Seinfeld (TV Series) The Fire (1994) User Reviews

Jerry vs. The Heckler

[Samuel-Shovel · 9/10 · 8 November 2017]

Another episode, another classic! In "The Fire", George must deal with a whole new level of cowardliness, even for him, after he pushes children and elderly out of the way when a small fire breaks out at a children's birthday party. Meanwhile Jerry has to deal with a heckler in the form of Kramer's new GF who he met through Elaine at work while proposing his coffee table coffee table book idea.

What an inner-web of story lines amazingly tied together! Seinfeld always amazes me how it brings all these different subplots together and forms such a coherent story arc in the span of 20 minutes of television. And this episode has some classic comedic moments as well. Kramer's story of taking the toe to the hospital is difficult to top!

As is Seinfield's tradition, all the story lines come together at the end as madness erupts and the characters look back at their decisions and wonder what exactly went wrong this time.

Its reputation held up during the viewing

[SLionsCricketreviews · 9/10 · 4 December 2015]

What an excellent episode in every sense of the word. Jerry's storyline and George's storyline resulted in countless laughs during this regular length episode.

Jason Alexander is terrific, especially in the scene where he reacts to the fire and his later justification of his appalling behaviour! Michael Richards shines when he recounts to Jerry how he saved Robin's big toe!

Robin as a character was so bizarre, that she was a welcome addition to "Seinfeld". My only real criticism in this episode should be that there was a bit too much Jerry stand up, but every bit of it worked perfectly, again working it into the plot. Robin proved to be quite a heckler!

"The Fire" is a "Seinfeld" classic. Loved it.

"... Every man, woman, child, and invalid for themselves."

[ChrisMIN43211 · 10/10 · 1 May 2014]

Some Seinfeld episodes are more famous than others; for instance, "The Contest" with the foursome engaging themselves with self-withdrawal, "The Soup Nazi", "The Yada Yada", and "The Strike", which brought forth a new holiday. But one of my favorites is "The Fire", which I will discuss here.

Jerry is trying out new material and has a set with a magazine reporter in his audience, and he wants to do well. Elaine's co-worker at Pendant Publishing, an exuberant woman named Toby, goes to the show with Kramer. Kramer promises that they'll be cooperative audience members, and in spite of making Jerry a little nervous, all should go well. Except when Jerry gets to a part describing the differences of men and women using the television remote , Toby heckles Jerry.

Meanwhile, George attends the birthday party of the son of the comedy club waitress Robin. After arguing with a clown named Eric (played by Jon Favreau), George goes to check on the burgers on the stove, which is producing a little more smoke than usual... and then yells out FIRE! Naturally, everyone panics, and despite he being one of the only two adult males at the party, George races to the front door of the apartment.

One to the best moments in Seinfeld is when George tries to justify his actions and later on after when Jerry gets his revenge on Toby in her workplace, leading to a surprising conclusion which affects Elaine, and that's after Kramer has come to the rescue for Toby.

"You're Batman!!"

[itamarscomix · 3 October 2011]

Season 5, Episode 19, "The Fire"

Somehow, "The Fire" never stood out for me as a classic Seinfeld episode; partly because the actress playing Toby is quite annoying, and partly because nothing very interesting happens to Elaine or Jerry throughout the episode, and for that matter, not to Kramer either - for the most part.

Two scenes, though, are enough to make the episode memorable. One is George at his girlfriend-of-the-week's (Parker Lewis's Miss Musso!) son's birthday, and his hilarious talk with the firefighters afterwords. The other is Kramer's story of his retrieval of Toby's toe and his busjacking, and that scene itself is one of the best moments in the show's entire run, and enough to make it a classic.

Must see !

[kellielulu · 10/10 · 30 August 2022]

Definitely underrated

Kramer's bus is out of control story is a classic. Kramer and George can tell a story and make it as funny if not funnier than if you saw it all happen.

George's issues with children's birthday parties and clowns who are not Bozo are funny enough but his actions at the party shows once again Seinfeld wasn't afraid to push the limit.

Elaine and Jerry for completely separate reasons find Toby to be more than they can handle. Toby is a coworker of Elaine's and a girlfriend of Kramer's. She plays heavily into Elaine and Jerry's plots in this one and is the pivotal one in the bus story .

Top ten episode!

Bozo

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 19 June 2020]

I like the bit where he pushed that old lady to the ground.

Jon Favereau as the clown.

[Sirus_the_Virus · 10/10 · 28 August 2009]

The Plot: Elaine is up for a promotion. It's between her and this irritating woman named Toby, who Kramer is going out with. When Kramer and Toby go to visit Jerry's comedy act, she heckles him in the crowd and makes him look like an idiot. So Jerry plans to heckle her back. When he does, she is so upset that she runs into the street and accidentally loses her toe. So Kramer goes and gets it reattached and Toby gets the promotion. George is dating a woman with a son. So at his birthday party, he sees a fire and pushes everyone out of the way. Children, an old lady, and a clown.

What surprised me was that Jon Favereau played the clown who George constantly makes fun of in this episode. It must've been when he was first starting off. The Fire is a hilarious episode and one of the best. It has many memorable scenes. Like when George pushes everyone out of the way and Kramer's story of how he tried to get to the hospital to get the toe reattached. The Fire is one of the best episodes ever. Though i say this in every Seinfeld episode I review, you can't go wrong with Seinfeld episodes. They're all fantastic and the show got better as it went on. This was season 5, and it was fantastic.

A Classic

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 15 October 2022]

There are several choice moments in this episode. First of all is Jerry's effort to do his comedy routine in a small club. Kramer has a girlfriend who works with Elaine and she comes to the show and heckles him. She won't shut up. People can't even hear Jerry. The actress who plays her is great--you get to despise her. George has the choicest moments, however. His bar waitress girlfriend plans a birthday party for her son. George goes and get in a fight with the hired clown over his lack of knowledge of Bozo the clown. There is a small fire in the kitchen and George, in order to escape, knocks people over, including his girlfriend's mother, his girlfriend, a disabled person, and all the kids at the party. He claims he was showing leadership, blazing a trail for the others to get out of the apartment.

One of the best!

[Reel1120 · 9/10 · 24 July 2022]

As funny now as it was 25 years ago. Two intersecting storylines that are as hilarious as anything in the history of sitcoms. Whoever wrote the scene where Kramer tells the bus/Cracker Jack/pinky toe story and Michael Richards need great recognition. And then, same episode, "Eric the clown"... perfect!

You're hung up on clown from the sixties,,,,

[rodinnyc · 8/10 · 7 March 2022]

As it happens,

I"m the right age to remember Bozo...I guess many cities had their own Bozo....

George's obsession with Bozo, his cowardice....very funny. The Firefighter asking how does he live with himself.

The other funny plot line is Toby.....the actor is great playing her....her getting on Elaine's nerves, "she's demented." OR was it deranged? Anyway I wait for Elaine's delivery of that line.

The way she heckles and throws off Jerry.

The prop comedian. Reminds me of seeing Paul Reubens at Caroline's in the Eighties.

Not that crazy about Kramer's long monologue about the pinky toe.

Overall a funny episode.

Guest starring Melanie Chartoff

[safenoe · 9/10 · 13 February 2024]

Being a huge fan of Parker Lewis Can't Lose, it was a treat to see Melanie Chartoff, who starred as Principal Musso in that fine (yet sadly underrated) sitcom, guest starring in this Seinfeld episode, The Fire. I must admit Melanie somewhat resembled her The Fire co-star Veanne Cox, Elaine's irritatingly "great" work colleague. Anyway, here George displays his full colors when there's a fire risk at a child's birthday party and he runs amok and desperately tries to justify it.

I'm enjoying re-watching most episodes of Seinfeld, having first watched it when it debuted in the 1990s, wow, that long ago.

After a long consideration...

[sirokobrijezanka · 10/10 · 6 March 2024]

This is my favorite episode in the entire show. With George's monologue explaining how he should be considered a hero for leading the people out of the harm's way and Kramer's story about driving the bus, carrying the pinky toe of Toby The Heckler, fighting off a robber while makinh all the stops, and then the scene of Jerry coming to Toby's work to heckle her, I am positive this is objectively the best episode in the show. No contest. Pun very much intended.

Favorite quote: "And when I ran out that door, I was not leaving anyone behind! Oh-ho, quite the contrary! I risked my life making sure that exit was clear. Any other questions?"