Seinfeld (TV Series) The Subway (1992) User Reviews

Way ahead of its time

[juanmaffeo · 8/10 · 12 June 2016]

Sienfeld has always been about life. It's known for their tackle on everyday situations, things that anyone can relate. To be more specific, Seinfeld has always been about the life of adults in NYC. This has being a key element in the series and a character in its own. But I can't think of a better episode about New York City than "The Subway".

It surely isn't the funniest episode, but there's no arguing it is one of the most clever, boldest and important episodes in its entire run. I believe that this one has three key factors: experimentation, humor and New York.

Experimentation: it may not seem as wild on this day and age, but making a sitcom episode about subway rides was pretty wild. Okay, they made The Chinese Restaurant and The Parking Space before but here there's so much to grab in this location. And it's not only the fact of the location, the writers showed some pretty literal inside of New York's characters (robbers, exhibitionists) not common for a sitcom. And of course, Elaine's story line with the lesbian wedding AND the use of bleeped cursing. They were miles ahead of its time.

Humor: it's phenomenal. From Jerry's reactions to Elaine's outburst, George being the ultimate loser and Kramer's fantastical riding motion show. More than ever, it is incredibly clever. The shifts between stories is relentless and every one is in pair with the other, no overshadowing. And, for our pleasure, the episode makes the full circle: the episode starts and ends at the coffee shop with everyone distinctively changed by the events of the day.

New York: here more that ever it is a character in its own. From the subway trains to every single secondary character: the woman Elaine speaks with, the street artist/cop that saves Kramer, the woman that robs George, the exhibitionist that ends up being friends with Jerry, the two guys that unintentionally give Kramer the tip on Pampernik. It's a beautiful painting about the incredibly diverse set of characters the city has.

One of the best realized episode on the show. Way ahead of its time.

One hell of an afternoon

[MaxBorg89 · 10/10 · 13 November 2008]

For the first time since The Chinese Restaurant, not a single scene of a Seinfeld episode takes place in one of the usual locations (Jerry's apartment, the café, Elaine's office, the comedy club, yada yada yada). In fact, there are no buildings involved at all: the gang's misadventures are all linked to a fateful subway ride.

Each of the protagonists has to go someplace important, but as is often the case, the journey is more interesting and fun than the destination. Therefore we get Jerry meeting an overweight exhibitionist, Kramer hearing tips about a horse race, George skipping a job interview because he meets a woman and, most hilarious of the lot, Elaine missing a lesbian wedding due to a series of delays.

The key to the episode's success is, typically enough, the dialogue, like when Jerry talks to his fellow passenger ("You have something against a naked body?" "I have something against yours!") or George makes a brilliant statement about how he identifies certain women: "I can always feel when lesbians are looking at me. They see me and think "That's why I'm not a heterosexual!"". This time, however, it's Lulia Louis-Dreyfus who steals the show with an outrageous combination of physicality (her exasperated facial expressions) and voice-over, the latter predating Arrested Development by eleven years for its use of bleeped cursing. That scene most certainly qualified as a shocker back in 1991, and it still stands out as a textbook moment of unsurpassed small-screen comedy.

"The Subway" is sure to more than hold up on additional viewings due to its twisted story lines

[SLionsCricketreviews · 8/10 · 29 November 2015]

I've been quite excited for "The Subway" for some time now. And to be completely honest, it was disappointing, considering the hype that I have foolishly built up in this anticipation. And yet, it filled me with a big grin on my face throughout most of its runtime.

This episode again takes the formula of "The Chinese Restaurant" and in this case, separates each character. The plots are parallel and the group's interactions are therefore, reduced considerably. Each character gets enough room to shine in solo, none more so than Elaine Benes. Julia Loius Dreyfus shines in perhaps her best performance to date, as Elaine.

Each character takes a different subway to a different destination. Elaine needs to get to a lesbian wedding, for which she is the best man! Kramer has a court case for multiple public offences! Jerry needs to retrieve the stolen car from earlier at Coney Island. And George has an interview for a job that he must get to. Unsurprisingly, each character's mission is held up by something. I found Jerry's plot to obviously be the weakest, and the only part that was a tad slow and uninteresting.

Back to Elaine, she is hysterical in this episode, as she must contend with the consequences of public transport. I found this to be something I would relate very closely with, as a daily public transport user myself. Julia Loius Dreyfus provides arguably her best performance to date, and at last, Elaine truly shines in this episode.

Michael Richards as Kramer was obviously brilliant, his stand out scenes being first getting on the subway and later being chased by someone after his winnings! Richards makes even the most childish physical humour very funny.

George meets a woman, and his awkward flirtation is a joy to witness. This woman then seduces and manipulates George to come to her apartment, where he then gets cuffed to the bed in shorts, before she empties out his wallet! Jerry meets a nude man on a subway, and ultimately, decides to embark on a journey. This plot bored me a bit, mostly due to a lack of exciting events.

Overall, "The Subway" is a wonderful episode and one I am sure will personally improve upon further viewings. It has all the ingredients of a classic "Seinfeld" episode, and is a must see for all.

The Subway is a brilliant episode, that's quite hilarious and very clever ,as the story is top notch in this one!

[callanvass · 7 April 2006]

(plot). A subway ride leads to four very bizarre experiences for the gang. Train delays cause Elaine to miss a lesbian wedding, Jerry befriends an overweight exhibitionist, George meets a woman on the train and skips a job interview and Kramer overhears a hot tip on a horse.

The Subway is a brilliant episode, that's quite hilarious and very clever, as the the story is top notch in this one!. I think the scene where all 4 of them get off the train and look at each other and go there separate ways and then Elaine says see ya, that would have been another really cool ending to the final Seinfeld episode, and this is extremely well written by Larry Charles and directed by Tom Cherones, plus the scene where Jerry is getting sleep on the train and is falling all over the place is very funny. I also loved Kramer's reaction when The horse he picked wins, and the ending is very funny, as George's character did something so stupid but it was just so hilarious, plus Jerry's opening stand up about Bumper cars was very funny. It's very well made, and I loved Elaine's freaking out scenes when The train suddenly stops, plus this is one of my favorite episodes on season 3!. Barbara Stock and Ernie Sabella are both great as the Scam woman and the naked guy on the train, and I feel this episode is very underrated, plus I thought it was kind of cool that the blind man on the train was actually an undercover cop!. The Subway is a brilliant episode, that's quite hilarious and very clever, as the story is top notch in this one and I say go see it now Seinfeld fans if you Haven't!. ***** out of 5

Favorite quotes.

George: I always get the feeling when Lesbians are looking at me They're thinking that's why I'm not a heterosexual.

(George lying about being a big business man). Scam woman: So your in the market?. George: Oh yeah, yeah I'm in the market. Scam woman: Which market?. George: Which market?, the..the big one, the big market with the big board, bull market, bear market you name it I'm there.

(Elaine freaking out when the Train stops part 1). Elaine: Oh this is great this is what I need, just what I need, OK take it easy, I'm sure it's nothing, probably rats on the track, They're stopping for rats!, god it's so crowded, how could there be so many people?, this guy really smells, Doesen't anyone use deodorant in this city?, what is so hard?, you take a cap off and roll it on. Elaine: What's that? I feel something rubbing against me, these disgusting animals, these people should be in a cage!, were in a cage, what If I miss the wedding?, I got the ring What'll they do?, you can't get married without a ring. :Oh god I can't breathe! I feel faint, OK take it easy It'll start moving soon. : Think about people in concentration camps, what they went through, and the hostages!, what would you do if you were a hostage?, think about that! this is nothing, no it's not nothing it's something, it's a nightmare help me!, move it come on!, move this F**king thing!.

(Elaine freaking out on the train pat 2). Elaine: Why couldn't I take a cab?, for 6$ my whole life could have changed, what is that on my leg!?, I'm never gonna get out of here, what if I'm here for the rest of my life? maybe I'll get out in 5 seconds, one banana, two banana, three banana, four banana, five banana, no I'm still here!, still here! when will they start moving?,, move!,move!,move!(train moves), it's moving!, it's moving!, yes!,yes! (train stops) MOTHERF***KER!.

Episode gives depth to the characters... Spoilers Ahead!!!!!

[tbellezza · 9/10 · 26 July 2022]

This episode is amazing! It does a wonderful job of helping make Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George more relatable as characters.

One fascinating yet random fact involves George. It's something I think goes mostly unnoticed by fans and viewers.

Early in the episode the gang are riding the subway conversing together. During their chat a homeless violinist wearing dark sunglasses walks up the train asile and everyone except George donates to the muscians cup. George, as he usually does in awkward/difficult situations resorts to lying, he tells the man as to the reason he doesn't carry change is because the change always falls out of the pockets in his suit. After the violinist continues up the train car George told the gang the violinist wasn't really blind(George, whom carries the mentality that most people in the world are out to get ya, probably saw something to make him think the homeless man was pretending to be blind to get more money out of people). Elaine then gives George a disgusted looking expression, pressumably because she has already stated in the past('The Truth' episode) she thinks George is extremely "careful" with money...i.e. A cheapskate, and lied again, this time about the man not really being blind so he wouldn't have to spare any money. Ironically; later on in the episode during Kramer's storyline George is actually proven correct about his beliefs. Kramer is about to get mugged for a large sum he just won on horse betting, and the blind violinist saves him as he turns out to be an undercover police officer on the subway.

What a great hidden nuance to show how even in moments George has acute clarity and street smarts...

The Subway Is the Modern Version of Hell

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 12 May 2022]

What a clever concept to show each of the four friends, set into action after being on the subway. George is going for a job interview. Elaine is the best man at a lesbian wedding. Jerry is on his way to Coney Island to retrieve his stolen car. Kramer is just there but trying to exist in his own crazy world. So Elaine's train gets stalled. George ends up handcuffed to a hotel bed. Jerry ends up talking with a naked fat man. And Kramer gets a hot tip and goes to the OTB. Of course, they are all hilarious.

Kramer lucks out

[kellielulu · 9/10 · 15 October 2022]

George is sure a blind musician on the subway can actually see. Lucky for Kramer he was right. The man is actually an undercover cop that saves Kramer from a robbery after winning a pretty good amount at the track.

Elaine stuck on the subway to a wedding between two women that makes Seinfeld considerably ahead of it's time. But it's her inner dialogue as a frustrated subway writer that makes her situation so relatable. That and dealing with a bigoted woman. Obnoxious people who can't keep an ugly opinion to themselves also is relatable making Elaine particularly sympathetic in this episode. She never makes it to the wedding.

Jerry falling asleep on the subway and waking up to a main who's taken off his clothes! At first Jerry is disgusted but eventually finds himself in an in depth discussion with the man about the New York Mets ! Everyone else stands far away!

Jerry even has lunch with the man when they finally get off.

Finally George after talking to an attractive woman who seems to want more from him so he follows her. It looks like he's going to have sex with her she even handcuffs him to the bed in the hotel room. Turns out she's just robbing him and he only has eight dollars! A total waste of her afternoon! She steals his suit and after he somehow gets free he walks into Monks in a bedsheets!

Excerpts from NY Daily News Classifieds 1/9/92

[Illini_Wrestling_Fan · 9/10 · 15 February 2021]

The following advertisements were selected at random from the January 9, 1992 issue of the New York Daily News classified section.

For Sale: lightly used Moe Ginsburg suit. Color: Hazel. Size: 40 short. Will include shirt, tie, overcoat and scarf for full ensemble. Retail price $350.00, will accept $8.00 cash. Please double my money on a bad investment. 555-2833.

Free item: surplus train equipment, orange high density polyethylene. Full disclosure: many unspeakable things have undoubtedly been done on and to this two passenger seat over its years of service, but the Transit Authority cannot in good conscience continue to allow fare-paying customers to unwittingly come into contact with this tainted bench. Despite yesterday's best efforts our maintenance crews have not been able to remove the plastic-fused body hair or pungent sweat aroma, but pursuant to Mayor Dinkins' recycling initiative we offer this item to the first interested party to pick it up from the Coney Island Yard, 2556 McDonald Ave.

Personals: you sat alone on the train, a puffball stocking cap above your smiling face. Reminiscent of a Nebraska farmboy on his first trip to the city, you continued to smile as a lanky doofus with hair like the bride of Frankenstein tried to squeeze in next to your ample girth. The rest of the day I wished I was him so as to come that close to you and your scent, which I imagine is best described as a cologne designed by Bob Evans. Call me 555-7287.

Wedding

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 19 June 2020]

I like the funny bit with the naked mannon the subway

Subway

[safenoe · 8/10 · 25 March 2024]

Mark Boone Junior, who has been in some Christopher Nolan movies, e.g Memento, appears in The Subway, from season three of the show about nothing, but really it is about something. I enjoyed watching Seinfeld when debuted in the early 1990s and its popularity and catchphrases endure. Here Jerry and the Scooby Gang criss-cross the subway and beyond, and I wonder how this played in front of the live studio audience, or was there one, I'm not sure, but I guess the laughter is there. I'm enjoying reflecting on Seinfeld and its impact on culture. Anyway, all credit to the series enduring over many years.

No, it's not nothing, it's something!

[bombersflyup · 7/10 · 16 August 2022]

The Subway is about the gang going their separate ways aboard the train, each a unique experience.

A good episode, without an overall story, the only merging conclusion being Kramer picking up the tab. Each of the character's segments are entertaining, except Jerry's to a degree and the musical chairs in Kramer's being overdone. Jerry's standup's okay, but not overly memorable.

George: Will I see you again?

Some good laughs in the subway

[FlushingCaps · 5/10 · 21 March 2014]

I do not agree with those who claim this is one of the best in the series. It had some good laughs but there was no plot and much of what happened was not very funny.

We see the four at Monk's talking about which subway route is best to get to Coney Island. Kramer appears to have committed the entire subway system of NY to memory. Then they are on a train riding together before they go their merry ways. I liked the goofy way they all got off, stood together for a few seconds, then split up with only Elaine, at the end, saying any sort of a good-bye, actually a "See You." Jerry's bit is the weakest. He falls asleep on his way to pick up his car from the impound lot (it had been stolen episodes before). When he wakes up, a man across the aisle has removed all his clothes and holds a briefcase just where the network censors would want him to hold it.

Jerry engages in a long conversation with him, while all the other passengers on that car huddle in the far end. They talk about the Mets' chances that year, using names of players on the actual roster then. We are supposed to crack up that he is having a normal conversation with a guy with no clothes on, but they aren't saying anything funny. It's "Jerry's talking with a naked man. Ha-ha!" Kramer is en route to pay traffic tickets, overhears a hot tip on a horse race, goes to a betting room, places his bet, wins big, then realizes a creepy-looking guy is following him and he races along trying to avoid being robbed. The ending to his segment was a nice surprise, but little of it was funny. There was some dialog, heard by Kramer, then later spoken by him to someone else, that was either a ripoff of, or an homage to Abbott and Costello, regarding a horse being a good mudder (runs well on muddy tracks).

Elaine is on a crowded subway heading to her friends' lesbian wedding, where she is proud to be "the best man." She gets into a conversation with an older woman who is put off when she learns the type of wedding she is going to. The woman seemed quite normal and this conversation did not do much for me either. Later, we see Elaine panicking when the train suddenly stops, and hear her panicky thoughts waiting and waiting for it to start again. I thought she seemed like someone in need of psychiatry and not a stable New Yorker who should be accustomed to trains suddenly stopping for a few minutes. I have ridden NY subways three times in my life and once had it stop between stations for several minutes, before we then had to walk through a dozen cars to get to one at a station. Nobody thought it a big deal.

So three of the four "stories" were practically laughless--a rare thing on Seinfeld. The only one that worked as funny was George, en route to a second job interview, blowing it off to follow a woman he had spoken to, thinking he might have some quick sex. Even for George, I couldn't figure out why he couldn't get her phone number and meet her later.

Instead, she leads him to what was either her hotel room or her apartment--either way, there seems to be a problem with what happens later. This involves the one big surprise in the show and I won't spoil that part. But anyone who knows George will know it won't turn out like he hopes.

The George part was funny, but 3 duds out of 4 make this one of the weakest Seinfeld episodes. I thin it provides good evidence of why the show's best episodes were when the events happening to different characters overlapped into a real plot for all, or most of them.

I couldn't give it more than a 5, based on how much it made me laugh.

I did all this for 8 dollars?

[foldsville · 30 December 2020]

Poor lady. I'm still laughing. I love you George Costanza.

funny episode with some wokneszz

[yahateke · 4/10 · 13 December 2020]

Funny episode but also get wokeez get broke :P

could done better back then , we will be on Mars now !