"The Keys" is the 40th episode of the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. It is the 23rd, and final, episode of the third season and the first of a three-episode

story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vid ...

. It first aired on May 6, 1992. In this episode, Jerry takes back his spare keys from Kramer, straining their friendship.

Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of the title character on the CBS sitcom ''Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also kno ...

guest stars as herself, playing the title character from '' Murphy Brown'' (as she did in real life) in a TV episode within a TV episode.

Plot

In a montage of incidents, Jerry returns home to find that Kramer has overstayed his welcome; he had been using the spare set of keys Jerry left with him. Exasperated, Jerry demands his spare keys back. The loss of the keys makes Kramer first rueful and then philosophically resigned. Disturbed by the change in him, Jerry tries to give the keys back, but Kramer refuses. Kramer then leaves for California to follow his dream of becoming an actor, after he is unable to persuade

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

to join him. Jerry gives his spare keys to Elaine. Soon after, he needs them and goes to Elaine's apartment with George (who has the spare keys to her place), to search for his spare set. While there, they find Elaine's writing project for an episode of '' Murphy Brown''. As they read and laugh over it, Elaine walks in. Despite their positive assessment of her script, she screams at them to leave because they have invaded her privacy. During his travel to California, Kramer gets in a series of misadventures: his car breaks down, he hitchhikes three times (first with a motorcyclist, then a Volkswagen filled with hippies, and finally a truck driver), and at last resorts to rollerskating on

Venice Beach Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it was annexed by ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. Jerry is unable to locate Kramer to make amends. One night, while watching ''Murphy Brown'' with Elaine, Jerry sees Kramer in a bit part on ''Murphy Brown'' as Murphy's new secretary, "Steven Snell".

Production

Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', on which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seve ...

and Jerry Seinfeld later appeared on

Diane English Diane English (born May 18, 1948) is an American screenwriter, producer and director, best known for creating the television show '' Murphy Brown'' and writing and directing the 2008 feature film '' The Women''. Early life English was born in Bu ...

's (creator of '' Murphy Brown'') new show, '' Love & War'', as a thank you for the ''Murphy Brown'' scene. Due to

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and producer who worked on the comedy television series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1982–1985), ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), ''The New Adventures ...

's off-screen pregnancy, her character had to spend the latter half of this season hiding her belly behind furniture and laundry baskets. "The Keys" was the final episode filmed before the birth of her son and her leave at the start of Season 4.

Music

When Jerry calls Kramer's mother, the music heard in the background is from '' Pagliacci'', which was later featured in the episode " The Opera". The scene that shows Kramer rollerskating in L.A. is accompanied by an instrumental version of

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

' song "

California Girls "California Girls" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1965 album, '' Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)''. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the lyrics detail an appreciation for women across the world and a wish ...

References

External links

* Seinfeld (season 3) episodes 1992 American television episodes {{Seinfeld-episode-stub