The Handicap Spot
Encyclopedia
"The Handicap Spot" is the 22nd episode of the fourth season and the 62nd overall episode of Seinfeld
. It aired on May 13, 1993.
, who has borrowed his father's treasured car (a 1978-1980 model Mercury Monarch
), parks in a handicapped parking space. The four assume they will only be a few minutes. However, they are mistaken and are in the store for much longer. When they return, they find an angry mob starting to trash the vehicle because a disabled woman, who had to park in a distant spot because of their illegal parking, has been injured in a wheelchair accident. After sneaking away for a time, they return to find the car completely demolished.
George invents a preposterous story about being cut off in traffic to explain the accident. While visiting Lola (Donna Evans Merlo), the injured handicapped woman, at the hospital, Kramer
falls in love and feels compelled to replace her wheelchair. George and Kramer go on to buy a used wheelchair which is much cheaper than a brand-new one. Jerry
and Elaine
go to have lunch with The Drake after missing his party and discover that he and his fiancée have broken off their engagement.
George's father Frank Costanza receives an award for outstanding service in helping the handicapped. In the middle of receiving the award, he is arrested for George's parking in the handicap spot, as Frank is the registered owner of the vehicle. As a result of the accusation, Frank's award is taken away from him. Amusingly, George's father forces him to become his butler
as punishment, which was initially an idea for the pilot episode that George is writing with Jerry.
Lola breaks up with Kramer (telling him that he's not good looking enough for her and to drop dead) and is later seen screaming and rolling down a hill in her wheelchair, which she cannot stop due to faulty brakes. George's first job as his father's butler is to retrieve the bigscreen TV at The Drake's house, so that it can be donated to charity. George and Kramer retrieve the TV from the ex-fiancée's apartment, then reunite with Jerry and Elaine to return it for a refund. In the final scene, the gang is once again looking for a parking space at the mall, and Kramer tries to talk George into parking next to a fire hydrant, using near-identical rationales as he had at the handicapped spot.
men's basketball team
during its run to the Missouri Valley Conference
regular season and tournament championships in 2008.
The woman Jerry is talking to after Lola has her accident is Kathy Kinney
, who would later become famous as Mimi in The Drew Carey Show
.
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
. It aired on May 13, 1993.
Plot
The group travels to a mall in Lynbrook to buy a big-screen television as an engagement gift for their friend, "The Drake" (Rick Overton). GeorgeGeorge Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
, who has borrowed his father's treasured car (a 1978-1980 model Mercury Monarch
Mercury Monarch
The Mercury Monarch is a compact sedan manufactured by the Ford Motor Company; it was sold by the Lincoln-Mercury division from 1975 to 1980....
), parks in a handicapped parking space. The four assume they will only be a few minutes. However, they are mistaken and are in the store for much longer. When they return, they find an angry mob starting to trash the vehicle because a disabled woman, who had to park in a distant spot because of their illegal parking, has been injured in a wheelchair accident. After sneaking away for a time, they return to find the car completely demolished.
George invents a preposterous story about being cut off in traffic to explain the accident. While visiting Lola (Donna Evans Merlo), the injured handicapped woman, at the hospital, Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
falls in love and feels compelled to replace her wheelchair. George and Kramer go on to buy a used wheelchair which is much cheaper than a brand-new one. Jerry
Jerry Seinfeld (character)
Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
and Elaine
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
go to have lunch with The Drake after missing his party and discover that he and his fiancée have broken off their engagement.
George's father Frank Costanza receives an award for outstanding service in helping the handicapped. In the middle of receiving the award, he is arrested for George's parking in the handicap spot, as Frank is the registered owner of the vehicle. As a result of the accusation, Frank's award is taken away from him. Amusingly, George's father forces him to become his butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
as punishment, which was initially an idea for the pilot episode that George is writing with Jerry.
Lola breaks up with Kramer (telling him that he's not good looking enough for her and to drop dead) and is later seen screaming and rolling down a hill in her wheelchair, which she cannot stop due to faulty brakes. George's first job as his father's butler is to retrieve the bigscreen TV at The Drake's house, so that it can be donated to charity. George and Kramer retrieve the TV from the ex-fiancée's apartment, then reunite with Jerry and Elaine to return it for a refund. In the final scene, the gang is once again looking for a parking space at the mall, and Kramer tries to talk George into parking next to a fire hydrant, using near-identical rationales as he had at the handicapped spot.
Continuity
- This is the first appearance of Frank Costanza who is George's father. Frank Costanza was originally played by John RandolphJohn Randolph (actor)John Randolph was an American film, television and stage actor.-Early life:Randolph was born Emanuel Hirsch Cohen in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants Dorothy , an insurance agent, and Louis Cohen, a hat manufacturer...
in this episode and not by Jerry StillerJerry StillerGerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
who later replaced Randolph in the part. In 1995, the scenes featuring Randolph were re-shot with Stiller for syndicationTelevision syndicationIn broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
in order to maintain better continuity. Both versions, which were shown on TV, can be seen on the Season 4 DVD set, along with an introduction from Jason AlexanderJason AlexanderJay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
explaining the existence of two sets of scenes for Frank Costanza.
- Upon parking, Kramer says "Make sure we don't forget where the car's parked," prompting Jerry, George, and Elaine to exasperatedly assure him that they will remember. This is a callback to the memorable Season 3 episode The Parking Garage, chronicling the gang's fruitless efforts to locate Kramer's car in a parking garage. Jerry would later make a similar comment, "remember where we're parked", in the season 9's The Puerto Rican DayThe Puerto Rican Day"The Puerto Rican Day Parade" is the 176th and antepenultimate episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It aired on May 7, 1998, and was the 20th episode of the 9th and final season. It was the show's second-highest-rated episode of all time, with 38.8 million viewers, only behind the series finale...
, after his car has been tipped over on the sidewalk by an angry mob.
- While at his parents' house, George sits on the couch and reads GlamourGlamour (magazine)Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
, the magazine that got him in trouble in The ContestThe Contest"The Contest" was the 51st episode of the NBC sitcom, Seinfeld. The eleventh episode of the fourth season, it aired on November 18, 1992. In the episode, George Costanza tells Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benes and Cosmo Kramer that his mother caught him unaware while he was masturbating...
.
- Jerry mentions to George that he is considering 'getting a yoyo'. This is a reference to 'The Junior MintThe Junior Mint"The Junior Mint" is the 60th episode of the American sitcom Seinfeld. It was the 20th episode of the 4th season. It aired on March 18, 1993.-"Mulva":...
' (Ep. 60), where Jerry is found to play with a yoyo in the hospital. First he does it to non-verbally allude to the possibility that a formerly obese person who had recently slimmed will gain weight again ("yo-yo effect"). Later, he attempts to impress a physician with it.
Other references
The "love the Drake" line from this episode became popular among media and fans of the Drake UniversityDrake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
men's basketball team
Drake Bulldogs men's basketball
The Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa, in NCAA Division I basketball competition.The team's current coach is Mark Phelps, previously an assistant at Arizona State, who was hired after the 2007-08 season...
during its run to the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
regular season and tournament championships in 2008.
The woman Jerry is talking to after Lola has her accident is Kathy Kinney
Kathy Kinney
Kathy Kinney is an American actress and comedian. She gained considerable popularity in the late 1990s for playing Mimi Bobeck, the outrageously made-up, flamboyantly vulgar, and vindictive nemesis of Drew Carey on the sitcom The Drew Carey Show...
, who would later become famous as Mimi in The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
.