The Trip, Part 1
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"The Trip" is the two-part fourth season premiere of the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
sitcom ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
''. It comprises the 41st and 42nd episodes of the series overall, which aired on August 12 and August 19, 1992. Following Kramer's move to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in the season 3 finale, " The Keys", this two-part episode focuses on
Jerry Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * Jerry (play), a 1914 American play ...
and
George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
going to find Kramer in Los Angeles. When they arrive there, Jerry appears on a talk show and he George discover that Kramer is suspected of being a serial killer referred to as the "Smog Strangler". The rest of season 4 would focus on the continuous story arc of Jerry and George creating a pilot for NBC.


Plot


Part 1

Jerry Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * Jerry (play), a 1914 American play ...
is offered two free tickets from
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
to appear on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...
''. He offers one to
George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
and they decide that while they are in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
they will track down Kramer, who headed to Los Angeles in the previous episode, " The Keys", to become an actor. Kramer has attended several auditions but without any luck. Police are searching for "The Smog Strangler," a
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
roaming the streets of Los Angeles. Chelsea, a woman Kramer met during auditions, turns up dead in another part of the city with the script Kramer gave to her found on her body. George thinks he has insightful conversations with the talk show guests
Corbin Bernsen Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series ''L.A. Law'',
and
George Wendt George Robert Wendt Jr. (October 17, 1948 – May 20, 2025) was an American actor. Wendt was best known for playing Norm Peterson on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' from 1982 to 1993, which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Em ...
, but they both call him "some nut" during their subsequent interviews. Jerry can't remember the words for a joke and blames the hotel maid, Lupe, who threw his notes away while cleaning the room. As Jerry and George leave ''The Tonight Show'', they see Kramer's picture on the news. He is the prime suspect for the "Smog Strangler".


Part 2

Jerry and George try to help clear Kramer of the accusation. They use a
payphone A payphone (alternative spelling: pay phone or pay telephone or public phone) is typically a coin-operated public telephone, often located in a telephone booth or in high-traffic public areas. Prepayment is required by inserting coins or tel ...
to call the police and they say they have important information regarding the stranglings. Two policemen in a cruiser come to pick them up and take them back to the station. On their way, the officers see a man trying to break into a car. They arrest him and put him in the back with Jerry and George; Jerry and the man get into an argument about
tipping Tipping may refer to: *Gratuity *Tipping (surname) *Tipping baronets, a title in the Baronetage of England *Norsk Tipping, the national lottery of Norway See also *Cow tipping, a rumored activity involving pushing over a sleeping cow *Fly-tipping ...
, with the latter insisting that Jerry's tipping habits are too cheap. They have to stop again when they get a police call regarding Kramer the "Smog Strangler" and happen to be close to the scene. Jerry and George want to make sure Kramer is not imprisoned, so they flee from the car, and, in their hurry, leave the door open. The man who had been in the back seat with them escapes. Kramer is taken to the police station and is questioned by the lieutenant, causing Kramer to have a
nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
and begin hysterically sobbing. While he is being
interrogated Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful inf ...
, the lieutenant receives a phone call revealing that the Smog Strangler has killed another victim while Kramer was in custody, and so he is released. After Kramer is exonerated, Jerry and George decide to return to New York, but Kramer opts to remain in Los Angeles. However, by the end of the episode, Kramer has returned to New York and is once again living across the hall from Jerry. He offers no explanation of his return. He and Jerry return each other's spare keys as a sign that they have reconciled after their argument in "The Keys". It is revealed that the Smog Strangler is suspected to be the man that George and Jerry accidentally allowed to escape. It is broadcast on the news that his name is Tobias Lehigh Nagy, his whereabouts are unknown, but that he is a generous tipper.


Production

The scene in which the man breaks into the car was shot near the Bicycle Shack on Ventura Place in
Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 19 ...
, California, a short distance from
CBS Studio Center Radford Studio Center, alternatively CBS Studio Center, is a television and film studio located in the Studio City district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, United States. The lot has 18 sound stages from , of office spac ...
, the main studio for ''Seinfeld''. When Kramer is confronted by the police at his apartment (about 12 minutes into the episode),
Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He is known for his dry wit, portrayals of awkward social situations, and brutally honest takes on everyday life. He has received two Prim ...
and episode writer
Larry Charles Larry Charles (born ) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He was a staff writer for the sitcom ''Seinfeld'' for its first five seasons. He has also directed the documentary film '' Religulous'' and the mockumentary comedy films ...
can be seen standing in the crowd behind the officers, at the far right of the scene. The cop riding shotgun is the same actor that would later portray
Jake Jarmel This is a list of characters who appeared on ''Seinfeld''. This list features only characters who appeared in main roles or multiple episodes; those that appeared in only one are not included here. Overview ;Overview : = Main cast (credited) : = ...
. The hotel/apartment that Kramer is staying in while in Hollywood is in the same building that was used in ''
Pretty Woman ''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall and written by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), ...
'', in which
Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe ...
co-starred. This was the only two-part episode of ''Seinfeld'' in which both parts had the same name but were aired on two separate dates instead of a one-hour special. However, "The Wallet"/"The Watch" is a continuation episode pairing which also aired on separate dates with a "To Be Continued" at the end of "The Wallet". Elaine does not appear in either part of "The Trip", and appears only briefly in " The Pitch" and " The Ticket", because
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress and comedian. She has gained acclaim for starring in a string of successful comedy series as well as several comedy films. She has received List of awards ...
was on
maternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity leave ...
. Kramer's first name is missing from the script found on the dead woman's body, a reference to how—at this point in time—no one knows his full name. The episodes were broadcast much earlier than the typical September premiere for a new season, as NBC wanted to cash in on ratings from the
1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...
(which NBC also covered) and as such these two episodes got some of the highest Nielsen ratings thus far.


References


External links

* - Part One * - Part Two {{DEFAULTSORT:Trip, The Seinfeld season 4 episodes 1992 American television episodes Seinfeld episodes in multiple parts