Good News, Bad News (The Seinfeld Chronicles)

The pilot episode for Seinfeld, or The Seinfeld Chronicles as this episode and the show were originally named, centered around Jerry and George trying to determine if a woman Jerry met in Michigan had romantic intentions. It starts off with George and Jerry at a restaurant by the name of Pete’s Luncheonette, where the two discuss the position of the top button on George’s shirt, and whether or not the waitress gave George decaffeinated coffee or not, along with Jerry’s situation with Laura, the woman he met in Michigan.

Later, Jerry discusses his situation with his neighbor Kessler (Kramer in later episodes), and Jerry lets him know he thinks he’s misunderstood the whole thing. That evening, Jerry receives a call from Laura asking if she could stay with him while in town. Jerry tells her that would be fine, further compounding the situation in his head. Both Jerry and George go to the airport to pick up Laura, all the while arguing about whether Laura has a romantic interest with Jerry. George tells Jerry that he should be able to tell what her intentions are by how she greets him, and goes over various greetings and their meaning. However, Laura’s greeting is completely unexpected and leaves the two men dumbfounded.

Later, when Jerry and Laura are alone at his apartment, Jerry is certain she has romantic intentions. Laura has given him various signs, removing excess clothing to get comfortable, asking for a glass of wine, dimming the lights, and asking if it would be alright if she stayed a second night. Then, the phone rings for Laura. When she hangs up, she comments, “Never get engaged”, at which point, Jerry knows he has no chance with Laura, yet he has opened up is one bedroom apartment for her for the entire weekend.