not that there's anything wrong with that." What they're really saying, of course, is that there's EVERYthing wrong with that if THEY are being thought of as gay. Acceptance for these people only goes so far.

Thankfully, in the 15 or so years since this episode first aired, attitudes have become more enlightened. Me, myself, I think lot of the change is due to media exposure in general, and this episode of Seinfeld in particular.

I was blessed with two great episodes back to back, this season. And this one, alongside the competition, was a real treat. Only overly sensitive people can find any mean spirited humor in this perfect, and highly anticipated gay themed episode. The infamous line « not that there's anything wrong with that ». To mimic some commercials raising awareness about the « cause ». Added another layer of off beat humor, to an already hilarious episode. And even though some parts are too « easy », you want them to go there and maybe more. The 90s...

The other high point in Season 4 (and in Seinfeld actually), along with The Contest, The Outing is one of the most entertaining, clever and funniest episodes of the show. It actually comes out as a sequel to The Contest, not just because of the risky material but also because of one scene that makes reference to the classic. And this is what The Outing is: an immediate classic.

Although this episode doesn't revolve around our four protagonist, what makes this episode classic is the absurd amount of great scenes. From the interview to the two- line phone malfunction and the newspaper article aftermath (Kramer, Jerry's parents and Estelle's reactions are all hilarious) and last, but not least, the conclusion of the episode. There's not a dull moment.

Beside from the main story, we get some nice details that enrich the episode, like Elaine's problem with Jerry's birthday gift, Kramer's last line, the gang discussing ugliest leaders, Elaine and her coat problem, the guy from the militia.

Without a doubt, one of the best.

I saw a review saying that the characters mean it when they were repeating the iconic line "not that there's anything wrong with it",if you really think that the characters actually meant it then why are you even watching this show,i mean i though it was obvious enough that they had that line repeated 10 times in the episode so oblivious people could get the joke but apparently not,still you 'll think that the fact that they say the line when an homophobic action it's done or implied would clearly underline the satire behind the whole thing.Also it's necessary to explained that this is way for the writers to show the hypocrisy of the characters that sometimes people forget are supposed to be not the greatest people and are the exact opposite of role models.

When Elaine, George, and Jerry are having lunch, it is revealed that an NYU journalist grad student is supposed to Interview Jerry. He is annoyed she hasn't shown up. It turns out she doesn't know what Jerry looks like and is sitting with a friend right behind them. Elaine sees this and they set up things and begin to make comments about gayness (George and Jerry). This leads to an utterly hilarious episode. The young woman finally interviews Jerry and is convinced he and George are an item. George doesn't help things by doing lots of stereotypical things. Asking about his shirt. Getting tickets to Guys and Dolls. She eventually published the article and both George's and Jerry's parent get into the act. I made culottes for him when he was little and look what happened. This whole thing is so funny!