| Series: | Seinfeld |
| Season: | 3 |
| Episode: | 3 |
| Production: | 305 |
| Director: | Tom Cherones |
| Guests: |
|
| Season Article: | Seinfeld season 3 |
| Episode List: | List of Seinfeld episodes |
| Prev: | The Truth |
| Next: | The Dog |
"The Pen" is the 20th episode of Seinfeld, the third episode of the third season which first aired on NBC on October 2, 1991.[1]
This is the only episode in which the character of George Costanza does not appear[2] and one of two episodes in which Kramer does not appear (the other being "The Chinese Restaurant").[3] Additionally, this episode is the first appearance of Morty's rival Jack Klompus and of Uncle Leo's wife (and Jerry's aunt) Stella.
Jerry and Elaine travel to Florida to visit Jerry's parents Morty and Helen for the weekend, and plan on going scuba diving. Morty, the outgoing condo association president, is being honored at a ceremony the next night. Jack Klompus and his wife Doris come over to write Morty a check for a previous night's dinner, and Jerry takes interest in Jack's pen. When Jerry asks him about it, Jack tells him that it can write upside down and that astronauts use it in space. Jack offers an interested Jerry the pen. Jerry refuses his offer several times, but Jack persists and Jerry finally gives in. Helen asks why he took the pen and says he should give it back because Doris will tell everyone in the condo that Jerry made Jack give it to him.
That night, Jerry and Elaine struggle to sleep in the heat, since Jerry's parents refuse to turn on the air conditioning; Elaine sleeps on a sofa bed with a bar that sticks up through the mattress and injures her back, causing extreme pain. Jerry tries to console her by saying they only have two more days left before they go back to New York. The next morning, Elaine's back is so sore that she cannot go scuba diving with Jerry, so he goes without her. Morty suggests she take muscle relaxants to ease the pain. Just as Helen predicted, their neighbor Evelyn tells the Seinfelds about the rumors that are beginning to spread around the Pines of Mar Gables Phase II that Jerry wanted Jack to give him the pen. When Jerry returns, he has black eyes because the capillaries around his eyes burst when he went underwater.
Jack comes over again and Jerry returns the pen. Morty takes umbrage with Klompus for "taking that kid's pen".[4] Elaine takes an excessive dose of the muscle relaxants. Upon being introduced to Uncle Leo's wife Stella at the dinner honoring Morty, an addled Elaine falls to her knees screaming "Stella! Stella!" like Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire. Jerry has to wear sunglasses because of his black eyes. Jack turns the dinner into a roast, joking at Morty's expense as the host. Morty starts arguing with Jack again about taking back the pen and they start fighting, breaking Jack's dental plate in the process. Helen tells Jerry to do a comedy bit to calm the crowd, which he reluctantly does with no success.
The next day, a chiropractor looks at Elaine's back and tells her she should not go anywhere for at least five days, much to her and Jerry's dismay. Evelyn appears and asks Helen if Morty found a lawyer yet. Helen states that he hasn't found a lawyer yet. Evelyn offers her nephew's services as a brilliant lawyer in Jack's impending lawsuit against Morty with her nephew claiming that Jack wouldn't have a case. Evelyn even states that her friend Arnold commented that it would take six votes to throw Morty and Helen out of the condo for unruly behavior according to the condo constitution and not five votes as they will have to suck up to Dr. Chernov. Having slept on the same sofa bed, Morty wakes up with a sore back like Elaine's as he is informed by Evelyn about the six votes. Elaine laments having to stay for five more days and Jerry once again tries to console her that it won't be long.
"The Pen" is the only episode not to feature Jason Alexander as George Costanza. Alexander threatened to quit the show after discovering at the table read that he was not featured in the episode.[2] Alexander would later admit that this was caused by insecurity on his part, as he was worried that Louis-Dreyfus's role would cause George's role to be diminished over time.[5]