The Serenity Now

“The Serenity Now” is the third episode of the ninth and final season of Seinfeld, and the 159th episode overall. This episode first aired on October 9, 1997. It was written by Steve Koren and was directed by Andy Ackerman.

Plot[]

Frank Costanza reads a book that advises to say "serenity now" aloud every time his blood pressure is in danger of going up. Jerry's girlfriend Patty gives his Knicks tickets away. She comments that she has never seen him get "real mad." George gets Kramer to help him fix his parents' screen door. They remove the old door and Kramer takes it with him. Mr. Lippman's son Adam celebrates "becoming a man" at his bar mitzvah by tongue-kissing Elaine.

Kramer installs the screen door outside his apartment to give his apartment "the cool evening breezes of Anytown, USA," and turns his hallway into a small town front porch, complete with barbecue grill, lawn chairs, potted plants, and American flag. Kramer sits on his porch with the "fireworks" (a sparkler). Frank is selling personal computers in his garage. He wants to bring George into his business. George's first impulse is to quit but he decides it is finally time to take on his arch-rival, Lloyd Braun, whom Frank has also hired to sell computers. When Jerry learns how to get mad, it releases all his other feelings, including caring and another, undefined emotion that results in his proposing to Elaine.

Kramer fights with the neighborhood kids of "Anytown, USA." To calm himself over these encounters, he uses Frank's "serenity now" mantra. George tells Elaine she is attractive to the Lippman men because of her "shiks-appeal." The two Lippman men to want to renounce Judaism in order to be with her. George hatches a scheme to sell more computers: to buy them himself and return them later for a refund. George stores them in Kramer's apartment. He "outsells" Lloyd, who Frank consequently fires. Before leaving, Lloyd warns George that Frank's mantra only bottles up emotions ("Serenity now, insanity later"). When his bottled-up emotions from the mantra are released, Kramer throws a tantrum and destroys the computers. George becomes very upset over this, and Jerry encourages George to release his emotions. However, the release of emotions from George deeply disturbs Jerry, and he reverts to normal.

Elaine seeks help from the rabbi to see if she can reduce her shiks-appeal; instead of giving her advice, the rabbi comes on to her. George's father blames him for nearly bankrupting his company. When George suggests that Lloyd's sales should offset this financial disaster, Frank reveals that he never even plugged in the phone Lloyd made sales calls on; he apparently only hired Lloyd so George would have someone to compete against. Elaine returns to Jerry and accepts his marriage proposal, but since Jerry is back to normal, he doesn't want to go through with it anymore. George then tells his father to say "hoochie mama" instead of "serenity now". His father follows his advice when Estelle is about to park her car in the garage.

Notes About Nothing[]

This episode's plot was inspired by real-life events in the life of writer Steve Koren. While driving with his arguing parents, Koren was bewildered to hear his father shout "Serenity now!" at the top of his lungs as part of a rage controlling exercise and questioned whether or not the phrase was meant to be screamed.
The inspiration for Frank's computer business was the 1995 film The Net, starring Sandra Bullock (to which Frank Costanza refers to as starring "that girl from 'The Bus'"- a reference to Bullock's most famous role in Speed).
The sales contest Frank Costanza institutes (where the highest seller is rewarded and the lowest is fired) is a parody of the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross.
Kramer mentions to Jerry that he was ambushed by the "neighborhood kids", including Joey Zambino, who Kramer previously babysat in "The Wait Out".

Season Nine Episodes