The Lip Reader

"The Lip Reader"
	Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5; Episode 6
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Carol Leifer
Production code	506
Original air date	October 28, 1993
Guest appearance(s)
	Wayne Knight as Newman; Christopher Darga as Driver; Linda Kash as Gwen; Jerry Sroka as Todd; Marlee Matlin as Laura; Veralyn Jones as Renee; Dylan Taggerty as Young Man; Bret Anthony as Teen;

"The Lip Reader" is the 70th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It is the sixth episode of the fifth season, and first aired on October 28, 1993.

Plot

Jerry and George are at the US Open. During a break, George buys an ice cream sundae and gets it all over his face, which is broadcast on television and mocked by the commentators. Jerry becomes smitten with Laura, a deaf lineswoman. Kramer decides to become a ball boy for the tournament, and excels at the tryouts.

Elaine, who is using her company's car service, is tired of having to always make small talk with the drivers. She pretends to have a hearing problem to avoid talking to him but is caught when she reacts to a radio message for the driver to pick up Tom Hanks. When the driver is angry with her for faking deafness, she gets him tickets to a Metallica concert, which causes the driver to temporarily lose his hearing.

George's girlfriend Gwen breaks up with him, telling him "it's not you; it's me." George suspects the real reason for the breakup is that Gwen saw the video of him eating the ice cream and was disgusted. When George finds out that Laura can read lips, he asks her to come with him to a party that he knows Gwen will attend and eavesdrop on conversations to find out the real reason she dumped him.

The gang takes Elaine's car service to the party, and the car is driven by the same driver as Elaine had before. When he recognizes Elaine, the driver throws everyone out of his car. They end up walking to the party, arriving late. During Gwen's conversation with a male friend, Kramer (having learned some sign language from a cousin) interprets for Laura, incorrectly interpreting that Gwen and the male friend are agreeing to "sleep together" instead of "sweep together." George confronts Gwen and her friend angrily, causing a scene.

Later, the group returns to the US Open to watch Kramer serve as a "ball man" at the first match of Monica Seles' comeback (from her stabbing injury). However, soon into the match, Kramer runs into Seles, injuring her. After the match, Laura gets into the limo with the same chatty driver. When he starts talking to her, she explains to him that she's deaf. He gives her a dubious expression, thinking she is faking it like Elaine.

Production

"The Lip Reader" was writer Carol Leifer's first produced script for Seinfeld. As had become a signature of the show, Leifer drew on her real life experiences for the storylines. While working as a stand-up comedian, Leifer used a car service for traveling between shows; preferring to have "some peace and quiet" during her rides, she was annoyed that she consistently ended up with drivers who would talk to her even when she buried her face in a magazine. She added in Elaine's pretending to be deaf to both tie her plot in with George's and raise the down-to-earth experience of not wanting to talk with drivers to a level of absurdity.[1] Sports commentators ridiculing a spectator who was messily eating a hot fudge sundae was something Leifer actually saw on TV.[1]

In the scene where George comes up with the idea of using Laura to eavesdrop on his ex-girlfriend, Leifer's script had Jerry and George talking out of the sides of their mouths in order to avoid being lip-read by Laura.[2] Actors Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander came up with the idea of using organic gestures to cover their mouths on their own.[1]

Critical reception

David Sims of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A- / B+, calling it "perfectly good but just a little more forgettable than the stone cold classics season five opened with, "including "some very memorable moments." Sims notes that much of the episode "makes George look like a fool."[3]

Nick DeNitto remarked that "Laura's lip-reading isn't perfect, which leads to some funny moments of miscommunication."[4]

Commentator Paul Arras praises the episode for its "jokes that take on stereotypes, political correctness, and other assumptions about etiquette."

While Elaine becomes the foil, Matlin plays the character with such self-confidence and empowerment, it's easy to forget that social etiquette implies her deafness should be cause for pity. In a hilarious scene, Jerry and George out to dinner with Laura, go to great lengths to guard their mouths in natural ways, raising a glass to their face or rubbing their eyes so Laura doesn't know they are talking about her. George, of course, lacks the shame he should be expected to feel about using Laura's skill for his own selfish interests. Jerry is more hesitant, saying, 'She's not a novelty act, George, where you hire her out for weddings and bar mitzvahs.' Eventually Jerry relents to ask, but before he can, Laura blurts out, 'Sure. I'll do it.' She's turned the tables and demonstrated her own empowerment. Their attempts to disguise their conversation from her failed. She is too good a lip reader to be outwitted.[5]

References

Leifer, Carol; Mehlman, Peter (2005). Seinfeld Seasons 5: Audio Commentary - "The Lip Reader" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Seinfeld Seasons 3: Inside Looks - The Lip Reader (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.
Sims, David (Feb 24, 2011). "Seinfeld: The Bris / The Lip Reader". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
DeNitto, Nick (August 26, 2013). "10 Famous People You Didn't Know Played Bit Parts On Seinfeld". WhatCulture!. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
Arras, Paul. "SEINFELD - Season 5, Episode 6 – The Lip Reader". Watching the 90s: Television and Film Notes and Musings. Retrieved February 24, 2014.

External links

"The Lip Reader" at IMDb
"The Lip Reader" at TV.com

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[AudioCom-1] Leifer, Carol; Mehlman, Peter (2005). Seinfeld Seasons 5: Audio Commentary - "The Lip Reader" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

[2] Seinfeld Seasons 3: Inside Looks - The Lip Reader (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.

[3] Sims, David (Feb 24, 2011). "Seinfeld: The Bris / The Lip Reader". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 24, 2014.

[4] DeNitto, Nick (August 26, 2013). "10 Famous People You Didn't Know Played Bit Parts On Seinfeld". WhatCulture!. Retrieved February 24, 2014.

[5] Arras, Paul. "SEINFELD - Season 5, Episode 6 – The Lip Reader". Watching the 90s: Television and Film Notes and Musings. Retrieved February 24, 2014.

Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend" "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip" "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats" "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100" "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac" "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit" "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"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"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle" "The Finale"
Indicates two-part episode