Episode 32 - The Suicide

The Plot:  The episode begins with Elaine telling Jerry that she must fast for three days in order to get tested for ulcers.  Jerry leaves to take his trash to the garbage chute, bumps into George and then Gina, a very attractive woman who dates Jerry’s neighbor Martin (or Marteen, as she pronounces it).  Martin is clearly not pleased that Gina is talking to Jerry.

The next scene has Gina banging on Jerry’s apartment door asking for help because Martin has tried to commit suicide.  Martin was so upset that Gina was dumping him and he believed Jerry has something to do with it.  When Jerry goes to visit Martin in the hospital, Gina comes onto him, urging Jerry to kiss her in front of Martin while he’s in a coma.

In an alternate storyline, George (who is still unemployed) is going on a vacation to the Cayman Islands, using a non-refundable super-saver ticket.  Elaine convinces George to go see a psychic before the trip and she warns him not to take the vacation, but it interrupted by Elaine who criticizes her for smoking while pregnant.  The psychic throws them out without ever telling George why he shouldn’t go on the trip.

Jerry becomes worried when Newman sees him with Gina. Later, in the comatose Martin's hospital room, Newman hints to Jerry that he will tell Martin what's been going on with Jerry and Gina, while Kramer is in there to tell Martin to give him back his vacuum cleaner. Jerry attempts to buy Newman off with the extra Drake's coffee cake that he has; however, Elaine (now starving without food) takes it and devours it before he can even eat it. Meanwhile, George finds Rula the psychic in another hospital room as she is going into labor. He tries to discover from her the reason why he shouldn't go to the Caymans; however, she is taken away to give birth before she can divulge it. Amidst all the commotion Martin awakens from his coma and Newman promptly tells him everything, resulting in Jerry being choked.

 

While in the Caymans, Kramer played nude backgammon with Elle Macpherson, one of the models who was there for a shooting of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue. Upon his return he explains to George that he was mildly stung on the foot by a jellyfish, and theorizes that this is why the psychic didn't want George to go on the trip. George sarcastically agrees. George and Jerry leave to have dinner with Elaine (who had to reschedule her appointment) while Kramer rushes back to call Elle.

Fun Facts:

• Once again, George is concerned that he might contract Lupus, and asks the psychic if this is why he shouldn’t go.  This seems to be the go to disease for George.
• This is the first episode in which we see Newman.  It also prompts the very first “Hello…Newman”
• Jason Alexander’s mother makes a cameo appearance playing a woman sitting next to Elaine on a bench. 

Favorite Quote:   Once again, a couple of classics:

George: Hey, I’m all set. I got the ticket. I’m going to the Cayman Islands this Friday.
Jerry: I don’t get you. Who goes on vacation without a job? What, do you need a break from getting up at 11:00?

George: It’s an incredible deal. I don’t know why you don’t come with me.

Jerry: Nah, I don’t go for these non-refundable deals. I can’t commit to a woman. I’m not going to commit to an airline.

Jerry: I didn’t know what the coma etiquette was.

Kramer: There is no coma etiquette. You see that’s the beauty of the coma, man. It doesn’t matter what you do around it.

Jerry: So you’re saying, his girl, his car, his clothes, it’s all up for grabs. You can just loot the coma victim.

Kramer: I’d give him 24 hours to get out of it. They can’t get out of it in 24 hours, it’s a land rush.

Jerry: So if the coma victim wakes up in a month, he’s thrilled, he got out of the coma. He goes home, there’s nothing left?

Kramer: NOTHING LEFT! That’s why I’m trying to get that vacuum cleaner. Because somebody’s going to grab it.

Kramer: So what’s going on between you and Gina?

Jerry: Well, I went with her to the hospital last night.

Kramer: Uh, uh.

Jerry: So we’re in the room and she’s trying to get me to kiss her right in front of him.

Kramer: Uh, uh, you see that’s the great thing about Mediterranean women. All right, so what did you do?

Jerry: Nothing.

Kramer: Ah, what kind of a man are you? The guy is unconscious in a coma and you don’t have the guts to kiss his girlfriend?

Favorite Scene:   When Gina wakes Jerry after Martin tried to kill himself, he scrambles back and forth over changing his clothes:

Gina: It’s Martine. I think he’s dying. He tried to kill himself with pills.

Jerry: What?

Gina: Come on.

Jerry: In my pajamas? I better get my robe.

Gina: We don’t have enough time.

Jerry: It’ll take two seconds.

Gina: There is no time.

Jerry: We don’t have two seconds?

Gina: All right. Go ahead.

Jerry: Nah, forget it.

Gina: No, go ahead.

Jerry: Nah. I’ll just wear the pajamas.

Gina: Will you just get it.

Jerry: Are you sure?

Gina: Forget it. Come on.

Jerry: Nah, I’ll go get the robe.

The Lesson:  I wish I hadn’t used the lesson from Episode 17 – The Busboy (Things are never as good or as bad as they seem at the time), because that applies so well here.  But since I’m trying to find a unique lesson in every episode, I’ll just go with “make sure you know the whole story before you make a decision.”  Entrepreneurs live in a rapid fire world where they do not have the time to “study” every issue before needing to make a decision.  Hopefully, you have a core set of principles that guide your decision making process and you are not subject to the actions of others.  Yet, sometimes you are forced to react to a set of actions or circumstances that dictate a certain direction for your company.  In such case, make sure you are operating with a complete set of facts.  In The Suicide, George decides not to go on vacation because something bad is going to happen, but he does not know the extent of the “bad”.  Before pulling the plug on some aspect of your business (or your vacation) make sure you know why you are pulling the plug and make sure you know the whole story.