Seinfeld: 5 Ways Jerry And Elaine's Friendship Was Perfect (& 5 Flaws)
Most exes can't stay friends, but Jerry and Elaine are quite close on Seinfeld. However, their platonic relationship has some problems on the sitcom.
While most sitcoms tell the stories of a group of friends dealing with life's hard and happy times, Seinfeld is special and unique. The "show about nothing" shares a little bit of everything about the human experience, and former lovers Jerry and Elaine are two of the most beloved characters.
For nine hilarious seasons, Jerry and Elaine joked around, got annoyed when attending parties, and applied their cynical worldview to anything that happened to them. While these two characters were flawless friends in some ways, they also had some major problems in their relationship.
10 Perfect: They Could Be Friends Even After Being Romantically Involved
Jerry messed up his romance with Elaine but the fact that he could stay pals with her even after everything they went through says a lot.
Many people feel that they have to lose touch with their exes, as it's just too awkward or weird, especially when they each start new relationships. Jerry and Elaine didn't feel that way and even discussed their dating lives on a regular basis. No subject seemed off-limits for them.
9 Flaw: Jerry Could Be Immature, Which Brought Elaine Down To His Level
When it comes to maturity and acting like a grown-up, Elaine was on another level from George, Jerry, and Kramer. She held down great jobs and seemed to function a little better.
But since Jerry could be so immature, he sometimes brought Elaine down to his level, and that wasn't a great thing. One example? In the season 3 episode "The Pez Dispenser," when Jerry wanted to make Elaine laugh and showed her this nostalgic candy dispenser. It was definitely the wrong time and place for that.
8 Perfect: They Spent Most Of Their Time Together
Elaine and Jerry had a perfect friendship because they were pretty much together 24/7. While they did sometimes frustrate each other, since these characters are easily annoyed, they appeared to get along most of the time.
From dropping into Jerry's apartment on a regular basis to hanging out at Monk's Café, Elaine was a frequent figure in Jerry's world, and they both seemed to like seeing each other so much.
7 Flaw: They Weren't Always Honest With Each Other
In the fifth season episode "The Mango," Elaine let Jerry know that she only pretended to have orgasms when they were in a relationship. This is one of the best episodes about Elaine and while she decided to stop lying, the damage had definitely been done.
Jerry and Elaine might have been close pals, but they weren't always honest with each other. Elaine sometimes lied to Jerry to spare his feelings, and Jerry lied to Elaine when he didn't want her to move into his apartment building, as he pretended at first that it would be okay.
6 Perfect: They Traveled Together Fairly Well
Everyone has their friends who are their favorite travel partners, along with people they know they can't even go on a quick weekend trip with. It's hard to travel with pals as some people just won't get along and will really annoy each other.
Elaine and Jerry often traveled together, particularly to visit Jerry's parents in Florida, and in one memorable episode, Elaine hurt her back sleeping on an uncomfortable sofa bed. Even so, she seemed to enjoy accompanying her friend on these trips.
5 Flaw: Jerry Got Involved With Elaine's Professional Life
In the fourth season episode "The Cheever Letters," Jerry told Elaine that Sandra, who worked as her secretary, was talking way too much to him. Sandra ended up leaving because she was so upset and emotional about hearing that.
It was wrong for Jerry to get involved in Elaine's work life. He didn't have to say anything at all, as it wasn't really his place, and he ended up interfering.
4 Perfect: They Acted Like A Married Couple In Some Ways
If people watched Seinfeld as if Jerry and Elaine were a married couple who had been together for a decade or so, it would actually make a lot of sense. Many fans wish they had stayed together.
These characters saw each other every day, supported each other, laughed at each other's jokes, and always knew what was going on in each other's lives. While they didn't live together, of course, Elaine spent so much time at Jerry's apartment that she could have been his roommate. They went to parties together, had the same group of friends, and shared the same sense of humor and interests. The only thing missing was the romantic part.
3 Flaw: They Didn't Try To Get Along With Each Other's Dates/Partners
While Jerry and Elaine always knew who the other person was dating — or who they had decided to break up with after only a brief period of time — they weren't super nice or supportive.
Neither Jerry nor Elaine went out of their way to be kind or welcoming to whoever the other person had started seeing. That just didn't seem like it was part of their friendship, and that's kind of strange considering how close they were. It's true that they're both easily annoyed by strangers (or even people they know), but they could have each made a bigger effort.
2 Perfect: They Were There For Each Other Even In Tough Situations
Jerry has countless hilarious plotlines and one of them included the season 2 episode "The Jacket." He was obsessed with a new jacket he had just purchased, but unfortunately, it got destroyed in the snow.
In this episode, Jerry and George went to have dinner with Elaine's dad, who was mean and scary. The fact that Jerry was willing to show up for that event proves that he and Elaine were always there for one another. Even when they didn't want to do something, they would.
1 Flaw: They Sometimes Put Their Foot In Their Mouths
While fans love early episodes of Seinfeld, the later seasons have many positive merits. In the seventh season episode "The Rye," Elaine went out with a saxophonist, and Jerry chatted with the rest of the band, referring to the relationship as "hot and heavy." This wasn't what Elaine wanted him to say, as she was concerned that her boyfriend would assume she was getting too attached and trying to get him to commit.
Jerry and Elaine have some flaws in their friendship because they sometimes put their foot in their mouths and hurt the other person. In this case, Jerry didn't think before speaking, and he should have been more respectful of his good friend.