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Recap / Seinfeld S 5 E 12 The Stall

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Elaine has a hostile encounter with a woman in the bathroom who refuses to lend her toilet paper. Jerry struggles to prevent the two women from recognizing each other when he realizes the woman is his new girlfriend. Kramer regularly calls to a phone sex line, to a woman named "Erica"... which also turns out to be Jerry's new girlfriend. George befriends and starts idolizing Elaine's cool boyfriend, who invites him and Kramer on a rock climbing trip.

This episode features examples of the following:

  • 900 Number: Kramer uses Jerry's phone to call a 976 number (the local version of this trope), even though Jerry told Kramer not to call those. Cue the sexy voice of "Erica" talking to "Andre" (Kramer) when Elaine picks up the phone to call her boyfriend.
  • Bandaged Face: George and Kramer accidentally drop Tony during while rock climbing, leaving him bandaged. Suddenly, Elaine's statement that she's not dating Tony for his looks is put to the test.
  • Brainless Beauty: Jerry refers to Tony a male bimbo, or a "mimbo".
  • Contrived Coincidence: Jane being both "Erica" and the woman who refused to hand out toilet paper to Elaine.
  • Call-Back: Jane is briefly seen giving Jerry a massage, to which Jerry comments, "I've been waiting so long for this." A nod to "The Masseuse" a few episodes prior.
  • Even the Guys Want Him: George has a blatant mancrush on Tony, and Jerry is convinced that Elaine is only dating him for his "hunky" looks.
  • Hoist by Her Own Petard: By the end of the episode, it's Jane who doesn't have toilet paper and Elaine who refuses to lend her some... because she purposely took out the roll and then brought it with her and then dumped it on Jerry. Jane ends it all with both Jerry and Kramer.
  • Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer: Kramer mentions to Jerry and Elaine that he sang this song to Tony while he was being driven to the hospital on the ambulance.
  • Plot Threads: Jane's interactions with Jerry, Kramer and Elaine vs. George's mancrush on Tony (and Kramer going on their rock climbing trip).
  • The Reveal:
    • After both of them come out of the bathroom and are seated to watch the movie, we see that Jane is the woman who refused to lend Elaine toilet paper. (Elaine realizes this by the end of the show.)
    • At the last second it turns out Jane really was "Erica" after all. (Kramer started suspecting Jane's voice when he answered Jerry's phone, and then his suspicions got stronger when he first saw - and heard - her in person. Jane, for one, also suspected Kramer was "Andre".)
  • Third Wheel: Kramer acts like a platonic version of this when he essentially invites himself to George's and Tony's rock climbing trip.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: Elaine and Tony's relationship is never resolved, as the episode ends before the bandages come off. A Deleted Scene that was was supposed to end the episode reveals that his face healed, but then he dumps Elaine after noticing a pimple on her face.
  • Valley Girl: Other than being, well, a guy, Tony fits this stereotype to a tee.

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