The Red Dot

I like the bit how the sweater is cheap because it has a red dot on it

... He has to take any good situation he's in and push the envelope until he's destroyed that good situation. This episode established George for all time as the kind of person who just doesn't feel like he's progressing in life unless he is pulling some kind of ridiculous scam versus just the cynic and skeptic of the group he's been up to now.

George and Jerry show up at Pendant Publishing, Elaine's employer, where they are having their annual Christmas party. One of the readers has quit, so Elaine offers George the job - She's been put in charge of hiring for this position.

But George tries in his usual fumbling way to take advantage. First he buys a 600 dollar cashmere sweater that has been marked down to 85 dollars because it has a single red dot. He figures nobody will see it and he can pretend to be the generous guy by giving Elaine this sweater as a gift. Second, he has sex with the cleaning lady on his desk at his new job. Both of these little scams of his don't turn out the way he'd like.

In a separate thread, guest star David Naughton, who is a recovering alcoholic, gets his own cranberry juice mixed up with Elaine's cranberry and vodka drink and falls off the wagon. This caused Larry David to decide that the show couldn't leave the guy a raging alcoholic and thus had the show "invade" Jerry's closing stand-up to show that Naughton's character had regained his sobriety.

I did feel sorry for George when the head of the publishing company meets him and has an impromptu interview asking George what he reads. If you have ever been caught in such a situation it's always a temptation to lie. George claims he has read the obscure writings of that acclaimed author, Art Vandelay.

*Plot*. Elaine's recovering alcoholic boyfriend falls off the wagon when Jerry Inadvertently switches his drink. George buys Eliane a cashmere sweater with a small flaw to thank her for getting him a job in her office. He must face the consequences of having sex on his desk with the cleaning women.

The Red Dot is simply one of the best Seinfeld episodes ever in my opinion as I would put this one top 20!. I just found it so hilarious that George would have sex with a cleaning women, and It was especially funny when Kramer gets drunk on the Hennigan's (scotch), plus Jerry's opening stand up about people with knives was quite amusing. George really is a cheap guy, and this is very well written by Larry David and directed by Tom Cherones, plus it's extremely well made as well. David Naughton is awesome as the alcoholic boyfriend, and It was also very funny when Lippman asks George if he knows anything about books, and then lies and says yes, plus I loved the creativity in this one as well. There are a lot of memorable moments in this one, and This my 2nd favorite episode on season 3, plus I loved the conversation Lippman and George had at the end, as I thought it was so funny he got fired (was that wrong should I not have done that). The Red Dot is simply one of the best Seinfeld episodes ever in my opinion, as I would put this one in my top 20, and I say Go see it now it's an absolute must see for Seinfeld fans if you Haven't. ***** out of 5 Favorite quotes.

(George trying to get the job). Lippman: So have you ever done this kind of work before?. George: Well you know book reports that kind of thing. Lippman: What do you read?. George: I like Mike Lupica. Lippman: Mike Lupica?. George: He's a sports writer for the daily news, I find him very insightful. Lippman: No,no,no I mean authors. George: (laughing nervously) oh well a lot of good ones. Lippman: Yeah. George: A lot of good ones, I don't even wanna mention anybody, because I'm afraid I'm gonna leave somebody out. Lippman: Name a couple. George: Who do I like?. George: I like Art Vandelay. Lippman: Art Vandelay?. George: He's an obscure writer, beatnik you know from the Village. Lippman: What's he written?. George: Ventian Blinds.

(George asking if Elaine would notice). George: Do you think She'd care about the dot?. Jerry: It's hard to say. George: I don't even think She'd notice, can you see it?. Jerry: Well I can see it. George: But you know where it is. Jerry: Well what do you want me to do, not look at it?. George: Pretend you didn't know it was there, can you see it?. Jerry: Well it's hard for me to pretend because I know where it is. George: Well just take an overview. Jerry: You want me to take an overview?. George: Please. Jerry: I see a very cheap man trying to get away with something that's my overview.

Kramer: That is damn good scotch, I could do commercials for this stuff, Mmm that Hennigans goes down smooth, and afterword's you don't even smell, that's right folks Iv'e just had three shots of Hennigan's and I don't smell, imagine you can walk around drunk all day, that's Hennigans, the no smell, the no tell Scotch.

Kramer: Say you got a big job interview, and You're a little nervous well throw back a couple shot of Hennigan's and You'll be as loose as a goose and ready to roll in no time, and because it's odorless, why it'll be our little secret. (Kramer singing): H.E double N. Jerry: Kramer!, Kramer That'll do.

(Elaine asking Jerry if he See's the dot. Elaine: Jerry: Come here for a second, do you see anything here?. Jerry: Uh I don't know, uh I don't know. Elaine: What don't you know?. Jerry: I don't know. Elaine: Well do you see it or don't you?. Jerry: Do I see it or don't I, that's the question (Pours a shot of Hennigan's in a shot glass), now what did you ask me again?.

George: Elaine you don't understand, I had a 103 degree temperature when I bought that sweater, I was so dizzy I was seeing red dots everywhere, everything in the store had red dots in it, I couldn't distinguish one Red dot from the other.

Jerry: You had sex with the cleaning women on your desk?, Jerry who are you? How'd you do that?. George: Hennigans. Jerry: Hennigans?. George: I was sitting in the office, and the cleaning women comes in, Iv'e always been attracted to cleaning women, chamber maids. Jerry: Yeah I'm attracted to them too. George: Why is that?. Jerry: It's a woman in your room, so go ahead. George: so she starts vacuuming back and forth, back and forth, her hips swiveling, her breasts Uhhh....: Jerry: Convulsing?. George: Convulsing?. Jerry: I don't know I'm trying to help you. George: So then I asked if she wanted a drink. Jerry: You don't drink. George: I know, but I couldn't think of anything else to say, to her. Jerry: So you started drinking. George: So we started drinking, and I'll tell you I don't know if was the alcohol or the ammonia, but the next thing I knew she was mopping the floor with me. Jerry: And how was it?. George: The sex was OK, but I threw up from the Hennigan's. Jerry: Good thing the cleaning lady was there.

George: Was that wrong should I not have done that?.

(David Naughton coming in the office drunk with a Christmas tree): Merry Christmas!. Elaine: It's Cape Fear!.

You have to credit series director Tom Cherones for directing this classic of classics. Even Jason Alexander said this episode totally defined George's character.

There's no question SEINFELD was the textbook definition of Murphy's Law, at its unwelcome worst, if not totally embarrasing from the getgo. The notorious "red dot" on the white sweater is so relatable! How many of us have run into that type of situation with new clothes or coats, markdowns or whatever, and there sits that stain or mark for eternity!

George, who meant well! --got the coat for Elaine in the first place, but it seems to have another destination, a sort of token of appreciation for a cleaning lady who George has sex with in the office???

The OMG scene. Surpassing all this mayhem when he simply asks his new boss (about to dump him) if on the job sex was allowed! Why not? Jason Alexander was absolutely right. George is defined for the rest of the series.

The most hilarious thing of it all... the red dot could have been easily taken care of with a little white marker touchup! Alas, not meant to be!

One of the best written and acted episodes ever. Creative writing 101. A Plus.

Not to be missed. Get the dvd box sets for posterity.

Alongside The Parking Garage and later episode The Boyfriend, The Red Dot is the essential show of Seinfeld's third season, all because of one single scene, which Jason Alexander described on the DVD "Inside Look" featurette as the defining George Costanza moment (more about that later).

The topic of the episode can be summed up in three words: sex, booze and clothing. The first occurs when George lands a job at the publishing company Elaine works for and gets involved with the cleaning lady. The second has to do with Elaine dating a recovering alcoholic who falls off the wagon (or should it be "on" the wagon, some characters wonder), due to Jerry's lack of tact and Kramer's bizarre antics. As for the third, that's the usual random conversation subject, triggered by the cashmere sweater George buys as a thank- you gift for Elaine, fully aware of a red dot that decreases it aesthetic value.

The writing is as ingenious as ever: not since Cheers' early seasons has there been a better way to handle alcoholism from a comedic point of view. In fact, only Ted Danson appearing as Sam Malone could have been better. Basically, though, this episode deserves immortality for just one conversation which occurs between George and Elaine's boss, Mr. Lippman, regarding the former's "extracurricular" activities in the office. The way everyone's favorite "lord of the idiots" responds to the allegations is a blueprint for Ricky Gervais' performance in The Office (and it's a fact that Gervais considers George the greatest sitcom character ever created). The real "shocker" ? Jason Alexander manages to be a hell of a lot more memorable in that one scene than Gervais was in the 14 episodes of the quintessential British TV comedy. 'Nuff said.