The Smelly Car

"**The Smelly Car**"
"The Smelly Car"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 4; Episode 21
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry David and Peter Mehlman
Production code	422
Original air date	April 15, 1993
Guest appearances
	Heidi Swedberg as Susan; Michael Des Barres as Restaurateur; Nick Bakay as Carl; as Allison; Taylor Negron as Hairdresser; Courtney Gains as Clerk; Raf Mauro as Car Washer; Viveka Davis as Mona;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Junior Mint"	Next →; "The Handicap Spot"
	Seinfeld (season 4)
	List of episodes

"The Smelly Car" is the 61st episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. The episode is the 21st episode of the fourth season.^[1] It aired on April 15, 1993.^[1]

Plot[]

After dinner, Jerry and Elaine discover a strong smell of body odor in Jerry's BMW 5 Series, assumed to have been left by a valet who was tasked with parking it. After they endure an unpleasant drive to the home of Elaine's boyfriend Carl (Nick Bakay), Carl is offended by the smell of Elaine's hair when they embrace. He tells her he has to get up early, so she does not spend the night.

George and Kramer return a video; at the video store, he admires two women who are holding hands. George is astounded when they turn around and one is his ex-girlfriend, Susan, who tells George she converted to lesbianism shortly after they broke up. Meanwhile, Kramer practices his golf swing with a broom in front of Susan's girlfriend, Mona, a golf instructor. She is clearly amused by him. The clerk tells George that he has to pay a $2 fee because he didn't rewind the tape. Kramer suggests it would be cheaper to keep the video, rewind it himself, and return it the next day.

Kramer comments that Jerry and Elaine have absorbed the body odor from the car. Elaine realizes the odor is the reason Carl didn't spend the night with her. Jerry demands that the restaurant share the cost of cleaning the car. The restaurant maître d' (Michael Des Barres) refuses. Jerry locks him inside the car, not letting him out until he agrees to pay half of the $250 fee. George discovers someone stole the video out of the car while he and Jerry were inside the restaurant.

Mona is attracted to Kramer, which Jerry, Elaine and George cannot understand; she has never been with a man. This angers Susan, due to her dislike of Kramer, as well as George, who worries that he drove Susan to lesbianism. Feeling more attracted to her after finding this out, George attempts to woo Susan, and appears to be making progress. However, the two are approached in Monk's Café by George's ex, Allison (from the episode "The Outing"), who instantly establishes a mutual attraction with Susan.

After a complete "de-ionizing" of the car, Jerry discovers the stink is still there. Elaine goes to a hair salon to wash the smell out of her hair, but Carl tells her that she still smells. She finally resorts to dousing her hair in tomato sauce. Jerry tries to sell the car, but the dealer claims he cannot sell it. Kramer's relationship with Mona ends when she smells the odor on him - he had borrowed Jerry's jacket, which he was wearing in the car. Jerry tries abandoning the car, deliberately dropping the keys in plain view of a street hoodlum. The hoodlum takes the keys and hops into the car, but is disgusted by the smell.

Production[]

Co-writer Peter Mehlman got the idea for the episode from the real-life experiences of a friend of his. According to Mehlman, the friend would frequently pitch him ideas for episodes, none of which were even close to being good enough to use, but on this occasion the friend was simply complaining about the ordeal, at which point Mehlman immediately decided that it would be perfect for the show.

Amy McWilliams remarks that this is an example of many episodes that are "open-ended": it lacks "a traditional resolution completely, as when the viewer is simply left with a final comic shot of a street hoodlum wrinkling his nose as he tries to steal 'The Smelly Car'."^[2]

Critical response[]

Variety's contemporary review praised Larry David and Peter Mehlman's "witty script", highlighting George's storyline as taking numerous turns and "being filled with amusing detail."^[3]

Linda S. Ghent, Professor in the Department of Economics at Eastern Illinois University, discusses this episode in view of its economic themes, specifically those of externality, the Coase theorem, and moral hazard. Ghent explains,

The external costs are large: the smell attaches itself to Jerry and Elaine, who have to resort to costly measures to cleanse themselves. Jerry attempts to recoup some of the damage by cleverly bargaining with the restaurant owner to cover the cost of cleaning the car. In the end, the cleaning is not enough, and Jerry leaves the car and keys in plain sight hoping it will be stolen, in which case the insurance company will bear the loss.^[4]

References[]

^ ^a ^b "Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
^ McWilliams, Amy (2006). "Genre Expectation and Narrative Innovation in Seinfeld". In Lavery, David; Dunne, Sara Lewis (eds.). Seinfeld, Master of Its Domain: Revisiting Television's Greatest Sitcom. New York: Continuum. p. 83. ISBN 0-826-41802-3.
^ Everett, Todd (15 April 1993). "Seinfeld the Smelly Car". Variety. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
^ "Seinfeld Economics: The Smelly Car". Critical Commons. Retrieved August 7, 2012.

External links[]

"The Smelly Car" at IMDb

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

[2] McWilliams, Amy (2006). "Genre Expectation and Narrative Innovation in Seinfeld". In Lavery, David; Dunne, Sara Lewis (eds.). Seinfeld, Master of Its Domain: Revisiting Television's Greatest Sitcom. New York: Continuum. p. 83. ISBN 0-826-41802-3.

[3] Everett, Todd (15 April 1993). "Seinfeld the Smelly Car". Variety. Retrieved 24 December 2021.

[4] "Seinfeld Economics: The Smelly Car". Critical Commons. Retrieved August 7, 2012.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t 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