"Seinfeld" The Cheever Letters (TV Episode 1992) Poster

(TV Series)

(1992)

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9/10
Susan's mother (Grace Zabriskie) is perfect as the bitter, sarcastic wife
nanonta26 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I think Zabriskie is brilliant in this episode. She has all her husband's remarks memorized, as she demonstrates when he says "Cherish the cabin" (which Kramer had accidentally burned to the ground, but the embarrassing letters somehow survived). When she hears the news that the cabin burned, she and her husband have opposite reactions. George says the burning was somehow comical, and she heartily agrees.
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8/10
"That's absolutely filthy"
juanmaffeo29 June 2016
Another solid entrance in Season 4 streak of great episodes.

Something I got while watching this episode is how disconnected Kramer's life is in this couple of episodes with the rest of the gang. He always has an unrelated story and the rest has a somewhat connected story. It's not that it hurts the episode but it definitely hurts Kramer's relationship with the gang.

This episode feels like a filler but it is a great one. I say filler because nothing transcendental to the arc really happens or nothing memorable happens. Jerry and George start writing the sitcom and that (with the addition of the cabin's aftermath and Kramer's story with the Cubans) is the only bit of continuation we get.

That being said it has the side story of Jerry's situation with Elaine's secretary and that provides one of the best conversations of the season.
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9/10
Lady was so sensitive.
ThunderKing620 March 2023
My gosh she gets crushed over everything. How does she survive in The New York hell hole?

March 20 2023rd

What was this episode about?: Letters are read out loud for some unexplained reasons.

Jerry talks clean and deals with a snowflake.

Elaine deals with her sensitive snowflake assistant.

Kramer wants cigars.

Story and the production overview: a filler episode for advertisements that don't matter anymore.

The only interesting saga is the dirty talking segment.

This episode was pure filler.

Highlight: Jerry and George struggling to write... George reading on the show... Dirty talking... And the ending.

Laugh meter: 8

Villian: Snowflake assistant

Girlfriend attractiveness level: she was hot a good 10.

What can be learned?: don't date sensitive people.

Verdict: Just a filler episode.
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10/10
".... and they're all laid out for me."
MaxBorg8925 September 2010
Although not exactly a two-parter, The John Cheever Letters follows the tradition of previous Season 4 episodes by harking back to plot elements from the show preceding it. Incidentally, it also follows the tradition of being very, very amusing.

The continuing story is that of the burned cabin, from which only a box of letters - correspondence between Susan's father and famed writer John Cheever - has been saved, making for an awkward first encounter between George and the Rosses (played by Twin Peaks stars Warren Frost and Grace Zabriskie). In other news, Kramer makes a contact for obtaining (illegal) Cuban cigars, and Jerry offends Elaine's assistant with an apparently off-color remark about the woman's underwear. In other words, business as usual.

Once again, the combination of "hot" material (just wait 'til you see how the Cheever subplot pays off) and the right guest stars is an essential ingredient for the episode's success: Frost and Zabriskie, best known for their work with Lynch, are allowed to try something quite different for a change and effortlessly become one of American TV's funniest married couples, with the promise of delivering more of the same in future installments. But one shouldn't forget the regular players. In fact, Jerry's panties remark and subsequent talk with George about women is the usual spot-on gag factory, while Elaine's closing remark is one of the finest in the entire series. No wonder people actually started watching it during this season...
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10/10
The Cheever Letters is a brilliant little episode, that always has me in stitches, as it has some of my favorite quotes in it!
callanvass28 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
(plot). Jerry offends Elaine's assistant with the "panty remark". Kramer makes a new contact for his Cuban cigars. A box of letters from John Cheever is all that remains after the Ross cabin burns down!.

The Cheever Letters is a brilliant little episode, that always has me in stitches, as it has some of my favorite quotes in it!. I laughed my ass of when George told Susan's father his thoughts about the cigars he gave him, and the scene where everyone finds out that Susan's father was gay and in love with john Cheever was an absolute scream!, plus it's extremely well written by Larry David&Tom Leopold and Directed by Tom Cherones!. Susan's father (Warren Frost) reaction when George told him his cabin burned down was just plain hilarious, and this is also extremely well made as well, plus Jerry's stand up's were hilarious as usual. The ending is one of the best in Seinfeld history as Elaine really gave it to Jerry, as that was so hilarious, and I loved the Convo between George and Jerry in the restaurant about what jerry said to Elaine's assistant, plus it has so many famous moments in it as well!. Well I don't want to spoil anything more for you if you Haven't seen it, so I'll just say this, Go see it now please if you haven't, you won't regret it trust me!. ***** out of 5

Favorite quotes.

(Susan's father to George): How are you enjoying those Cigars I gave you?. George: Oh the Cigars, Ha ha, I'm sucking them down, I'm puffing my brains out yeah.

Susan: Daddy about the Cabin...Dad: What about it?. Susan: Well the thing is.. Dad: What, what is it?. Susan: Well The Cabin is kind of... George: Burned. Dad: Burned!?. Susan: There was a fire and it..George: Burned. Dad: The Cabin burned?. George: Yeah Burned. Dad: Was anything found did it all burn to the ground?, did they find anything?. Susan: No nothing. Wife: Nothing Ha ha. George: But you know Mr. Ross, if you look at the situation, what with your Cigars and everything, it's really rather ironic, or one might even say in a sense, comical,really think about it!.

Jerry: So were drinking, and she starts rubbing my leg. George: Wow what did you do?. Jerry: have you ever told a woman to stop touching your leg?. George: Yeah right. Jerry: I mean, I know it's the wrong thing to do, I know it's wrong, but I can't get that hand off my leg!, I mean I'm looking at the hand, thinking that hand should not be on my leg!, but I can't get my brain to make my mouth to say the words, would you mind?. George: Yet woman have no problem, getting there hand's off, how do they do that?. Jerry: I don't know they're working on a whole other level. George: All right so go ahead. Jerry: So then we go back to my apartment. George: Woah,whoa!. Jerry: So were fooling around there you know it's getting a little passionate, and she starts with the dirty talking. George: All right, all right, hold on, time out,whoa,whoa, what did she say?. Jerry: You know the usual. George: Know I don't know, how do I know the usual?. Jerry: Typical things. George: What's typical?, give me some typical. Jerry: She says *whispers into his ear (George squirts Ketchup). George: That's very dirty, that's absolutely filthy. Jerry: And then she starts talking about her panties. George: I'm gonna need some water here. Jerry: So I said something. George: OK, what did you say?. Jerry: Now bear in mind I am just trying to catch up. George: Of course. Jerry: OK so she's talking about her panties, so i said... you mean the the Panties your mother laid out for you.

(Ending). Jerry: Alright look, we gotta get back to work, we just had a big breakthrough here. Elaine: OK I'll leave you two alone. Jerry: OK. Elaine: Maybe I'll go visit my mother, she just bought me some new panties, and there all laid out for me.
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10/10
Boo
bevo-1367819 June 2020
I like the bit where they found all those incriminating letters
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10/10
George Goes to Dinner
Hitchcoc1 September 2022
Jerry makes a mistake and gets Elaine's assistant angry. And she quits. Elaine makes him call her and make up. They go on a date where things get hot and heavy but Jerry make a stupid remark (which makes no sense), and she is furious. But the highlight is George going to dinner at the home of his girlfriend. In the previous episode, Kramer burned down the cabin with one of his Cuban cigars, but the father hasn't heard this. George is his incredibly insensitive self, despite what seems like a tragedy. A bit later, Jerry and George go back to the apartment and a delivery guy brings some partially burned letters. They are letters from the novelist John Cheever revealing the father is gay. It is just a hoot.
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