The Wait Out
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Directed by: Andy Ackerman
Broadcasted: May 9th, 1996 for the first time.
Stars: Jerry Seinfeld, Michael Richards,
Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Cary Elwes (as David), Debra
Messing (as Beth), and Heidi Swedberg (as Susan).
[Setting: The Coffee Shop]
(Elaine and Jerry are sitting across from each other in a booth)
JERRY: New hairdo?
ELAINE: (Looking up from a menu) Yeah.
JERRY: You look like Brenda Starr.
ELAINE: Is that good?
JERRY: It's better than Dondi.
(Elaine laughs, then draws her attention to a table across the room)
ELAINE: Hey, my God, look at that. (Jerry looks over at the table. A man and a woman are dining) David and Beth Lookner. (Leaning in for confidentiality) You
know, I heard a rumor their marriage was a little rocky.
JERRY: (Interested, still looking at the couple) Really?
ELAINE: Mm-hmm.
JERRY: You know, I have a little thing for Beth Lookner.
ELAINE: Well, I have to admit, I've always thought David was kind of sponge-worthy. (Winks, making a clicking sound with her tongue)
JERRY: Yeah.. I've been waitin' out their marriage for three years.
ELAINE: Yeah, me too. Well, I've been waiting out two or three marriages, but this is the one I really had my eye on.
(George enters, somewhat annoyed. He's gesturing to the parking lot)
GEORGE: This car out there is taking up, like, three parking spaces.
(Jerry moves over, making room for George to sit)
ELAINE: Oh, (Laughs at George's misfortune) that's mine.
GEORGE: You have a car?
ELAINE: Well, my friend, Alyse, lent it to me for the week. She's out of town.
JERRY: (Noting) You know, I've never seen you drive.
GEORGE: Me either.
(David and Beth Lookner, on their way out, approach the booth)
BETH: (Unsure as to whether it's him or not) Jerry? Elaine, Hi!
ELAINE: (Overly generous) Hi, David!
JERRY: Hi, Beth!
BETH: Oh, uh, George, (Introducing to two) this is my husband, David.
GEORGE: Oh, hi.. (They shake hands)
DAVID: Hello. So, George, uh, you're the one who works for the Yankees, right?
GEORGE: Yeah. Why, what do you do?
DAVID: Well, I sell insurance, but Beth used to be Don Mattingly's doctor.
GEORGE: Really?
BETH: Mm-hm.
DAVID: Yeah.
GEORGE: (Laughs slightly) A physician married to a salesman. (Chuckles) Well, I gotta tell you, Beth, you coulda done a lot better than him.
(George and Elaine both laugh out loud. Beth and David look at each other, taking in the awkward moment)
(Scene ends)
[Setting: Jerry's apartment]
(Jerry's in the kitchen. Kramer slides in, followed by Mickey. Mickey's reading a script)
KRAMER: Hey!
JERRY: Hey. Hey, Mickey. What's going on?
MICKEY: I'm very nervous. I'm auditioning to be in the Actor's Studio tonight.
JERRY: Really?
KRAMER: It's a method, Jerry. It's intense. (Clicks his tongue)
MICKEY: Kramer's going to be my scene partner.
JERRY: Kramer?
MICKEY: He doesn't have to say anything, he just has to sit there. I'm playing a detective.
KRAMER: Yeah, and I'm playing a business man accused of murder.
JERRY: Ohh boy. Well, I gotta meet Elaine and run some errands. So.. (Goes for his coat)
KRAMER: (Fixing up his pants) Yeah.. look at this, Mickey. These pants are fallin' apart, huh?
JERRY: (Fishing for his keys in a kitchen drawer) You know, when I first met you, Kramer, you used to wear jeans all the time.
KRAMER: (Looking over Mickey's shoulder at the script) Yeah, well, I was a different man then.
JERRY: (Jokingly playing off Kramer's statement) With a different body.
KRAMER: (Slightly offended) Hey, I got the body of a.. taught, pre-teen, Swedish boy.
(Mickey visibly rolls his eyes)
JERRY: Ehh, I dunno..
KRAMER: Now, what are you thinkin'? (Getting upset) You think that I'm not able to wear jeans anymore? Is that what you're sayin'? Because if that's what you're
sayin', Jerry, I'll go and I'll buy some jeans. (Jerry shrugs. Kramer raises his voice to a menacing tone) I swear to God I will! (Jerry's showing off a skeptical face.
Kramer points a finger at him) Don't think I won't, Jerry!
(Scene ends)
[Setting: Elaine's car]
(Elaine is obviously an incredibly bad driver. Jerry, in the passenger's seat, looks car sick)
ELAINE: God, it is so great to drive again. I miss it so much! (Suddenly swerves to the right, then yells out of her window) How about a left turn signal, ya moron?!
(Looks ahead, then breaks suddenly) Woah..
JERRY: (His thoughts) I'm so nauseous. She's the worst driver.
ELAINE: You know what? On my first road test, I hit a dog. (Jerry nods, blinking) I think it was a golden retriever. No, no, no, it was a - it was a yellow lab. (Picks
up the car phone) I'm gonna check my messages. (Begins to dial as she pulls up to a pedestrian crosswalk. She stops right before hitting a man crossing the street)
MAN: Hey!
JERRY: (Once again, the audience hears his thoughts) I'm so car sick. I'm gonna vomit!
(Elaine's expression changes as she's listening to her messages)
ELAINE: Oh my God! Jerry! My friend, Kim called - David and Beth got separated last night!
JERRY: (Out of it) Huh?
ELAINE: They're gettin' divorced! (Quickly breaks, stopping traffic)
(Scene ends)
[Setting: Monk's coffee shop]
(Elaine and Jerry sitting across from each other in a booth)
ELAINE: So, now, what is our move? What do we do?
JERRY: I don't know, but we don't have much time.
ELAINE: (Agreeing) Mm.
JERRY: The city's probably teeming with people who've been waiting out that marriage.
ELAINE: Right.
JERRY: It's like when someone dies in a rent controlled building - you gotta take immediate action.
ELAINE: Yeeah, but David and Beth are going to need their grieving time.
JERRY: Their grieving time is a luxury I can't afford. I'm calling Beth tonight, and if you want a clean shot at David, I suggest you do likewise.
ELAINE: (Nodding) Yeah, yeah..
JERRY: But we gotta make it seem like we're not calling for dates.
ELAINE: Then why are we calling?
JERRY: Good question. (More to himself than to Elaine) Why are we calling?
(Both start chanting "why are we calling..", thinking deeply)
ELAINE: (Loud) Oh! (Jerry has a surprised look) I've got it! I've got it! We're calling just to say, "I'm there for you."
JERRY: (Nodding, trying it out) "I'm there for you."
ELAINE: Then, after a period of being "there for you", we slowly remove the two words "for you", and we're just (Makes a "ta-da!" gesture) "there".
(Scene ends)
[Setting: Jerry's apartment]
(George enters)
ELAINE: Hey.
JERRY: Hey, remember Beth and David from yesterday? They got separated.
GEORGE: Really? (Realizes) Well, you don't think it had anything to do with what I said, do you?
JERRY: What'd you say?
GEORGE: You know, that, that thing about her being too good for him. I mean, I was just bein' folksy. They could tell I was just being folksy..?
ELAINE: Yeah, I thought you were being folksy.
GEORGE: Totally folksy.
(Kramer enters wearing a new pair of jeans. They're obviously way too small. Unable to bend his knees, he walks awkwardly into the room. Elaine, Jerry, and
George are speechless - staring at him. Kramer walks past them, and attempts to pick a magazine off the table, but does so with great difficulty. Jerry starts to laugh
as Kramer throws the magazine back down)
JERRY: hey, uh.. (Kramer walks around a little) what'd you get there?
KRAMER: Uh, yeah, I bought Dungarees.
ELAINE: Kramer, they're painted on!
KRAMER: Well, they're slim-fit.
JERRY: Slim-fit?
KRAMER: (Talking fast) Yeah, they're streamlined.
JERRY: You're walkin' like Frankenstein!
KRAMER: (Making his way toward the door) What? They just gotta be worked in a little bit, that's all. (Pulling the door shut behind him) Alright, see you later.
(Everyone stares after him)
(Scene ends)
[Setting: Elaine's apartment]
(Sitting up on her bed, she's on the phone with David Lookner)
ELAINE: (Mock sympathy) Well.. David, it happens.
(Scene cuts to Jerry - he's on the phone with Beth)
JERRY: Sure, Beth, these things happen. (Brief pause) So, have you told many.. people yet?
(Scene jumps back to Elaine)
ELAINE: Because it's really nobody's business.
(Back to Jerry)
JERRY: Anyway, I just called to tell you that, I'm there for you.
(Cut back to Elaine)
ELAINE: "There" is, um.. anywhere you want me to be..
(Back to Jerry)
JERRY: Sure, dinner would be fine.
(Back to Elaine)
ELAINE: And I could just be there. (Adding) For you.
(Scene takes a final cut back to Jerry. Kramer enters, still in his pants, as Jerry hangs up. Kramer's frantic)
KRAMER: Jerry, you gotta help me!
JERRY: What's wrong?
KRAMER: I can't get my pants off, and Mickey's audition is in twenty minutes! You know, I'm supposed to be a business man, I gotta be in costume!
JERRY: Alright, alright. Uh, undo them. I'll help you get them off.
KRAMER: (Bracing himself on a bar stool) Yeah, I already did it. It won't come off. The zipper's suck..
NOT YET FINISHED.