The Heart Attack

"**The Heart Attack**"
"The Heart Attack"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 2; Episode 8
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry Charles
Production code	211
Original air date	April 25, 1991
Guest appearances
	Stephen Tobolowsky as Tor Eckman; John Posey as Dr. Fein; John Fleck as Attendant; Jimmy Woodard as Driver; Pat Hazell as Man in Other Bed; Sharon McNight as The Nurse; Thomas Wagner as The Cook; Heather James as The Waitress; Larry David as Screaming B-movie Actor (uncredited);
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Revenge"	Next →; "The Deal"
	Seinfeld season 2
	List of episodes

"The Heart Attack" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American sitcom Seinfeld,^[1] and the show's 13th episode overall. It aired on NBC on April 25, 1991.

Plot

While Jerry dozes on his couch, the TV shows a science fiction B movie in which a goggled man raves that the planets have become "flaming globes", as prophesied by "Sigmund". Waking in the middle of the night, Jerry scribbles down a deeply amusing thought for his act.

The next day, at Monk's, Jerry and Elaine cannot read Jerry's half-awake handwriting. As George adds an "outside cucumber" to his salad, he complains of sudden shortness of breath, pains, and partial paralysis. Jerry thinks he has illness anxiety from watching a PBS documentary on heart attacks, but, seeing George's panic, calls an ambulance. George's crisis does not distract him from trying to dispute the food bill.

George shares a hospital room with an irritable man, and bemoans never getting ice cream after his childhood tonsillectomy. Jerry confirms that the heart attack was imaginary, but he and Elaine prank George by calling dibs on his belongings and his ex. Wallowing in self-pity, George asks to be smothered with a pillow, but is horrified when Jerry jokingly obliges. George vows to start living harmoniously, but the others pay him no heed.

George bounces between terror and jubilation as the attending doctor gives him a clean bill of health except that his tonsils need to be removed again. The doctor and Elaine blatantly flirt, sidelining George. Kramer, arriving belatedly after loading up on cafeteria food, preaches his distrust of the "medical establishment" and pressures George to pass up surgery and go see holistic healer Tor Eckman—who just got out of jail.

Balking at surgery costing thousands, George opts to consult Eckman for only $38. Jerry, failing to dissuade George, comes along for comedy material—and for "cosmic" intuition on his own scribbles. Eckman criticizes George's birth month and bans him from showering with hot water, then serves him tea with cramp bark, cleavers, and couch grass while putting him in a pyramid.

George has an allergic attack and turns bright purple. He is rushed to the hospital again, but the ambulance EMT accuses the driver of stealing a piece of Chuckles from him. George, Jerry, and Kramer are dumbfounded as the driver stops to beat up the EMT, then drives off without him. Still fighting mad, the driver crashes.

Elaine's date with the doctor ends with him holding her by the tongue while lecturing on tongue anatomy. Elaine is quickly turned off.

George ends up in a neck brace for whiplash, speechless from having his tonsils out, and slathered with antihistamine cream, and still gets no ice cream. Jerry, also in a neck brace, notes that he will pay much more than originally planned. Meanwhile, Kramer has gone to Eckman for treatment. The B movie comes on TV again, and Jerry realizes that he wrote down "flaming globes of Sigmund", which is no longer funny in the light of day. George is grateful when Elaine brings him ice cream, but ends up throwing it to silence the irritable man.

Production

"The Heart Attack" was written by Larry Charles. Like George, Charles's tonsils grew back after they were removed.^[2] He was inspired to write the ambulance scene by a news report about an ambulance driver and EMT who stopped an ambulance in the middle of traffic so that they could get out and have a fist fight, leaving a dying patient in the back.^[3]

The doctor's tongue fetish was more extreme in Charles' original draft, but these scenes were cut over concerns that they were too dark.^[3]

Jerry's line "You're not a doctor, but you play one in real life" is a play on a famous line from a 1986 commercial for cough syrup: "I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV."^[3]

In a bizarre coincidence, the episode seemingly makes an outlandish prediction when Jerry attempts to have Tor translate the note he wrote. Upon examining it, Tor laughs and mutters "Cleveland 117, San Antonio 109", leaving Jerry even more baffled. Twenty-eight years after the episode aired, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the San Antonio Spurs 117–109.^[4]

Reception

Critical responses to the episode were mixed; Mike Flaherty and Mary Kaye Schilling of Entertainment Weekly graded the episode with a D, writing "What Seinfeld excels at is finding the eccentric in the apparently normal. A kooky New Age doctor? That's hitting the broad side of a barn."^[5] The Sydney Morning Herald critic Robin Oliver felt that, though he did not think the episode was bad, it was among Seinfeld's lesser episodes.^[6] However, Andy Patrizio of IGN considered "The Heart Attack" one of season two's best episodes.^[7] St. Louis Post-Dispatch critic Eric Mink also reacted very positively on the episode, praising the Shakespeare reference and Michael Richards' performance in particular.^[8]

References

^ "Seinfeld Season 2 Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
^ "The Heart Attack". Watching the 90s: Television and Film Notes and Musings. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2012. Larry Charles wrote this story about George's infected tonsils (which the character mistakes for a heart attack) out of his own fear of aging, according to the DVD's "Notes about Nothing." Fear of aging, fear of death, and, especially, fear of the aged are frequent themes in Seinfeld. This episode offers several different ways that different characters cope with their mortality.
^ ^a ^b ^c Seinfeld Seasons 1 & 2: Notes about Nothing - "The Heart Attack" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. November 3, 2004.
^ Bupp, Phillip (December 13, 2019). "A 1991 episode of Seinfeld correctly predicted the score of a 2019 Cavs-Spurs game". The Comeback. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
^ Schilling, Mary Kaye; Flaherty, Mike (April 7, 2008). "The Seinfeld Chronicles: Season Two". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
^ Oliver, Robin (December 7, 2004). "Seinfeld". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
^ Patrizio, Andy (November 18, 2004). "Seinfeld - Seasons 1 & 2 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
^ Mink, Erik (May 1, 1991). "'Cheers' Or Not, 'Seinfeld' Is A Hit". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7E.

External links

"The Heart Attack" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 2 Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

[2] "The Heart Attack". Watching the 90s: Television and Film Notes and Musings. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2012. Larry Charles wrote this story about George's infected tonsils (which the character mistakes for a heart attack) out of his own fear of aging, according to the DVD's "Notes about Nothing." Fear of aging, fear of death, and, especially, fear of the aged are frequent themes in Seinfeld. This episode offers several different ways that different characters cope with their mortality.

[NAN-3] Seinfeld Seasons 1 & 2: Notes about Nothing - "The Heart Attack" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. November 3, 2004.

[4] Bupp, Phillip (December 13, 2019). "A 1991 episode of Seinfeld correctly predicted the score of a 2019 Cavs-Spurs game". The Comeback. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.

[5] Schilling, Mary Kaye; Flaherty, Mike (April 7, 2008). "The Seinfeld Chronicles: Season Two". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2009.

[6] Oliver, Robin (December 7, 2004). "Seinfeld". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2009.

[7] Patrizio, Andy (November 18, 2004). "Seinfeld - Seasons 1 & 2 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2009.

[Post-Dispatch-8] Mink, Erik (May 1, 1991). "'Cheers' Or Not, 'Seinfeld' Is A Hit". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7E.

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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