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Sun 14 December 2025 2:30, UK
No list of the greatest sitcoms of all time would be complete without mentioning Seinfeld, which redefined what a comedy show could be.
Ironically, the “show about nothing” became a popular culture phenomenon that spawned dozens of imitators and launched the careers of many exciting actors. Although all of the members of the Seinfeld cast went on to have exciting projects in the aftermath, no one ascended to the ranks of Hollywood royalty quite like Julia Louis-Dreyfuss.
Louis-Dreyfuss’ performance as Elaine added something different to the male perspectives of Jerry Seinfeld, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). Although Louis-Dreyfuss would receive nearly just as much acclaim for her work as Vice President Selina Meyers in the HBO political satire Veep, Elaine is still the role that helped to put her on the map.
Fans of Seinfeld know the show so well that there’s a hot debate over what is the best episode; while ‘The Contest’ is known as the episode that made the show’s censors wild, an episode like ‘The Hamptons’ allowed Alexander to show the peak of his abilities. However, Louis-Dreyfuss said in behind-the-scenes features that she found the season three episode ‘The Pen’ to be “the most thrilling” experience that she had making the show.
‘The Pen’ is one of the most unique episodes of Seinfeld because it was the only episode to not feature Alexander, and one of only two to not feature Richards. Even if only half of the main cast was there, ‘The Pen’ made use of some of the show’s funniest guest stars by including Jerry’s parents, Morty (Barney Martin) and Helen (Liz Sheridan). When Jerry brings Elaine with him to visit his parents in their retirement community in Florida, they get caught up in an absolutely hilarious controversy.
‘The Pen’ was a notable episode for Louis-Dreyfuss because it showed how talented of a physical comedian she could be. It’s after Elaine is forced to stay on an uncomfortable bed that she develops serious back pain, which leads her to take multiple muscle relaxers. After taking too much goddamn medication, Elaine begins to become more gregarious and goofy, and even resorts to doing an impersonation of Marlon Brando’s performance in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Another interesting factor in ‘The Pen’ that distinguished it from other early episodes is that it directly addressed the former relationship that existed between Jerry and Elaine. One of the most genius choices within the show’s construction is that it found a way for Jerry and Elaine to feel very close with one another, but never hinted that they may rekindle their romantic relationship. In the episode, Jerry finds himself stressed out when trying to explain to his parents why he broke up with Elaine in the first place.
While ‘The Pen’ may not be quite as funny as other classic Seinfeld episodes, such as ‘The Junior Mint’ or ‘The Marine Biologist’, it did help to ensure that Louis-Dreyfuss would have a bigger role moving forward.
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