Seinfeld: The Heart Attack | Episode 13 Recap

Listen to the Podcast: Rob and Akiva didn’t let the Labor Day Weekend stop them from recapping the eighth episode of season two titled “The Heart Attack”, which aired April 25, 1991. It was not a favorite of Rob, who felt that the “real” material they were dealing with in the episode was a bit too dark. He felt their niche is when they base the storyline around the mundane. He also mentioned that Larry David and Jerry usually have their finger on the pulse of these episodes they’ve loved so far, whereas the other writers early on tended to be in charge of the misses. Akiva added that later on in the series, Larry Charles and other writers really started to get it, penning some of the greatest stories of the series. There were only a few research notes to be found on this episode by Akiva, who shared that Larry Charles got the idea for the episode from his own fear of aging. They took a moment to mention how Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tim Whatley himself, Bryan Cranston brought some Seinfeld to the 2014 Emmys last week. Both Akiva and Rob found it too bad that Jason Alexander never won an Emmy for his portrayal of George Costanza, though he was nominated seven times. The episode opens with Jerry performing a bit about how great it is to be a grown up, since he can have cookies anytime he wants. Akiva said he will regularly spoil his dinner if it’s not ready in time, but Rob keeps a regulated eating schedule. The first scene has Jerry awakened from a nap on his couch to a strange movie, which compels him to jot down a funny note from it. Rob mentioned how great it was to see another cameo from Larry David, who plays the character in the strange movie. Next, at Monk’s Diner, George is slicing up a cucumber he brought with him. Akiva didn’t find it strange that he did this, pointing out that George is stubborn enough to do just that. Jerry and Elaine are trying to figure out what Jerry had written on the note he took while watching the movie. While they are talking, George starts to panic, thinking he’s having a heart attack. Jerry says to calm down, that he’s thinking about it because he watched a show called “Cardiac Country”. At the hospital, which Rob noted was quite a long sequence, George is talking with another patient in his room, who tells him to shut up. Meanwhile, Jerry is trying to see if the nurse can figure out what his note says. Akiva and Rob found it funny that everyone who looks at the note thinks it says something, rather than just saying “I have no idea”. Next, the doctor comes in and tells Jerry that George didn’t have a heart attack, so Jerry decides to have some fun with it. He asks George if he can have his Blackhawks jacket and if he can date a woman George used to date. George asks Jerry to just put an end to it all, so Jerry puts a pillow over his face as a joke. When he lets George up, George calls him a jerk off. Both Akiva and Rob thought George saying that was a little racy for 1991, and were surprised it wasn’t edited. When Elaine hears from Jerry that George is fine, she jokingly asks George for his apartment when he dies. The doctor comes in to talk with George, but Elaine is so taken with him, she flirts with him the whole time. The doctor tells George while his heart is fine, his tonsils grew back and needed to come out. Kramer comes in with a big plate of food, talking about how great the food is, like Sizzler opened a hospital. Rob shared Kramer’s love for hospital food when he was there with Nicole when she had the baby. Kramer then starts to alarm George about getting surgery. He mentions Bob Sacamano for the first time, describing how he had a botched surgery. He recommends George go holistic, and visit his friend Tor Eckman, played by perennial “that guy” Stephen Tobolowsky. Akiva felt that George’s decision to skip the wes...