There are few comedy shows in the history of television as deft and intelligent as Seinfeld
which is why it’s one of the greatest sitcoms ever and one of the most rewatchable shows of all time, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some notable holes. During the series’ nine-season run, there are many questions presented that never get answered – and that even includes the best of the best Seinfeld episodes.
It can be fun for fans to examine and debate these particular mysteries, so we’ve made the effort of collecting 32 of them for you below so that you can parse them yourselves and come up with your own answers.
Why Did Audrey Reject The Pie?
When Jerry shakes his head and silently rejects Poppie’s pizza, we know it’s because Poppie doesn’t wash his hands after going to the bathroom. When George does the same thing when offered dessert by a potential employer, we know it’s because he is avoiding a revenge scheme by the chef. But why does Audrey shake her head and not offer an explanation when Jerry offers her a slice of apple pie at Monks?
Why Did George Stop Doing The Opposite?
At the end of Seinfeld Season 5, George’s life seems to be forever changed when he decides to start doing the opposite of every natural instinct he has. By the time we see him again in Season 6, however, he is back to being the selfish, neurotic jerk he has always been, and there is no mention of when he halted his new way of life.
What Was Uncle Leo’s Crime Of Passion?
It’s a mild shock in Season 9’s “The Bookstore” when it’s revealed that Uncle Leo has a criminal record… but we never actually learn any details about his felonious past. Whenever it’s brought up, it’s merely dismissed as a “crime of passion,” and that could basically be anything.
Did Manya Really Ruin Jerry’s Softball Game?
What is the nature of the universe in Seinfeld? Is there an afterlife? Do ghosts exist? The show never really dives into those questions, but events in “The Pony Remark” make one wonder. Because Seinfeld is by its nature a fictional world, we can’t outright dismiss the idea that Manya haunted Jerry and caused him to have the worst softball game of his life.
Did Whatley Actually Take Advantage Of Jerry In His Dentist Chair?
Let’s be real: Dr. Tim Whatley is a shady character. He has a surprisingly boorish reaction when Elaine accidentally rejects him at his Thanksgiving party, and he is a proven regifter. But did he actually take advantage of Jerry while he was unconscious for a tooth filling? Rewatching the episode, it’s not made clear if his shirt was tucked or untucked before going under the gas.
What Happened To George’s Sable Russian Hat?
I’m willing to give Heather the benefit of the doubt that she really doesn’t have George’s sable Russian hat after he performs a “leave behind” in “The Chicken Roaster.” But if she truly doesn’t have the furry $8,000 accessory, where did it go?
Why Do Jerry And Newman Hate Each Other?
In Seinfeld, Jerry and Newman first come face-to-face in Season 3’s “The Suicide,” and there is already clear animosity between them, as the latter is almost giddy at the prospect of telling the comatose Martin about Jerry’s affair with his girlfriend. The dislike goes both ways… but where does it originate from? What was the event that got the neighbors to hate each other? It’s a story that the sitcom never tells.
What Is Newman’s First Name?
Those who watched Seinfeld week-to-week in the 1990s will remember the surprise that came with finally learning Kramer’s first name in Season 6’s “The Switch,” but fans never got a similar reveal for Newman. Some have argued based on a line at the end of Season 7’s “The Bottle Deposit” that his full name is Norman Newman, but that’s not widely accepted as canon.
How Does Kramer Afford His Apartment?
One of Kramer’s standout qualities as a character is that he is a moocher: he takes food from Jerry with impunity, and with some exceptions, he doesn’t make a habit of picking up the bill at Monks. He also has charisma and connections that clearly get him by in life. Those things tell us how he gets by in life day-to-day…but how he affords the monthly rent for the apartment across from Jerry’s place is a forever mystery.
Did Ray Thomas Really Take George’s Statue?
There is no doubt that Ray Thomas from Season 2‘s “The Statue” is a theatrical, affected weirdo… but is he a thief? Jerry is certainly convinced that he stole the statue that he had gifted to George, and Kramer is more than happy to assist in its “retrieval” – but whether or not Ray is guilty of robbery is never confirmed.
What Was In The Report That Mr. Wilhelm Turned In For George?
How bad does a report have to be that a boss could use it as evidence to have an employee thrown into a mental health facility? That’s a question that Seinfeld fans are left with at the end of “The Bottle Deposit” when an off-his-meds Mr. Wilhelm submits a project on George’s behalf.
Why Does Christie Repeatedly Wear The Same Dress?
To be fair, the dress that Christie wears in Season 7’s “The Seven” is nice: it has a cool black-and-white pattern and, as Jerry puts it, a scoop neck reminiscent of a superhero costume. But why does she wear it all the time? And does she have multiples, or somehow keep the same single garment fresh?
Why Was Ellen Considered “A Loser”?
I’m sorry, but in the conversation about Ellen from Season 8’s “The Van Buren Boys,” I’m not willing to accept that everyone simply sees her as a loser because she’s the kind of girl your parents would want you to date. There must be something deeper there… but it’s a bottomless pit in terms of understanding a true answer.
What Do Bob Sacamano Or Lomez Look Like?
There is a long tradition of unseen characters in sitcom history, from Vera Peterson on Cheers to Wilson on Home Improvement, and in Seinfeld’s case, we have Bob Sacamano and Lomez. Kramer frequently talks about these friends off-handedly, but they never appear on screen. The closest we get to seeing either of them is when Kramer is waiting for Lomez in a Portapotty in Season 9’s “The Betrayal.”
What’s The Deal With The Night Club That Turns Out To Be A Meat Packing Plant?
One could make the argument that there are only two elements of the supernatural in Seinfeld. One is Manya potentially haunting Jerry, and the other is the beautiful people nightclub that evidently takes the form of a meat packing plant to anyone who isn’t invited. What is the answer to the mystery here? We have no idea.
What Happened During Jerry’s Hawaiian Vacation With Lois?
Jerry seemed to have a really good thing going with Lois in Season 6’s “The Race,” and not just because she shares a first name with Lois Lane. They prepare to go off on a magical Hawaiian vacation together at the end of the episode… but she is then never heard from again. I’ll accept that Jerry has a history of breaking up with women based on ridiculous reasons, but I still wonder what went down during the tropical trip.
What Happened To Kramer And Noreen's Baby?
Does the Kramer name live on? That’s a possibility at the end of Season 6’s “The Chinese Woman,” as Cosmo giddily announces to Jerry that Noreen’s menstrual cycle is late. Noreen never appears again after that episode, so what happened to the baby is unknown.
Who Really Invented The Umbrella Twirl?
Do we as an audience trust everything that Jerry Seinfeld says? Watching the entirety of Seinfeld suggests that we shouldn’t – and that extends to his claim of creating “the twirl” as an umbrella salesman trick in Season 8’s “The Checks.” Jerry says that he was the one who came up with the idea to spin an umbrella on his shoulder to entice customers, but Teddy Padilac makes the same claim, and it’s left unclear who we should believe.
Exactly How Much Did Jerry Pay For The Suede Jacket?
Based on the “game” played by George, we know that Jerry’s new suede jacket in Season 2’s “The Jacket” cost the comedian over $1,000… but how much more we do not know. It’s never specifically revealed just how much Jerry paid for the garment, and it’s perhaps for the best, as we may not be able to look at him the same way if we did.
Why Was Kramer Discharged From The Military?
It’s only because of an off-handed comment in Season 9’s “The Strongbox” that we know of Kramer’s military service. It’s mentioned that he keeps his discharge papers among his valuables after being in the army “briefly” – but we never get the full story of what happened or when it happened.
Did Mrs. Landis Actually Get Angry About Elaine Trying To Take Back Mr. Pitt’s Racket?
As noted by Jerry in “The Switch,” it’s crazy to think that anyone would get mad if you tried to take back something that you lent to someone else, but that’s the exact circumstance that Elaine deals with when she tries to retrieve Mr. Pitt’s tennis racket from Mrs. Landis after letting her borrow it. By the end of the episode, however, it’s actually unclear if Mrs. Landis would have been angry about Elaine’s effort or if she simply ran into the snootiest personal assistant of all time.
Did Crazy Joe Davola Face Charges For Interrupting The Filming Of The Pilot?
The last we see of Crazy Joe Davola in Seinfeld is when he leaps off of a balcony screaming, “Sic semper tyrannis” in Season 4’s “The Pilot.” He clearly causes a disruption to filming, but it’s never stated if he faced criminal charges and/or got locked up for his behavior in the aftermath.
Where Are Jerry, George And Elaine’s Siblings, And What Kind Of Lives Do They Lead?
In “The Chinese Restaurant,” Jerry mentions he has a sister; in both “The Suicide” and “The Parking Space,” George mentions that he has a brother; and Elaine” is revealed to have a sister in “The Pick.” None of these siblings, however, ever appear on screen. Where are they, and why do they choose not to associate with their closest relatives?
How Did Kramer’s Coffee Table Book Get Published After The Fall Of Pendant Publishing?
In “The Opposite,” Elaine’s love of Jujubes leads to the downfall of Pendant Publishing, and the events seem to kill the plans for Kramer’s coffee table book about coffee tables… but he must have gotten it published somewhere, as the mooching neighbor mentions in Season 9’s “The Wizard” that a big movie studio optioned it for a movie. So what happened behind the scenes to make that happen? We have no idea.
Did The Doorman Actually Steal The Couch From The Lobby Of Mr. Pitt’s Building?
The eponymous character in Season 6’s “The Doorman” is clearly a crafty fellow, but does he really have the chaos energy required to set Jerry up as the patsy for a sofa robbery? Part of me says no, part of me says yes… and there is no answer to settle the debate.
What Was George’s Comeback After Learning Riley’s Wife Was In A Coma?
“The Jerk Store called, and they’re running out of you” isn’t much of a comeback (despite George’s insistence), and both Jerry and Kramer come up with much better retorts to Reilly’s shrimp cocktail zing in Season 8’s “The Comeback”… but I nonetheless still want to know what George thought up as a “perfect” comedic response to learning that the man’s wife is in a coma.
Did They Ever Catch The Smog Stranger Or The Lopper?
The Office provided viewers with closure regarding the tale of the Scranton Strangler, but Seinfeld keeps its serial killer tales open-ended. The show introduces murderers nicknamed The Smog Stranger (“The Trip”) and The Lopper (“The Frogger”) in Season 4 and Season 9, respectively, but we never hear about what happens to them or if they are ever caught.
Why Did Jerry And Elaine Break Up Again After Getting Back Together?
One of the strangest endings of any Seinfeld episode is the conclusion of Season 2’s “The Deal,” which sees Jerry and Elaine reunite as a couple. This isn’t strange on paper, but what makes it strange is that the conclusion holds no weight in the canon, and in the very next episode they are single friends again. So what happened?
Did The Junior Mint Actually Cure Roy’s Infection?
Should surgical suites across the world include Junior Mints to sew up inside of patients to prevent infection? If one bases one’s medical opinions entirely on the science of Seinfeld, the answer is… maybe. It’s not directly declared in Season 4’s “The Junior Mint” that the piece of candy is what ends up saving Roy’s life, but it is heavily implied.
Who Are All The People At Susie’s Funeral?
In Season 8’s “The Susie,” Elaine remarks that the funeral for Susie is more populated than hers will likely be when she dies, but that ignores a bigger question: who are all of those people? The most logical answer is that they are people gathered by the ultra-dramatic J. Peterman, but it’s never actually explained.
How Did Elaine Get Her Job Back After The English Patient Incident?
At the end of Season 8’s “The English Patient,” J. Peterman gives Elaine the opportunity to keep her job provided she is willing to fly to Tunisia and live in a cave… but she never actually makes it to the desert, as the plane she is on gets hijacked and taken to Cuba. She is clearly back and employed with the catalog a couple of episodes later in “The Muffin Tops,” so what happened?
What Happened To Tony The Mechanic After He Stole Jerry’s Car?
The last we saw Tony The Mechanic, he was driving Jerry’s Saab through Ohio chucking golf clubs at a mail truck driven by Kramer and Newman. So what happened to him after that? Did he ever return to New York, and if so, what did he do with Jerry’s car? We never hear about him again after “The Bottle Deposit,” so the world will never know.
