"The Checks" is the 141st episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the seventh episode for the eighth season. It aired on NBC on November 7, 1996.
Plot
's new boyfriend, Brett, is obsessed with furniture designed by Karl Farbman, and the song "Desperado" by the Eagles. Jerry spots an umbrella salesman using the sales technique he invented, "The Twirl", but the salesman claims that it was in fact invented by Teddy Padillac, an umbrella salesman Jerry once worked with. Hundreds of twelve-cent royalty checks keep arriving from Jerry's brief appearance on a Japanesetelevision show, the "Super Terrific Happy Hour". Kramer warns George that the carpet cleaners he hired are actually a front for a religious cult. Intrigued, George waits for them to give their religious pitch, but they're not interested in him. Kramer meets some Japanese businessmen on vacation and takes them on a tour of the city. Confused about the value of ¥30,000, Kramer spends all their money on expensive clothing and souvenirs. Brett delivers an oversized chest of drawers to Kramer and thinks Jerry might be jealous. Kramer thinks Jerry and George's TV pilot would be perfect for Japanese television. They pitch it to Japanese TV executives who are uninterested. Suffering from writer's cramp after endorsing all the royalty checks, Jerry spills his coffee on their carpet. Elaine suggests that she and Brett make "Witchy Woman" their song, but he rejects it; Elaine then suggests they share "Desperado", but Brett says it's "mine". Having run out of money, Kramer puts his Japanese friends up at his place, sleeping in the chest of drawers, and has fun drinking with them in his hot tub. Jerry, caught in the rain, runs into Teddy Padillac. Padillac, incensed that Jerry is trying to take credit for "The Twirl", demands $200 for an umbrella. Unable to come up with the money, Jerry is left standing in the rain. Brett happens to drive by. He is convinced that Jerry is down on his luck since he is unable to afford an umbrella and says that he would offer him a ride, but he's with Karl Farbman in a two-seated car. George gets the cleaners to do the offices at Yankee Stadium, where they find a new recruit—George's boss, Mr. Wilhelm. George is upset that the cult chose to recruit Wilhelm and not him. Because of the humidity from the hot tub, the wooden chest warps and Kramer's guests get stuck in the drawers. Still having writer's cramp, Jerry uses a fire ax from the hallway to smash open the chest, which scares the guests. Brett is injured when he attempts to stop Jerry from damaging the chest. The scared Japanese tourists tell the Japanese TV executives about the incident, ruining any chance of selling the "Jerry" pilot to Japanese television. While Brett is being operated on for his injury, the surgeon becomes distracted by "Witchy Woman" playing in much the same way Brett was distracted by "Desperado".
Production
The opening scene of the episode was filmed on September 29, 1996. The scene was also originally intended for the episode "The Fatigues". The second scene was filmed on October 7, 1996, while the third scene was filmed on October 8, 1996. The last line before the credits had two versions made—one for if the New York Yankees won the World Series and one for if they lost the World Series. Two of the episode's guest stars had both previously appeared in the 1980 M*A*S*H episode "Back Pay". Brett drives around with furniture designer Karl Farbman. In the episode "The Hamptons," the doctor on whom Elaine has a crush notes that the homes in the area were designed by a man named Mark Farbman. In the scene where Jerry is denied the purchase of an umbrella on the street by former colleagues a man walks by wearing an 'urban sombrero'. The 'urban sombrero' was featured in the season eight premiere episode "The Foundation". It was an item placed on the cover of the J. Peterman Catalog by Elaine after she is left in charge following the disappearance of Peterman to Burma after an apparent nervous breakdown.
