Season 7's "The Soup Nazi" commemorates Seinfeld's love affair with the humble soup. It begins with Elaine and George being surprised by the complexity of ordering soup at a popular stand in Manhattan. Turns out, there are a number of caveats that demand how customers must behave to walk out of the shop with soup.
"The Soup Nazi" is the tale of chef Yev Kassem getting involved in an unwanted (and unwarranted) tiff with the main characters of Seinfeld who have gained notoriety for being disruptive through words and actions. They argue back and forth until Kassem is forced to close down. The episode is also notable for laser-sharp writing and the following iconic lines that have gained mainstream status in pop culture.
"The Soup Nazi" begins with Jerry and his friends talking about the new soup stand that's opened in Manhattan. Jerry's way of describing Yev Kassem's soup is quirky, and fans are certain it won't leave their heads any time soon.
He speaks about the pleasure of tasting Kassem's soup in a poetic manner and it is his iconic delivery that cements this short but effective quote in viewers' minds. He's able to speak convincingly, using words such as "stunned" to describe the after-effect of tasting something as simple as soup.
Knowing his friends are anything but disciplined, Jerry tells them about the ordering protocol rather too vehemently. On their way over the soup stand, he goes on and on about Kassem's strict ordering etiquette, going as far as calling it a "caveat" so his friends get the picture. Fans find it endearing how little faith Jerry has in people he has a close relationship with.
Jerry warns both Elaine and George against embellishing the order, making extraneous comments and compliments, and asking questions. But Elaine takes him lightly and tells him not to worry too much about the soup nazi.
Kramer has many vices but he manages to get away with unbelievably unrealistic things because he has a few virtues, too. He seeks redemption through empathy and makes his way out of difficult life situations through the art of cultivating friendships, as seen here.
What makes this moment stand out is the fact that Kramer is able to pick a conversation with the meanest man in all of Manhattan. He is the only one who understands why the stone-faced chef is the way he is and why he demands discipline from his customers.
Of all the facts about Newman, none is more striking than his love for jambalaya soup. The man sticks to Kassem's directions and marches in pride to convey his respect to the soup chef. He ends the melodic marching act the second he steps on the street holding a brown paper bag.
Newman breaks into a dance of excitement which gets better every time fans replay it. There's no denying his Jambalaya number is a change of pace from the overwhelming and neurotic dynamics of the four friends.
Jerry's girlfriend in the episode, Sheila contributed to the priceless B-plot by inventing a unique term of endearment for them. They liked to call each other "schmoopy," much to George and Elaine's chagrin.
Jerry is rarely affectionate in front of others, so that's a first for him. As for the viewers, they loved seeing this particular brand of PDA. Things quickly soured between the couple at the soup stand when Sheila was admonished by Kassem for "misbehavior" and Jerry just let it slide. Her brief appearance on Seinfeld has eternally convinced fans that she was a love interest who deserved a lot more than she got.
Kassem gave the world the catchphrase "No soup for you!" and many will be quoting it until the end of time. He uses it first on the cheapskate Costanza who subtly challenges his authority by insisting on free bread.
There aren't many people who despite Jerry's repeated reminders would violate the ordering norms and invite the Soup Nazi wrath. Yet strangely when George is signaled to leave the soup stand, he looks at Jerry in disbelief.
Kassem uses his iconic line once again in the episode on Elaine for banging the countertop and for impersonating Al Pacino's character from Scent of a Woman. She's banned from the establishment for subverting the ordering protocol, which is quite the opposite of her being certain about walking out of there with a bowl of soup.
Though Elaine's blatant disregard costs her a bowl of soup, her impersonation of Al Pacino's only Oscar-winning performance is truly unforgettable.
After Elaine gets a hold of Kassem's recipes, she announces her intention of getting the recipes published. She talks about handing them over to every restaurant in town and about dropping fliers from a plane above the city. Fearing Elaine could be the beginning of Yev's downfall, Jerry asks her to think twice before acting on her wicked plan of vengeance.
The main characters on Seinfeld have done some pretty horrible things throughout their lives but this one definitely lingers because it's unusual for the fans to see one of the four friends act selflessly and show compassion for others.
...says Elaine as she brings the Soup Nazi to his knees in the episode’s final moments. She threatens to publish his recipes as a punishment for banning her from the establishment. After causing a commotion in his soup stand, she orders him to pack up his business.
As a quintessential Seinfeld episode, "The Soup Nazi" shows the four characters disrupting the very existence of an immigrant and turning him into a beleaguered shopkeeper. Elaine's ruthless demeanor, even by Seinfeldverse standards is pretty shocking for some fans and it haunts viewers to this day.
One of the reasons why Seinfeld never gets old is because its closing credit scenes always wrap up stories perfectly. Sometimes the episodes end with Jerry's stand-up montages, and at other times, the friends are seen getting the short end of the stick. This particular closing credit scene is memorable because it shows the two arch-enemies getting along, which is a highly rare occurrence in all of Seinfeld.
Newman tells Jerry the Soup Nazi is giving away what's left and Jerry, for once, listens to him and hurries down to the soup stand himself. Though fans feel sad for the guy being driven out of business, Jerry and Newman's alliance is easily a feel-good moment and should be up there with the best episode ending scenes.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/309xNQs
0 Comments