The Voice (Seinfeld)

"The Voice"
	Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 9; Episode 2
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Written by	Alec Berg & Jeff Schaffer & David Mandel
Production code	902
Original air date	October 2, 1997
Guest appearance(s)
	Patrick Warburton as David Puddy; Gordon Jump as Mr. Thomassoulo; Sarah Peterson as Claire; Jarrad Paul as Darin; Ella Joyce as Dean Jones; Nancy Balbirer as Alice; Brian J. Williams as Glenn; Cindy Wu as Worker; Ruth Cohen as Ruthie Cohen (uncredited);

"The Voice" is the 158th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the second episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on October 2, 1997.[1]

Plot

George's new employer, Play Now, wants to get rid of him, because they have found out that he isn't really handicapped. However, George has a one-year contract with Play Now, which he plans to exploit by meeting only the most basic requirement of showing up for work every day.

Jerry is dating a woman named Claire, whose stomach makes sounds during the night. Behind her back, Jerry and George joke about her stomach as a character with a loud, booming voice, which they use to greet each other by saying "Helloooo! La, la, la!" The inside joke spreads to Elaine and Kramer too.

At the coffee shop, David Puddy passes by and exchanges greetings with Elaine. Jerry tells Elaine that because of this "bump-into," she is destined to backslide into her relationship with Puddy. She bets him $50 that she won't. The next day, Jerry discovers that Elaine slept with Puddy last night. Elaine argues that it was a meaningless, isolated incident. Jerry insists that because they also had dinner, she must pay up.

Kramer contends that day-to-day incidental tasks are preventing him from realizing all his big ideas. He gets an intern named Darin from New York University to assist him with his corporation, "Kramerica Industries." Darin begins performing Kramer's day-to-day activities, leaving Kramer free to develop ideas such as a rubber bladder to prevent oil tanker spills.

Play Now tries to force George out by making his office uncomfortable and difficult to enter, but George manages to occupy his office each day. Meanwhile, Elaine keeps returning to Puddy. Eventually, Elaine concedes her loss of the bet to Jerry, but they agree to a double or nothing bet.

The university breaks off Kramer's internship program when they find that Kramerica Industries is not a real business and Darin is performing personal tasks for Kramer. However, Darin later returns on his own because he says he believes in Kramerica Industries.

Jerry tells Claire about "the voice." Offended, she leaves him. She says they can only get back together if he agrees to never do "the voice" again. Jerry agonizes and decides he prefers "the voice." However, to his disappointment, he finds that all his friends have grown tired of "the voice." He talks to Claire again and agrees to stop doing "the voice." They make plans to meet.

Play Now offers to buy George out of his contract for half the total pay, but when he refuses, they open his private bathroom to other employees. In retaliation, George suggests that Kramer test his rubber bladder of oil at Play Now's offices using one of their rubber balls as the bladder. As Kramer and Darin prepare to push the ball out the window, Jerry notices that Claire is waiting for him just below. He tries to warn her by shouting "Hello," but she thinks he is doing "the voice" again and doesn't listen until it's too late.

Claire files a lawsuit and puts Play Now out of business, leaving George unemployed. Darin takes the blame for the damage caused by the oil ball and goes to prison. The incident makes "the voice" popular among Jerry's friends again. Elaine realizes she wants to be with Puddy, but he wants to break up.

Episode notes

This episode was originally going to be titled "The Backslide."
The basis of the talking stomach was Seinfeld writer Spike Feresten's real life experience of imagining his girlfriend's butt talking to him while she slept. He recounted the idea to his fellow writers on Seinfeld, where the butt's "voice" became something of an inside-joke. He told his girlfriend this, and her reaction was much like Claire's in the episode. After the writing staff decided to incorporate it into an episode, Seinfeld decided to change it to her belly button talking to him, so that it wouldn't appear to be simple "bawdy humor." Seinfeld later commented that he wished they had kept it as a talking butt.
The scene where Jerry was making a decision between being with Claire, or having the inside belly button joke pays homage to the same scene in "The Invitations" and "The Engagement".
Kramerica Industries was also mentioned in the episode "Male Unbonding".

References

"The Voice" - TV.com

External links

"The Voice" at IMDb

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[1] "The Voice" - TV.com

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