George Dates A Girl Who Looks Just Like Jerry
Narrative analysis — “The Cartoon” | Seinfeld | Season 09 Episode 13
The following scene always makes me laugh, so I decided to analyze it.
The scene
The analysis
I will break down the premise using the following structure.
Setup: The introduction to the concept.
Trap: Raise a question or tease the audience’s curiosity.
Punchline: Deliver the unexpected and make the audience laugh.
Setup
George is dating Janet.
Trap
Elaine and Kramer point out that George’s girlfriend Janet looks like a female version of Jerry.
George denies Janet and Jerry are identical.
Punchline
Later, Janet gets bubble gum in her hair.
Janet cuts her hair short to get the gum out.
The short hair makes Janet look exactly like Jerry.
George gets terrified and runs away.
Why did it work?
In the beginning, George was thrilled and proud of Janet because he finally found a fun girlfriend.
Later, when Elaine and Kramer comment about Janet looking like a female version of Jerry, it makes George uncomfortable about his sexuality.
George questions his self-identity, “do I have feelings for another man?” — a heterosexual man who fears being gay.
George doesn’t want it to be true, so he keeps denying the fact his girlfriend looks like Jerry.
When Janet cuts her hair short, she completely transforms into Jerry, which terrifies George.
To protect his self-identity, George ends the relationship with Janet.
Do you agree with my conclusion?