The Revenge (Seinfeld)

"The Revenge" is the seventh episode of the second season of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and the show's 12th episode overall. The story revolves around George Costanza's (Jason Alexander) plot to exact revenge on his boss, with his friend Elaine Benes' (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) help, after he quits his job at Rick Barr Properties and is refused re-employment. Meanwhile, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and his neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards) get even with a laundromat owner—who they believe has stolen money from Jerry—by pouring cement into one of his washing machines.

Written by series co-creator Larry David and directed by Tom Cherones, the episode premiered in the United States on NBC on April 18, 1991. Largely based on David's own experiences, "The Revenge" was the first episode he wrote without Seinfeld's collaboration. The episode also contained the first mention of Newman, as a suicidal man who lives in Jerry and Kramer's apartment building, who would later become a popular recurring character. As the episode is the first in which Kramer does physical comedy, some cast and crew members consider it a turning point for the show. When first broadcast in the United States, the episode gained a Nielsen rating of 14.4/24 and was met with positive response from critics.

The episode relates three parallel plots, in intertwining scenes. The first plot concerns George being banned from the executive toilet. Because of this he quits his job, but immediately regrets the decision. He discusses job opportunities with Jerry, but is unable to think of an occupation that would suit him. Jerry suggests that George could try to go back to work and pretend he never quit. George takes this advice, but his former boss, Rick Levitan (Fred Applegate), refuses to let him stay and insults him. As revenge, George decides to slip a Mickey Finn into his drink during an office party, and enlists Elaine Benes to help him. At the party, Elaine distracts Levitan while George puts the mickey in his drink. When Levitan notices George, however, he decides he was unreasonable and tells George he can have his job back. George attempts to intercept the drink, but after Levitan welcomes him back with a toast sprinkled with insults at George's expense, he changes his mind. In the following scene we see George once again brainstorming job opportunity ideas, the subtext being that his boss discovered the spiking of his drink, connected it to George, and has fired him once again.