The Wallet

"**The Wallet**"
"The Wallet"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 4; Episode 4
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry David
Production code	405
Original air date	September 23, 1992
Guest appearance
	Stephen McHattie as Dr. Reston;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Ticket"	Next →; "The Watch"
	Seinfeld season 4
	List of episodes

"The Wallet" is the 45th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the series, and first aired on September 23, 1992.^[1] In this episode Morty's wallet goes missing from his trousers while at a back specialist's office, Jerry tries to conceal his having thrown away the watch Morty gave him, and George turns down his and Jerry's deal for a television pilot.

Plot

Jerry's parents Morty and Helen Seinfeld are visiting to see a doctor for Morty's back pain, which developed after he slept in their own sofa bed. Jerry assures his parents that he and George are accepting the pilot order that NBC offered. Meanwhile, George, out with Susan, flatly turns down the offer as a bluff.

Morty and Helen notice that Jerry's watch is missing, but, unable to admit that he threw away their gift, Jerry pretends that the watch is out for repair all week. At Jerry's apartment, Morty is pleased with his new pants, while Kramer worries Helen about "Crazy" Joe Davola coming after Jerry. Kramer, knowing that the watch repair should not take so long, forces Jerry to name the supposed repair shop, and nearly blows his cover.

At the clinic, Morty is reluctant to part with his pants for an X-ray, and cannot find his wallet after returning. He accuses the doctor of swindling him, and refuses his diagnosis.

Jerry is appalled at George holding out for a better offer, since they have nothing of merit over any other contenders, but George pompously mocks Jerry. George offers up a box of Cuban cigars from Susan's father, and Kramer indiscriminately accepts. He sets his own hair on fire while lighting a cigar over Jerry's stove range.

Everyone exuberantly welcomes Elaine back from her trip, but Elaine unwittingly telegraphs her struggle to break up with Dr. Reston—who is abusing his influence as her psychiatrist to manipulate her decisions. George suggests that she invent a fake lover as an excuse; unable to lie convincingly to Reston, Elaine, after much hemming and hawing, names Kramer as her new boyfriend. Reston does not yield, and pressures her to have Kramer call him.

Uncle Leo, who recommended the doctor, berates Morty at a dinner out. When Morty and Helen recognize his watch as the same as Jerry's, he reveals that he fished it out of the trash and then had it repaired at the very shop that Jerry named earlier. Jerry, realizing this was his own watch, desperately tries to distract everyone.

"The Wallet" is part 1 of a two-part story which concludes in "The Watch".

Production

This was the first episode in the fourth season to include Elaine in a major role. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was pregnant for part of the third season and was absent in "The Trip" and only had cameo appearances in "The Pitch" and "The Ticket". The plot line of her in Europe and the men in California was to accommodate her absence.

Series continuity

The wallet was later revealed to be in Jerry's couch in "The Pilot, Part 2".

The box of cigars given to George by Susan's father, which George in turn gives to Kramer, is the same box of cigars that burns down the cabin in "The Bubble Boy". The story of the cigars continues on and is a central part of the story in "The Cheever Letters".

References

^ "Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

External links

"The Wallet" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

[1]

v t e Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend"† "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip"† "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"†
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats"† "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100"† "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac"† "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit"† "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode