History Seinfeld / TropesAToH

* CharacterizationClickMoment: Creator/JasonAlexander initially thought George was based on Creator/WoodyAllen and played him as such until one day he walked up to Creator/LarryDavid claiming to be unable to make heads or tails of one of George's antics seeing as "not only could this never happen but no human being would react like this". David explained it happened to ''him'' and ''this'' was how he reacted. It was then he realized George was David's AuthorAvatar all along.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: "The Contest." Several advertisers pulled out at the very ''mention'' that there'd be an episode entirely dedicated to masturbation, but judicious use of UnusualEuphemism, visual gags and [[RuleOfFunny simply being very funny]] saved it. Ironically, George used the word "masturbation" earlier '''in the same season'''.
** Done more overtly in an earlier episode, "The Pez Dispenser", when George is dumped by Noel, a concert pianist, after he tries to gain an advantage, or upper hand, in their relationship.
--> '''George''': But I have hand!
-->'''Noel''': [[ADateWithRosiePalms And you're gonna need it.]]
** This show's ability to get crap past the radar is masterful, all leaning on the ingenuity of the writers. For example, "The Mango" manages to heavily imply that George is doubting his skill at oral sex. The same episode also got away with the constant use of the word "orgasm". A later episode would have the cast discussing Jerry's "move", which is some kind of sexual technique that ends in a "swirl".

--> '''Jerry''': ...Where are your clothes??\\

--> '''Kramer''': Well, I'm on the phone with Bob, and I realize right then and there that I need to return this pair of pants. So, I'm off to the store. (...) ...I slipped, and fell in the mud. Ruining the very pants I was about to return.\\

--> '''Morty''': How the hell am I gonna pay for this?

* DisproportionateRetribution: The entire show is full of this. In "The Soup Nazi," the eponymous character refuses to serve Elaine because she annoys him. In the course of the episode, she ends up finding the Soup Nazi's recipes. What does she do? She uses the recipes to ''drive him out of business and force him to move to Argentina''.

* {{Dissimile}}: In "The Nose Job":
--> '''Jerry''': I'll tell you, the sex... I mean, I was like an animal. I mean it was just completely uninhibited.
--> '''George''': It's like going to the bathroom in front of a lot of people, and not caring.
--> '''Jerry''': ...It's not like that at ''all''.

--> '''George''': We could be like the Gatsbys. Didn't they always like, you know, a bunch of people around, and they were all best friends?\\

--> '''George''': I want it to get back to when we were the Gatsbys!\\

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The pilot features a different theme song; Jerry is living in a studio apartment with a grey leather couch and a skylight; Kramer (actually, "Kessler") knocks on the door, owns a dog, and is agoraphobic; the hangout is a place called Pete's Luncheonette rather than Monk's; and Elaine is absent (it appears that a deadpan waitress at Pete's was meant to be the major female character).

--> '''Elaine''': Eh, anti-fur. I mean, who has the energy anymore? This is more about hanging off the arm of an idiot.

** Both Jerry Seinfeld's and George Costanza's fathers were initially played by different actors from those who would become better-known in those roles. Each had a very different look and gave a very different performance. Again: it's not just a casting change that's weird, or even how different the better-established versions of the characters were, but that in syndication, they reshot John Randolph's scenes as Frank Costanza using Jerry Stiller, but did not do the same thing with the two versions of Jerry's father.
*** In the commentary for the one episode with Phil Bruns as Morty Seinfeld before Barney Martin played him in subsequent appearances, Seinfeld and Larry David revealed that they had considering reshooting the scenes with Martin for syndication, but realized they couldn't because the other characters had all aged five years by then (as opposed to only a few months for the George's father episode).
*** Also in the episode with John Randolph, "The Handicap Spot," Estelle Costanza says that Kramer is "a real troublemaker" and "altogether crazy." In later episodes, she seems quite fond of him, even to the point of flirting with him.

*** George says to Jerry in the pilot to "always do the opposite of what your instincts tell you." He actually hears this advice FROM Jerry, spends the whole episode doing the opposite of what he thinks he should do, and things go well for him.

* HolierThanThou: Elaine's boyfriend Puddy is revealed to be a Christian. When she asks him if it bothers him that she's not religious, he tells her he doesn't care because he's not the one going to Hell. He becomes very unhappy after they're told by a priest that, as a result of their extramarital sex, both are going to Hell (a sign of his self-righteous ignorance itself).

* DarkerAndEdgier: Like the ''Film/FinalDestination'' movie franchise, the show flip-flopped with this trope, occasionally, in that it really doesn't get dark as the show progresses a whole except except in the case of George, perhaps. Elaine is subverted as she was rather mean and stuck-up in early episodes, but more ghetto, "bro"-saying (not really that Elaine says the word, but rather that we start to see more Latina Julia Louis Dreyfus [who says the word "bro" a lot in real life] more than Elaine Benes), and outgoing in later episodes. A few episodes got dark from seasons 2 - 4. Season 2 had a fairly graphic (for the time this aired) scene in "The Baby Shower," where Jerry has a graphic nightmare about being shot by FBI agents for illegal cable. Although it's rather over-the-top and silly (as no one gets the FBI for such a crime), it still was dark for the standards of that time. It gets more disturbing in "The Keys", when Kramer goes to Los Angeles and impersonates a murderer in front of a group of hippies, which leads to the season 4 opening 2-parter, "The Trip," in which he's accused of murder. In later seasons, there are a few dark episodes in later seasons, like "The Little Kicks" in which Brody, a street tough, threatens Jerry unless he gets him a bootleg of his favorite. "The Pledge Drive" has a dark rendition of the ''{{Series/Seinfeld}}'' theme but it's subverted when the street tough turns out to [[spoiler: be a nice guy trying to help Nana get to the bank.]] Outside of that, the show doesn't get dark that often. The characters stay the same except George. Whereas George, in early seasons, did bad things mostly in anger and out of frustration and a feeling of being cheated and resentment, it gets DarkerandEdgier when George starts plotting revenge against others in retaliation to what they've done, like cutting Lloyd's life cable, in an attempt to murder him in "The English Patent." He is purely vengeful and it's sometimes disturbing to watch.
* DarkReprise: In "The Pledge Drive", a darker version of the ''{{Series/Seinfeld}}'' theme plays. This makes it borderline DarkerAndEdgier, but is subverted [[spoiler: when it turns out the street hoodlum approach Nanna is a nice guy who helps her get to the bank.]] See DarkerAndEdgier for more. In the second half of "The Finale", a minor-key version of the show's theme is played on the oboe while the four are waiting to be sentenced.

* DesignatedVictim: While not direct, it was building up for years. In the finale this trope comes into play. While the "Seinfeld" characters are indeed flawed and are far from saints, the people who screw the gang over and oppress them socially are actually mean and are worse. There's the Rosses who show disdain for the gang. Marla Penny, who gets upset because of a silly contest. The white Spaniard Puerto Ricans who treat Kramer with disdain, like he's a dark-skinned "'bro'-saying wog," a racial slur for southern Europeans and Middle Easterners. There's Bookman, who gets mad with Jerry for an overdue book. The gang did not deserve most of what they got. Some of whom reacted with violence.

* BrooklynRage: the gang deals with assholes that have that trope from time to time, although Elaine (in early seasons), George and Kramer definitely have the most of it, with Jerry having none of those qualities. Especially when they go to Lower Manhattan and the outer borough. filled with Swedes, Danes, Jews, Russians, and Spaniards (meaning -ez-surnamed people), this is expected. The rabbi who insults Jerry in "The Bris," Bob, the white Spaniard Puerto Rican who is always antagonizing Kramer (starting with the "The Soup Nazi"), the cop (most likely a Swede, Dane, Jew, Russian, Spaniard) who unfairly accuses Kramer of child molestation in "The Wait Out". Being Detroit is also Northeast, the guy who starts a fight with George because of dipping a bitten chip in dip, "The Implant"). It would be too long to name all the moments but the show is definitely in an atmosphere of BrooklynRage. Estelle Costanza, who is Jewish, is another classic example of this. Elaine has her moments in early seasons, and George definitely, having come out more like his mom than his Afro-Latino dad, definitely has them. Kramer too.

* BrooklynRage: the gang suffers this from time to time, although Elaine (in early seasons), George and Kramer definitely have the most of it, with Jerry having none of those qualities. Especially when they go to Lower Manhattan and the outer borough. filled with Swedes, Danes, Jews, Russians, and Spaniards (meaning -ez-surnamed people), this is expected. The rabbi who insults Jerry in "The Bris," Bob, the white Spaniard Puerto Rican who is always antagonizing Kramer (starting with the "The Soup Nazi"), the cop (most likely a Swede, Dane, Jew, Russian, Spaniard) who unfairly accuses Kramer of child molestation in "The Wait Out". Being Detroit is also Northeast, the guy who starts a fight with George because of dipping a bitten chip in dip, "The Implant"). It would be too long to name all the moments but the show is definitely in an atmosphere of BrooklynRage. Estelle Costanza, who is Jewish, is another classic example of this. Elaine has her moments in early seasons, and George definitely, having come out more like his mom than his Afro-Latino dad, definitely has them. Kramer too.

** The whole Enzo/Gino scenario in "The Barber" is played like a wife in a long-lasting marriage [[YourCheatingHeart having an affair]] with a younger man, and the husband finding out about it.

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Somewhat justified by this being New York, which is in fact noticeably more Catholic than the rest of the United States. None of the main characters are religious and Jerry and George are both clearly Jewish ([[AmbiguouslyJewish Jewish-ish]] in George's case), but when Christianity appears, Catholicism is the default.
** Costanza is seemingly an Italian name and Frank belongs to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Columbus the Knights of Columbus]], a Catholic organization, but Estelle is a very stereotypical JewishMother.
** In "The Burning", Elaine learns that her boyfriend Puddy is religious, and believes that she's going to Hell. While the religious stations preset on his car radio sound born-again Protestant, the couple wind up being counseled by his priest. The same priest, Father Curtis, is also the one Jerry consults (in a {{confession|al}} booth, no less) when he thinks Tim Whatley has converted to Judaism [[NWordPrivileges purely for the jokes]] in "The Yada Yada".
*** Puddy's religion doesn't stop him from painting himself up as the devil and terrorizing an elderly El Salvadoran priest in his first appearance in "The Face Painter", but it's entirely possible his born-again faith was a later development or a passing phase.
** Averted in "The Conversion", however, where the church in question is specifically [[UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity Latvian Orthodox]].[[note]]Although the writer of the episode didn't know there actually was such a church and largely based it on the ''Russian'' Orthodox Church instead. The show received thank you letters for including it anyway.[[/note]]
* ChristmasEpisode: Downplayed. To be expected, given the Jewish title character as well as many of the cast and writers. Rather than special holiday episodes, they're usually just regular episodes that happen to be set around the Christmas season.
** Elaine attends her office Christmas party, as in "The Red Dot", and sends out annual Christmas cards, including a memorable {{nip|pledAndDimed}} [[WardrobeMalfunction slip]] in "The Pick".
** Kramer gets hired as a MallSanta at a department store then converts to communism in "The Race".
** "The Gum" and "The Andrea Doria" show that it's Christmastime, but it isn't plot-relevant.
** The closest thing to an actual Christmas episode is the full-on CrappyHolidays episode "The Strike": George pretends his family doesn't celebrate Christmas to get out of his office's gift exchange. Which is technically true: his father Frank got so fed up with the commercialism of Christmas after a fight over a doll in a store (for George) one year that he washed his hands of Christmas and decided to [[StartMyOwn start his own holiday]]: Festivus ("A Festivus for the rest of us!"). Kramer takes an interest; George's boss Mr. Kruger invites himself along. The made-up holiday includes such events as the Airing of Grievances (telling people all the ways they've ticked you off and let you down during the past year) and the Feats of Strength (the head of the household choosing someone to wrestle -- [[ButtMonkey George]], naturally). There's no hugging, no learning, and no tree (Frank finds tinsel distracting, so it's just a featureless aluminum pole instead), but it does bring everyone together.
--->'''Kramer:''' It's a Festivus miracle!
*** ...at least until Jerry breaks up with his latest girlfriend because she looks terrible under certain lighting ("She's a two-face!") and Kramer has to leave to work a double shift at the bagel place where he's been on strike for the last twelve years. Elaine handing out fake phone numbers to interested guys also catches up to her when a bookie she placed a bet with shows up as well (along with his henchman).

* DesignatedVictim: While not direct, it was building up for years. In the finale this trope comes into play. While the "Seinfeld" characters are indeed flawed and do bad things, the people who screw the gang over and oppress them socially are actually mean. There's the Rosses who show disdain for the gang. Marla Penny, who gets upset because of a silly contest. The white Puerto Ricans who treat Kramer with disdain, like he's a dark-skinned "'bro'-saying wog," a racial slur for southern Europeans and Middle Easterners. There's Bookman, who gets mad with Jerry for an overdue book. The gang did not deserve most of what they got. Some of whom reacted with violence.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Like the ''{{FinalDestination Final Destination}}'' movie franchise, the show flip-flopped with this trope, occasionally, in that it really doesn't get dark as the show progresses a whole except except in the case of George, perhaps. Elaine is subverted as she was rather mean and stuck-up in early episodes, but more ghetto, "bro"-saying (not really that Elaine says the word, but rather that we start to see more Latina Julia Louis Dreyfus [who says the word "bro" a lot in real life] more than Elaine Benes), and outgoing in later episodes. A few episodes got dark from seasons 2 - 4. Season 2 had a fairly graphic (for the time this aired) scene in "The Baby Shower," where Jerry has a graphic nightmare about being shot by FBI agents for illegal cable. Although it's rather over-the-top and silly (as no one gets the FBI for such a crime), it still was dark for the standards of that time. It gets more disturbing in "The Keys", when Kramer goes to Los Angeles and impersonates a murderer in front of a group of hippies, which leads to the season 4 opening 2-parter, "The Trip," in which he's accused of murder. In later seasons, there are a few dark episodes in later seasons, like "The Little Kicks" in which Brody, a street tough, threatens Jerry unless he gets him a bootleg of his favorite. "The Pledge Drive" has a dark rendition of the ''{{Series/Seinfeld}}'' theme but it's subverted when the street tough turns out to [[spoiler: be a nice guy trying to help Nana get to the bank.]] Outside of that, the show doesn't get dark that often. The characters stay the same except George. Whereas George, in early seasons, did bad things mostly in anger and out of frustration and a feeling of being cheated and resentment, it gets DarkerandEdgier when George starts plotting revenge against others in retaliation to what they've done, like cutting Lloyd's life cable, in an attempt to murder him in "The English Patent." He is purely vengeful and it's sometimes disturbing to watch.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Like the ''[[FinalDestination Final Destination]]'' movie franchise, the show flip-flopped with this trope, occasionally, in that it really doesn't get dark as the show progresses a whole except except in the case of George, perhaps. Elaine is subverted as she was rather mean and stuck-up in early episodes, but more ghetto, "bro"-saying (not really that Elaine says the word, but rather that we start to see more Latina Julia Louis Dreyfus [who says the word "bro" a lot in real life] more than Elaine Benes), and outgoing in later episodes. A few episodes got dark from seasons 2 - 4. Season 2 had a fairly graphic (for the time this aired) scene in "The Baby Shower," where Jerry has a graphic nightmare about being shot by FBI agents for illegal cable. Although it's rather over-the-top and silly (as no one gets the FBI for such a crime), it still was dark for the standards of that time. It gets more disturbing in "The Keys", when Kramer goes to Los Angeles and impersonates a murderer in front of a group of hippies, which leads to the season 4 opening 2-parter, "The Trip," in which he's accused of murder. In later seasons, there are a few dark episodes in later seasons, like "The Little Kicks" in which Brody, a street tough, threatens Jerry unless he gets him a bootleg of his favorite. "The Pledge Drive" has a dark rendition of the ''{{Series/Seinfeld}}'' theme but it's subverted when the street tough turns out to [[spoiler: be a nice guy trying to help Nana get to the bank.]] Outside of that, the show doesn't get dark that often. The characters stay the same except George. Whereas George, in early seasons, did bad things mostly in anger and out of frustration and a feeling of being cheated and resentment, it gets DarkerandEdgier when George starts plotting revenge against others in retaliation to what they've done, like cutting Lloyd's life cable, in an attempt to murder him in "The English Patent." He is purely vengeful and it's sometimes disturbing to watch.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Like the ''[[FinalDestination Final Destination]]'' movie franchise, the show flip-flopped with this trope, occasionally, in that it really doesn't get dark as the show progresses a whole except except in the case of George, perhaps. Elaine is subverted as she was rather mean and stuck-up in early episodes, but more ghetto, "bro"-saying (not really that Elaine says the word, but rather that we start to see more Latina Julia Louis Dreyfus [who says the word "bro" a lot in real life] more than Elaine Benes), and outgoing in later episodes. A few episodes got dark from seasons 2 - 4. Season 2 had a fairly graphic (for the time this aired) scene in "The Baby Shower," where Jerry has a graphic nightmare about being shot by FBI agents for illegal cable. Although it's rather over-the-top and silly (as no one gets the FBI for such a crime), it still was dark for the standards of that time. It gets more disturbing in "The Keys", when Kramer goes to Los Angeles and impersonates a murderer in front of a group of hippies, which leads to the season 4 opening 2-parter, "The Trip," in which he's accused of murder. In later seasons, there are a few dark episodes in later seasons, like "The Little Kicks" in which Brody, a street tough, threatens Jerry unless he gets him a bootleg of his favorite. "The Pledge Drive" has a dark rendition of the [[Series/Seinfeld]] theme but it's subverted when the street tough turns out to [[spoiler: be a nice guy trying to help Nana get to the bank.]] Outside of that, the show doesn't get dark that often. The characters stay the same except George. Whereas George, in early seasons, did bad things mostly in anger and out of frustration and a feeling of being cheated and resentment, it gets DarkerandEdgier when George starts plotting revenge against others in retaliation to what they've done, like cutting Lloyd's life cable, in an attempt to murder him in "The English Patent." He is purely vengeful and it's sometimes disturbing to watch.
* DarkReprise: In "The Pledge Drive", a darker version of the ''Series/Seinfeld'' theme plays. This makes it borderline DarkerAndEdgier, but is subverted [[spoiler: when it turns out the street hoodlum approach Nanna is a nice guy who helps her get to the bank.]] See DarkerAndEdgier for more. In the second half of "The Finale", a minor-key version of the show's theme is played on the oboe while the four are waiting to be sentenced.

* DarkerAndEdgier: The show flip-flopped with this trope, occasionally, in that it really doesn't get dark as the show progresses a whole except except in the case of George, perhaps. Elaine is subverted as she was rather mean and stuck-up in early episodes, but more ghetto, "bro"-saying (not really that Elaine says the word, but rather that we start to see more Latina Julia Louis Dreyfus [who says the word "bro" a lot in real life] more than Elaine Benes), and outgoing in later episodes. A few episodes got dark from seasons 2 - 4. Season 2 had a fairly graphic (for the time this aired) scene in "The Baby Shower," where Jerry has a graphic nightmare about being shot by FBI agents for illegal cable. Although it's rather over-the-top and silly (as no one gets the FBI for such a crime), it still was dark for the standards of that time. It gets more disturbing in "The Keys", when Kramer goes to Los Angeles and impersonates a murderer in front of a group of hippies, which leads to the season 4 opening 2-parter, "The Trip," in which he's accused of murder. In later seasons, there are a few dark episodes in later seasons, like "The Little Kicks" in which Brody, a street tough, threatens Jerry unless he gets him a bootleg of his favorite. "The Pledge Drive" has a dark rendition of the ''Series/Seinfeld'' theme but it's subverted when the street tough turns out to [[spoiler: be a nice guy trying to help Nana get to the bank.]] Outside of that, the characters as a whole stay the same except George. Whereas George, in early seasons, did bad things mostly in anger and out of frustration and a feeling of being cheated and resentment, it gets DarkerandEdgier when George starts plotting revenge against others in retaliation to what they've done, like cutting Lloyd's life cable, in an attempt to murder him in "The English Patent." He is purely vengeful and it's sometimes disturbing to watch.

* DarkerAndEdgier: The show flip-flopped with this trope, occasionally, in that it really doesn't get dark as the show progresses a whole except except in the case of George, perhaps. Elaine is subverted as she was rather mean and stuck-up in early episodes, but more ghetto, "bro"-saying (not really that Elaine says the word, but rather that we start to see more Latina Julia Louis Dreyfus [who says the word "bro" a lot in real life] more than Elaine Benes), and outgoing in later episodes. A few episodes got dark from seasons 2 - 4. Season 2 had a fairly graphic (for the time this aired) scene in "The Baby Shower," where Jerry has a graphic nightmare about being shot by FBI agents for illegal cable. Although it's rather over-the-top and silly (as no one gets the FBI for such a crime), it still was dark for the standards of that time. It gets more disturbing in "The Keys", when Kramer goes to Los Angeles and impersonates a murderer in front of a group of hippies, which leads to the season 4 opening 2-parter, "The Trip," in which he's accused of murder. In later seasons, there are a few dark episodes in later seasons, like "The Little Kicks" in which Brody, a street tough, threatens Jerry unless he gets him a bootleg of his favorite. "The Pledge Drive" has a dark rendition of the ''Series/Seinfeld'' theme but it's subverted when the street tough turns out to [[spoiler: be a nice guy trying to help Nana get to the bank.]] Outside of that, the characters as a whole stay the same except George. Whereas George, in early seasons, did bad things mostly in anger and out of frustration and a feeling of being cheated and resentment, it gets DarkerandEdgier when George starts doing evil things to others, like cutting Lloyd's life cable, in an attempt to murder him in "The English Patent." He is purely vengeful and it's sometimes disturbing to watch.

* DarkerAndEdgier: The show flip-flops with this trope to some decree, in that it really doesn't get dark as the show progresses a whole except except in the case of George, perhaps. Elaine is subverted as she was rather mean and stuck-up in early episodes, but more ghetto, "bro"-saying (not really that she says the word, but rather that we start to see more Latina Julia Louis Dreyfus more than Elaine Benes), and outgoing in later episodes. A few episodes got dark from seasons 2 - 4. Season 2 had a fairly graphic (for the time this aired) scene in ''The Baby Shower," where Jerry has a graphic nightmare about being shot by FBI agents for illegal cable. Although it's rather over-the-top and silly (as no one gets the FBI for such a crime), it still was dark for the standards of that time. It gets more disturbing in "The Keys", when Kramer goes to Los Angeles and impersonates a murderer in front of a group of hippies, which leads to the season 4 opening 2-parter, "The Trip," in which he's accused of murder. In later seasons, there are a few dark episodes in later seasons, like "The Little Kicks" in which Brody, a street tough, threatens Jerry unless he gets him a bootleg of his favorite. "The Pledge Drive" has a dark rendition of the ''Series/Seinfeld'' theme but it's subverted when the street tough turns out to [[spoiler: be a nice guy trying to help Nana get to the bank.]] Outside of that, the characters as a whole stay the same except George. Whereas George, in early seasons, did things mostly out of frustration and a feeling of being cheated and resentment, it gets DarkerandEdgier when George starts doing evil things to others, like cutting Lloyd's life cable, in an attempt to murder him in "The English Patent." He is purely vengeful and it's sometimes disturbing to watch.

* DarkReprise: In the second half of "The Finale", a minor-key version of the show's theme is played on the oboe while the four are waiting to be sentenced.

** In "The Handicapped Spot", Kramer tempts George to park in the handicapped spot, which gets him in big trouble. At the end of the episode, the foursome return to the mall and Kramer tempts George to park in the fire lane. George protests that there could be a fire, and Kramer says, [[TemptingFate "Now what are the chances of THAT?"]] [[HereWeGoAgain It's highly likely that George took Kramer's advice again.]]

* BadDreams: Kramer, in "The Millennium". The dream is never shown, but based on the words he says, it's obvious the dream is about competing with Newman on who gets to host a millennium party.
--> '''Kramer''': Jerry... Newman... it's 2000... (wakes up) NEWMANIUM!
** Speaking of bad dreams, Elaine had a nightmare that she had a foursome with Jerry, George, and Kramer in "The Slicer". This bit is usually cut for time in syndication.
** In "The Bookstore", Jerry had a bad dream about Uncle Leo in prison, now buff from so many pull-ups and menacingly saying "Jerry... HELLO! Jerry... HELLO! Jerry... (phone rings) ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE!!!"
** Probably the mother of all ''Seinfeld'' bad dreams: in "The Baby Shower," Kramer talks Jerry into pirating cable TV; Jerry's anxiety about this decision results in a dream wherein he's [[MoodWhiplash shot to death by the police]].