The Secret Code (Seinfeld)

"**The Secret Code**"
"The Secret Code"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 7; Episode 7
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Written by	Alec Berg & Jeff Schaffer
Production code	707
Original air date	November 9, 1995
Guest appearances
	Heidi Swedberg as Susan Ross; John O'Hurley as Peterman; Wayne Tippit as Captain; Lewis Arquette as Leapin' Larry; Fred Stoller as Fred Yerkes; Ellen Albertini Dow as Momma; David St. James as Doctor; Michael Tuckerman as Man; Von L. Roddy as Desota; Karen Lorshbough as Relative; Leesa Bryte as Secretary;
Episode chronology
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	Seinfeld season 7
	List of episodes

"The Secret Code" is the 117th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the seventh episode of the seventh season.^[1] It aired on November 9, 1995.^[1] In this episode, George is unwilling to share his ATM code with his fiancée Susan, and finds himself entrapped in awkward social situations after he loses his talent for lying. Meanwhile, Elaine finds herself infatuated with a man because he cannot recall their first meeting, Jerry's plans to appear in a television commercial are repeatedly frustrated by his foot falling asleep, and Kramer tries to help out the local fire department.

Plot

Because Elaine wrote a good piece on Himalayan Walking Shoes for the J. Peterman catalog, Peterman is taking her out for dinner. She finds his stories boring, so she pleads with Jerry to join her. He, in turn, tricks George into coming. George and Susan fight after George refuses to tell her his ATM code.

Elaine does not appear at the dinner, on account of a date with Fred, a friend of Jerry. Elaine met him at a party, but his lack of recall of the meeting mesmerizes her. After it becomes clear that Elaine is not coming, Jerry makes up an excuse to leave, leaving George to have an awkward dinner with Peterman. On the drive home, Peterman receives a call that his mother is "at death's door", and George is forced to stay the night. While Peterman is out of the room, George, whilst keeping her company, reveals his code ("Bosco") to Peterman's mother. She seizes upon the word, and repeats it at her moment of death, leaving Peterman bewildered.

Jerry meets with appliance store owner, Leapin' Larry, who has a prosthetic leg, to discuss appearing in television commercials. After Jerry's foot falls asleep, he offends Leapin' Larry, who believes Jerry's limping to be an impression. After Jerry explains the misunderstanding, they meet again, but Jerry's foot again falls asleep. Not wanting to offend Leapin' Larry again, he stamps his foot, accidentally causing a can of paint thinner to spill onto some exposed wiring, starting a fire.

Kramer buys a police scanner and decides to help at the New York City Fire Department, bringing a map of shortcuts to the local firehouse. When they receive a call about the fire at Leapin' Larry's, Kramer slides down the fireman's pole and accidentally knocks out the rear driver of the tiller truck, enabling him to realize his lifelong dream of taking the tiller. However, Kramer is unable to steer correctly and crashes the fire engine, allowing the fire to spread further.

The fire occurs down the block from Peterman's mother's funeral; George is attending, but Elaine excused herself for another date with Fred. The attendees rush to the fire and find a man with his sleeve stuck in an ATM. Peterman insists that George give the man his card, forcing George to reveal his code. Jerry finds a passage in the latest J. Peterman catalog in which Peterman accuses George of killing his mother.

Production

The inspiration for the Elaine/Fred plot was Jerry Seinfeld's practice of always saying "Nice to see you" instead of "Nice to meet you." Seinfeld had explained to writers Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer that "Nice to see you" is acceptable even if one has never met the other person before, while "Nice to meet you" is seen as offensive if they have previously met.^[2]

In this episode J. Peterman's complete first name, Jacopo, is revealed, more explicitly differentiating him from the J. Peterman Company's real-life founder, John Peterman. Berg and Schaffer named the character after their local pizzeria, Jacopo's.^[3]

Seinfeld writer Spike Feresten had a police scanner; the Seinfeld crew enjoyed listening to the conversations and eventually acquired their own for the offices, inspiring the episode's Kramer story.^[2] The scenes at the fire station were filmed on location.^[2] The fire truck Kramer rides would not fit on the show's sound stage, so the crew put it on a New York street with a large blue screen suspended behind actor Michael Richards, whose body movements combined with the inserted moving background to create the illusion that the fire truck was in motion.^[4] A few shots from the scene were filmed on location by a second unit with a Michael Richards stunt double actually riding a moving fire truck.^[2]

Kramer was scripted to call Jerry "S1Banga", a fictional player name from a soccer video game published by Sega, but Michael Richards tripped over the name and said "Munjamba" instead. Berg and Schaffer decided not to demand another take since "S1Banga" was an inside joke and they were confident viewers would find Richards' version just as funny.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Seinfeld Season 7 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Berg, Alec; Schaffer, Jeff (2006). Seinfeld Season 7: Audio Commentary - "The Secret Code" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
^ Seinfeld Season 7: Notes about Nothing - "The Secret Code" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2006.
^ Seinfeld Season 7: Inside Look - "The Secret Code" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2006.

External links

"The Secret Code" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 7 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2021.

[AudioCom-2] Berg, Alec; Schaffer, Jeff (2006). Seinfeld Season 7: Audio Commentary - "The Secret Code" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

[3] Seinfeld Season 7: Notes about Nothing - "The Secret Code" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2006.

[4] Seinfeld Season 7: Inside Look - "The Secret Code" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2006.

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v t e Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend"† "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip"† "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"†
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats"† "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100"† "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac"† "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit"† "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode