"The Revenge" is the seventh episode of the second season of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and the show's 12th episode overall. The story revolves around George Costanza's (Jason Alexander) plot to exact revenge on his boss, with his friend Elaine Benes' (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) help, after he quits his job at Rick Barr Properties and is refused re-employment. Meanwhile, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and his neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards) get even with a laundromat owner—who they believe has stolen money from Jerry—by pouring cement into one of his washing machines.
Written by series co-creator Larry David and directed by Tom Cherones, the episode premiered in the United States on NBC on April 18, 1991. Largely based on David's own experiences, "The Revenge" was the first episode he wrote without Seinfeld's collaboration. The episode also contains the first mention of Newman, a suicidal man who lives in Jerry and Kramer's apartment building, who would later become a popular recurring character. As the episode is the first in which Kramer does physical comedy which the character would become well-known for, some cast and crew members consider it a turning point for the show. When first broadcast in the United States, the episode gained a Nielsen rating of 14.4/24 and was met with positive response from critics.
Plot
George furiously quits his job after being disallowed use of the executive toilet but regrets the decision when he realizes he has no good job prospects. Jerry suggests that George go back to work and pretend he never quit. George takes this advice, but his former boss, Rick Levitan (Fred Applegate), refuses to let him stay and insults him. As revenge, George decides to slip a Mickey into Levitan's drink during an office party and enlists Elaine to help him by flirting with him as a distraction. Levitan is enthralled by Elaine, and his good mood prompts him to let George have his job back. George attempts to intercept the drink, but after Levitan welcomes him back with a toast sprinkled with insults at George's expense, he changes his mind and lets him down the spiked drink. After being re-fired, George again regrets losing his temper with Levitan and brainstorms job opportunity ideas.
When Jerry goes to the laundromat, Kramer persuades him to take his laundry with him. After retrieving the laundry the following day and returning Kramer's portion, Jerry remembers he had hidden a large sum of money in his laundry bag, but is unable to find it. Vic, the owner of the laundromat, says he is not responsible for valuables; Kramer and Jerry both assume Vic stole the money. While Jerry distracts Vic with laundering questions, Kramer puts cement mix in one of the washing machines as revenge. Once they have acted out the plan, Kramer discovers that he had the money all along. It turns out to be just enough to cover the damage to the washing machine.
Kramer tells Jerry about his friend Newman, who repeatedly threatens to kill himself by jumping off the apartment building. When he does jump, he jumps from the second floor and survives, much to Kramer's amusement. When Newman threatens to jump again, Kramer asks Newman if he wants to go shoot some pool with him. Newman declines, stating that he has plans to go to the movies.
Production
"The Revenge" was written by series co-creator Larry David and directed by Tom Cherones. All prior Seinfeld episodes were co-written by Seinfeld and David. The Revenge is the first episode written by David alone, though Seinfeld did proofread the script and would continue to do so for all scripts up to the eighth season. George's storyline in the episode is based on David's own experiences while a writer at Saturday Night Live. David had quit SNL halfway through the 1984-1985 television season, but felt he had made a mistake once he reached his home. His neighbor Kenny Kramer, who later served as the main inspiration for Kramer, suggested David return to work the following Monday and act as if nothing had happened. Unlike George, the ploy succeeded for David, who remained with SNLs writing staff until the end of that season. George's reason for quitting was inspired by Seinfeld writer Larry Charles' use of the private restroom in Seinfeld and David's office instead of the public one. The Newman subplot was inspired by one of David's neighbors, who once jumped from the second floor of the apartment building in which they both lived. The unseen character Mr. Papanickolas, who is mentioned by Kramer, was named after production crew member Pete Papanickolas.