“The Little Kicks” is the 4th episode of Season Eight and the 138th episode overall. This episode first aired on October 10, 1996. It was written by Spike Feresten and was directed by Andy Ackerman.
Plot[]
Elaine reluctantly allows George to attend a company party. George attempts to hit on Anna (Rebecca McFarland), one of Elaine's employees, but she doesn't seem interested. George is then horrified when he sees Elaine dancing at the party, a dance which causes her staff to lose all respect for her. Elaine mistakenly attributes this lack of respect to George's presence at the party after talking to Jerry. She advises Anna to keep away from George, which causes Anna to think of George as a "bad boy", making George desirable to her. George goes on to describe the dance as "a full body dry heave set to music".
Jerry has gotten tickets to a sneak peek showing of Death Blow for himself and Kramer. However, Kramer quickly invites a friend, Brody (Neil Giuntoli), forcing Jerry to get another ticket. In the theater, Brody starts videotaping the film to make a bootleg version to sell on the streets. While taping, Brody becomes sick and has Kramer take him home, leaving Jerry to finish making the tape. Jerry says he won't do it, but agrees when Brody threatens him with a gun. Jerry worries about the possible consequences of the illegal act, and whether or not Brody will like his taping. However, when he sees the finished product, Brody says it's the most beautiful taping he's ever seen, and asks Jerry to do another film called Cry, Cry Again. Jerry becomes a bootlegging legend on the streets, and demands better equipment for his next film. When Brody won't agree with Jerry's demands, Jerry becomes angry and leaves.
Kramer, seeing Elaine dancing, quickly informs her that "she stinks." Jerry reluctantly confirms this, but Elaine is still not convinced. She videotapes herself over the ending of the bootleg master copy of Cry, Cry Again. Elaine apologizes to Anna and George, explaining that George really is a good person, which makes him undesirable to Anna. After hearing Jerry has quit bootlegging, George then decides to take up the job instead, in an effort to restore his "bad boy" image, but gets arrested in the process.
When Brody comes to pick up Cry, Cry Again that Jerry was going to shoot, all they have was the bad copy Kramer did, which Elaine has recorded her dancing over. Frank comes to bail him out but instead comes into a physical confrontation with Elaine over George's incident.
Jerry and Elaine walk down the street where it's revealed that Elaine beat Frank. When Jerry and Elaine go to Elaine's apartment, everyone dances behind Elaine's back, mocking her dance that they all saw at the end of the Cry, Cry Again bootleg.
Notes About Nothing[]
- At the end of the episode, when Jerry replies (to Elaine) that he has remained big, and that it was the bootlegs that got small, he is referencing a famous line uttered by Gloria Swanson in the classic film Sunset Boulevard.
- The song that Elaine dances to at the beginning of the episode is "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind and Fire.
- In the "Inside Look (The Little Kicks)", "The Chronicle (The Clip Show)" and "Not that there's anything wrong with that (Season 8)", it features Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Stiller experiencing the longest outtakes or laughs ever recorded on Seinfeld.
- Death Blow and Cry, Cry Again are made-up movies, as with many other movies in the fictional world of Seinfeld.
- In a conversation with Jerry, George incorrectly identifies his father's borrowed car as a 1968 GTO when it is a 1967.
Quotes[]
- George (upon seeing Elaine dancing): Sweet fancy Moses!
- George (describing Elaine's dancing): It was more like a full body dry heave set to music.
- Kramer: Although the whole story comes apart at the end there. Jerry: Yeah, out of nowhere there’s this lone dancer who appears to be injured.
| Season Eight Episodes |
|---|
| The Foundation | The Soul Mate | The Bizarro Jerry | The Little Kicks | The Package | The Fatigues | The Checks | The Chicken Roaster | The Abstinence | The Andrea Doria | The Little Jerry | The Money | The Comeback | The Van Buren Boys | The Susie | The Pothole | The English Patient | The Nap | The Yada Yada | The Millennium | The Muffin Tops | The Summer of George |