The Pie

"**The Pie**"
"The Pie"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5; Episode 15
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Tom Gammill & Max Pross
Production code	515
Original air date	February 17, 1994
Guest appearances
	Suzanne Snyder as Audrey; Christine Dunford as Saleswoman/Natasha; Reni Santoni as Poppie; Lane Davies as MacKenzie; Mark Beltzman as Bob; Sunday Theodore as Olive; Sam Lloyd as Ricky; Paul Mantee as Health Inspector; Patricia Belcher as Woman #1; Pamela Mant as Woman #2; Bernard Hocke as Guy in Diner;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Marine Biologist"	Next →; "The Stand In"
	List of episodes

"The Pie" is the 79th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 15th episode for the fifth season.^[1] It aired on February 17, 1994.^[1] The episode's main running theme is characters adamantly refusing to eat certain foods served to them without giving an explanation. A store mannequin that looks just like Elaine is also a focus in multiple plot threads of the episode.

Plot

At Monk's, Jerry is miffed after his girlfriend Audrey refuses to try a bite of his apple pie without telling him why. She just shakes her head from side to side. In a clothing store, Kramer sees a mannequin that looks just like Elaine. Elaine and George visit the store. Elaine demands to know the source of the mannequin, but the condescending saleswoman refuses to tell her. George becomes interested in an expensive suit that will soon be on sale at half price. Seeing another customer interested in the suit, George hides it so the other customer will not find it on the sale day. After George buys the suit, the other customer swears vengeance.

Jerry and Audrey go to eat at Poppie's, her father's restaurant. In the bathroom, Jerry notices that Poppie did not wash his hands after using the toilet. After seeing Poppie kneading the pizza dough with his unwashed hands, Jerry refuses to eat the pizza in the same manner that Audrey rejected the pie by shaking his head from side to side. She interprets it as him taking revenge.

Elaine returns to the clothing store where she finds the "Elaine" mannequin posed bent over, with another mannequin spanking it. Elaine is so furious that she steals the mannequin and runs off. However, the "Elaine" mannequin is a big success and appears in stores across the nation. It is designed by Ricky, the obsessive television enthusiast she encountered in "The Cigar Store Indian."

George becomes concerned by a swooshing noise the suit makes when he walks, as he is on his way to a job interview. George's prospective employer takes him to dinner. When George notices his rival for the suit surreptitiously watching him from the kitchen, he fears the food has been tampered with. He refuses to taste the dessert in the same manner Audrey and Jerry refused their food. For this he does not get the job, but he nonetheless considers it a wise decision, since everyone who ate the tainted dessert became violently ill.

When Jerry finds out that Audrey has since eaten a whole slice of apple pie at the same restaurant where she refused it before, he furiously goes to Poppie's restaurant to tell her off. While he is there, a health inspector arrives and shuts down the restaurant, giving Jerry the opportunity to gloat.

Kramer suffers from a bad itch that is only relieved at the hands of Olive, a cashier from Monk's who has long fingernails. Kramer's itch heals and he plans to break up with Olive. He tells her that the mannequin (which is outside in Jerry's car) is his new girlfriend and goes out to the car to zestfully make out with it while Olive watches in dismay.

Production

Though the cast reading took place on January 13, 1994, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' birthday, the filming of this episode did not take place until February due to the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Though the show's production staff considered moving from CBS Studio Center to Paramount Studios, CBS's stage crew spent three weeks renovating the stage before it was put back into use as CBS considered Seinfeld one of its best tenants. As an additional incentive to come back, CBS planned on renovating its New York Street backlot, which did not see its appearance until season six.

Tom Gammill once witnessed a chef leave a restaurant restroom without washing his hands after using the toilet, providing the basis for Poppie's story.^[2] Gammill and his writing partner Max Pross named Poppie as a setup for the climactic joke, "Poppie's hands are poopy," which was ultimately replaced with "Poppie is a bit sloppy."^[2] The incident with the pie was based on a real-life incident as told to the writers by Seinfeld himself. They were struck by how the normally easygoing Seinfeld was so upset over such a trivial incident.^[2]

The character Olive was based on a cashier at the House of Pies.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gamill, Tom; Pross, Max (2005). Seinfeld Season 5: Audio Commentary - "The Pie" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

External links

"The Pie" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 December 2021.

[AudioCom-2] Gamill, Tom; Pross, Max (2005). Seinfeld Season 5: Audio Commentary - "The Pie" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

[1]

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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