The Pilot (Seinfeld)


"The Pilot" is the two-part season finale episode of the fourth season of Seinfeld. It makes up the 63rd and 64th episodes and first aired on May 20, 1993.
This two-part episode aired at an earlier time, 8:00 PM, to make room for the two-hour finale of Cheers, whose timeslot would be claimed by Seinfeld at the start of the new fall season. Approximately 32 million people watched this episode when it initially aired, and the show became a major ratings grab for its next five seasons.

Plot

Part 1

and George get the green light to produce Jerry, the pilot for the series based on their "nothing" lives. Russell Dalrymple, the president at NBC behind the pilot, is obsessed with Elaine. George is obsessed with a potentially cancerous white spot on his lip and a box of raisins taken by an actor playing Kramer, played by Larry Hankin.
The real Kramer appears to audition for the role of Kramer in “Jerry” but has an urgent need to use the men’s room. Unable to locate public facilities, Kramer makes his way to his apartment through Central Park but is further delayed by being mugged and "misses his chance", resulting in constipation. Jerry has an audition with the new "Elaine", a method actress interested in being Elaine in every way, including insisting being called Elaine and even going as far as dating Jerry. Jerry points out to the real Elaine that Monk's coffee shop appears to be only hiring buxom waitresses, so she tries to get hired; when the owner turns her down, she files a report with the Equal Employment Opportunity office.

Part 2

Rehearsals for the pilot begin. NBC executive Russell Dalrymple's obsession with Elaine begins to affect his work. She tries to let him down easy by saying she can't be in a relationship with a high-powered man and would prefer to be with someone selfless, such as a member of Greenpeace. Kramer resolves his constipation by administering himself an enema.
George thinks that his white spot has been diagnosed as cancer and goes on a tirade at NBC, only to discover that he misunderstood the diagnosis. At the taping of the pilot, "Crazy" Joe Davola leaps out of the audience and onto the set while yelling "Sic semper tyrannis!" The pilot airs and numerous characters from past episodes of the season comment on it. Although Jerry and friends are elated at the quality of the pilot, mere moments after it airs Rita Kearson phones to inform them Russell has absconded and she has taken over as NBC's President. Rita immediately cancels Jerry. George and Jerry blame Elaine for driving Russell to leave.
Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine convalesce at Monk's, where Elaine spots the men from the Equal Employment Opportunity office eating. She scolds the owner of the cafe for only hiring large breasted women; the owner explains that they are all his daughters.
In order to prove himself worthy of Elaine, Russell joins Greenpeace and is lost at sea during a botched assault on a whaling ship. The cover for the Jerry pilot script floats away at sea along with the former NBC president as one of Russell's shipmates vows to find Elaine and tell her about Russell's actions in fighting the whalers.