# The Parking Garage
| Season 3 - Episode 6 | October 30, 1991 |
|---|---|
| Written by Larry David | Directed by Tom Cherones |
| Series Episode 23 | Production Code 306 |
"The Parking Garage" is the 23rd episode of the situation comedy Seinfeld. The episode was the sixth episode of the show's third season. It aired on October 30, 1991 on National Broadcasting Company (NBC).
The episode was written by Larry David and was directed by Tom Cherones, and takes place entirely in a parking garage. The episode "The Parking Garage" has received overwhelmingly positive reviews with many critics calling it better than the previous episode "about nothing", "The Chinese Restaurant". It was ranked #33 on TV Guide's 1997 list of the 100 Greatest TV episodes of All Time. The episode received a 12.1/19 Nielsen rating.
# Plot
The gang is in search of Kramer's car in the multi-level parking garage of a shopping mall in New Jersey after Kramer purchases an air conditioner. Unfortunately, no one can remember where the car was parked. After carrying the air conditioner for some time, an exhausted Kramer decides to leave it behind one of the parked cars and tries to memorize the number of the parking space. Elaine fears that her new goldfish will die in the airtight bag before they can arrive home, while George must meet his parents by 6:15 to take them out to celebrate their anniversary. Also, Jerry has to go to the bathroom badly.
While the gang searches for the car, Elaine desperately begs people in the parking garage to give them a ride around the building to find their car, but no one is willing to help or has any sympathy for the goldfish. One of the indifferent men that she begs is Larry Charles (wearing a Star Trek: The Next Generation hat), a staff writer on Seinfeld.
Jerry desperately needs to urinate. Kramer badgers Jerry to do it in some dark corner where no one can see him. After Jerry reluctantly does so, he is spotted by a security guard and is taken to the guard's office. Jerry tries to talk his way out of trouble by making up a story about a fictional disease of "uromysitisis", but the guard is not convinced; Jerry makes up some other stories, but the guard is still not buying it. Meanwhile, Kramer, Elaine and George wonder where Jerry is – George moans, "Unbelievable, I'm never gonna get out of here. The guy goes to pee, he never comes back. It's like a science fiction story." Elaine goes off on her own to find him; Kramer and George decide to do the same.
Later, George also gets caught in the act of urinating, after being convinced to do so by Kramer. Both Jerry and George are fined and released. After the two find Elaine, Jerry convinces George to ask an attractive woman, whom they saw earlier in the episode, to give them a lift around the garage. The woman (Cynthia Ettinger) accepts without hesitation, and the gang all enter the woman's car and drive off. Moments later, the woman kicks them out after George says something to the woman that makes her explode in anger (the viewer is not told exactly what George said to the woman, but it involves L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology). Ironically, the gang is dropped off right by Kramer's car but unfortunately, Kramer, who has the car keys, is still lost somewhere in the garage.
Hours pass by as George, Jerry and Elaine wait. Finally, Kramer shows up, having gone on his own hunt for the air conditioner because he forgot where he left it. Elaine's goldfish did not survive and George is well past the time deadline to meet his parents. Once they are all in the car, the engine fails to start.
# Production
The Parking Garage was written by Larry David, his fourth writing credit for the season and was directed by Tom Cherones, his fourth directing credit for the season. According to the official Seinfeld site, the episode was difficult to write and create because it was not filmed in an actual garage, but rather on the normal Seinfeld soundstage. The audience bleachers, Jerry's apartment and the restaurant set were removed from the soundstage. Shooting was done from different angles so the entire set was shown. The stage was surrounded by mirrors to make the parking garage appear larger. Louis-Dreyfus and Seinfeld had their makeup redone between takes while lying on the ground because the shoot was so demanding.
The end was scripted to have the gang drive off together. The car failing to start at the end of the episode was an accident. Kramer actor Michael Richards continued to crank the cars ignition without success. The decision was made to keep the car not starting in the episode as something else going wrong. Jason Alexander can briefly be seen starting to laugh when the car didn't start.
# Theme
The episode, "The Parking Garage" follows the premise of the idea of Seinfeld as a "show about nothing". Holly Ordway of DVD Talk compared the episode to "The Chinese Restaurant" from the second season in which the whole episode takes place in a Chinese restaurant. Many other critics had a similar reaction to season two's "The Chinese Restaurant".
# Reception
In its original American broadcast, "The Parking Garage" received a Nielsen rating of 12.1 rating/19% share—this means that 12.1% of American households watched the episode and 19% of televisions in use at the time were tuned to it.
The episode has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics with many saying it is better than "The Chinese Restaurant". Holly Ordway called the episode "another classic Seinfeld episode" and also stated "the characters spend the whole episode in the same place resulting in an episode that's both memorable and funny." She also said it was better than second season's "The Chinese Restaurant". Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide said "À la Season Two's "The Chinese Restaurant", this program uses one commonplace setting for its comedy, and I think it works even better than its famed predecessor".
# Critical response
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 common resources, thinking 'at the margin' and cost-benefit analysis. The common resource here is the garage itself: it is for the public, but it is not supposed to be used by the public as a bathroom. Jerry decides that the relief (benefit) of urinating will outweigh the risk (cost) of getting caught.
Matthew Bond, describing how "singleness and childlessness" were, at the time the series began, "unusual for a situation comedy", writes that
"the Peter Pans of this series view all other children as competition and those who have children - i.e., their peers who are parents - as fools. In 'The Parking Garage,' George intervenes when a mother hits her son; the mother tells him to mind his own business. When George asserts that it is his business, the son tells George that he's ugly."
Matthew Bond concludes, "In the Seinfeld world, others are unwelcome; parents are oppressive; friends married or with children are buffoons; children are monsters. Why should Jerry and Our Gang grow up?"
# Cast
# Regulars
Jerry Seinfeld ....................... Jerry Seinfeld
Jason Alexander .................. George Costanza
Julia Louis-Dreyfus ............. Elaine Benes
Michael Richards ................. Kramer
# Guests
David Dunard ..................... Security Guard
Cynthia Ettinger ................ Michele
Gregory Daniel .................. Man in Corvette
Carlyle King ....................... The Mother
Adam Wylie ....................... The Kid
Joe Farago .......................... Man With Woman
Ron Evans .......................... Bodybuilder
Tucker Smallwood .............. Man in Mercedes
# Script
[ACT ONE SCENE A INT. ESCALATOR - GOING DOWN TO A GARAGE. IN SINGLE FILE: GEORGE, JERRY AND ELAINE, WHO'S CARRYING A PLASTIC BAG WITH GOLDFISH, AND KRAMER WHO'S HAVING A ROUGH TIME WITH A LARGE, HEAVY BOX.]
GEORGE: One left...what a joke.
KRAMER: You can have this one.
GEORGE: No, that's not enough BTUs for my living room...That was a complete waste of time.
ELAINE: Hey, I didn't get one either.
JERRY: Why do I always have the feeling that everybody's doing something better than me on Saturday afternoons?
ELAINE: This is what people do.
JERRY: No they don't. They're out on some big picnic. They're cooking burgers. They're making out on blankets. They're not at some mall in Jersey watching their friends trying to find the world's cheapest air-conditioner.
(THEY GET OFF THE ESCALATOR AND HEAD FOR THE CAR.)
[ACT ONE SCENE B INT. PARKING GARAGE - CONTINUOUS JERRY, GEORGE, ELAINE AND KRAMER.]
GEORGE: You should see what my father used to go through before he bought a car. He'd go from state to state. He was away for weeks at a time. It was like he was running for President and he was going through the primaries. We'd get phone calls from motels in New Hampshire.
ELAINE: So we took a little ride. What's the big deal?
GEORGE: Well at least you accomplished something. You got fish.
JERRY: Big accomplishment.
GEORGE: Fish. What do they do?
ELAINE: What do you do?
KRAMER: It's this way.
GEORGE: What time is it?
JERRY: Five o'clock.
GEORGE: Always late. Always late.
JERRY: You're not late.
GEORGE: I told them to meet me in front of my building at six-fifteen.
ELAINE: Who?
GEORGE: My parents. It's their anniversary. I'm taking them out to dinner and a show tonight. You think we'll hit traffic?
JERRY: Of course we'll hit traffic. It's rush hour.
ELAINE: Isn't it going the other way?
JERRY: There is no other way in New York. Everybody goes every way all the time.
ELAINE: But it's Saturday.
JERRY: You got the picnic and burger traffic.
GEORGE: I always get myself in this position. Can't be on time. Gotta rush.
(KRAMER STOPS AND LOOKS AROUND.)
ELAINE: What's the matter?
(HE MUMBLES SOMETHING AND CONTINUES WALKING.)
JERRY: I have to go to the bathroom. Why do they hide the bathroom in these malls?
(KRAMER STUMBLES WITH THE AIR-CONDITIONER.)
JERRY: (CONTINUES) You want me to help you with that?
KRAMER: No, no, I got it.
(AND HE STUMBLES AGAIN. JERRY SPOTS A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.)
JERRY: (TO GEORGE, RE:WOMAN) What do you think, Georgie boy?
GEORGE: Did I need that pointed out for me? What is that going to do for me? How does that help me, to see her? I'm trying to live my life. Don't show me that.
KRAMER: If you like her, go talk to her.
GEORGE: Yeah, right. I'll just go up and say, "Hi, how ya' doing? Would you like a glass of white wine?" JERRY Before you got within twenty feet of this woman, she'd have her finger on the mace button. She's like an expensive car with one of those motion-sensor force field alarms. Any sudden movement in the area could set her off.
KRAMER: She's fat.
ELAINE: Oh she's fat?
KRAMER STOPS AGAIN, CONFUSED.
ELAINE: What? JERRY Where's the car?
KRAMER: I thought it was here.
GEORGE: You don't know where we parked?
(KRAMER LOOKS AROUND, THEN RESUMES WALKING. THEY FOLLOW.)
GEORGE: Oh, this is great.
KRAMER: Blue-one. I thought it was blue-one.
JERRY: I thought it was green. I remember seeing green.
ELAINE: I didn't pay attention.
GEORGE: This is just what I need.
ELAINE: I'm sure it's right around here.
KRAMER: It looks familiar. I remember the elevator.
GEORGE: There's elevators all over! It all looks the same.
JERRY: It's over there. I know where it is.
(NOW JERRY TAKES THE LEAD AND THE OTHERS FOLLOW.)
ELAINE: It's black, right?
KRAMER: Dark blue.
GEORGE: (MUMBLING) You come to a parking lot, you write it down. How hard is that?
JERRY: There it is!...No, no that's a Toyota.
THEY STOP...
JERRY: (CONTINUES) Hmmm...I thought it was...
KRAMER: Didn't we come in over there?
JERRY: I thought it was over there.
(FROM THERE P.O.V. THE CAMERA DOES A THREE SIXTY AND WE GET A SENSE OF HOW ENORMOUS THIS PLACE IS, THEN)
ELAINE: How long can fish live in one of these plastic bags?
KRAMER: About two hours.
ELAINE: (SHE LOOKS AT HER WATCH) You'd better find this car.
GEORGE: It's this way... AND THEY TAKE OFF AGAIN, PAIRING OFF:
GEORGE & ELAINE WITH KRAMER & JERRY BEHIND THEM.
JERRY: I really have to go to the bathroom.
KRAMER: Why don't you go behind one of these cars? J
JERRY SHOOTS HIM A LOOK.
KRAMER: (CONTINUES) Why? Nobody's around.
JERRY: I'll wait.
KRAMER: You know when you hold it in like that you can cause a lot of damage to your bladder. That's what happens to truck drivers. They hold it in all the time. Eventually it starts coming out involuntarily.
JERRY: Alright.
KRAMER: Jerry, are you aware that adult diapers are a six hundred million dollar a year industry?
JERRY: Maybe I should just go anytime I get the urge like you...wherever I am. There's too much urinary freedom in this society. I'm proud to hold it in. It builds character.
(ANGLE ON ELAINE AND GEORGE...)
ELAINE: (RE: CAR) There it is!...No that's not it.
(A CAR SCREECHES AROUND A CURVE, ELAINE IS UNNERVED.)
ELAINE: (CONTINUES) Hey, watch it. ...Did you see that car? Maniac. Can you explain something to me? I got six questions wrong on my drivers test. That's the maximum. I read the book, I'm a college graduate. This is a country where fifty percent of its high school students can't locate Europe on a map. How are they all passing that test? It's a mystery.
GEORGE: ...Six wrong?
ELAINE: Those school zones are a killer.
JERRY: (TO KRAMER, RE:BOX) Will you let me help you with that?
KRAMER: I'm gonna put it down behind that car.
HE DOES SO.
JERRY: You're not worried somebody's gonna pee on it?
KRAMER: (TO GEORGE) Pink eleven. Remember that.
GEORGE: Oh I got it. (TO JERRY) That I'm supposed to remember. Where the car is, that's insignificant.
ELAINE: (LOOKING AT FISH) I think they're laboring.
KRAMER: Look at this place. It's huge...
GEORGE: I can tell you this. If I am not in front of my house at six-fifteen, when my parents get there, they will put me on an aggravation installment plan that will compound with interest for decades.
JERRY: Parents never forget a foul-up. I once left a jacket on the bus when I was fourteen. Last week I'm flying to Chicago to do a show, "Make sure you hang on to your jacket."
GEORGE: Where the hell is this car, Kramer?
KRAMER: It's got to be here.
ELAINE: Why are they using so many colors? And the numbers go up to forty.
JERRY: Maybe it's not on this level.
GEORGE: What?
JERRY: There are four different levels. Maybe we're on the wrong level. How long was the escalator ride up?
ELAINE: It felt like a couple of levels.
JERRY: You should always carry a pad and pen.
GEORGE: I can't carry a pen. I'm afraid I'll puncture my scrotum.
KRAMER: I have a pen.
THEY REACT...
JERRY: Where was the bathroom in this mall? There are six-hundred stores, I didn't see one bathroom. What is this, like a joke? They finished building the mall and they go, "Oh my god, we forgot the bathrooms."
MOTHER: (O.C.) Don't you dare talk to me like that! You hear me?
ELAINE: Look at that woman.
SHE'S HITTING HER BOY ON THE BACK OF HIS HEAD.
MOTHER: I told you! I don't care! You'll have to wait.
GEORGE: (TO WOMAN) Hey, is that necessary?
MOTHER: (TO GEORGE) Why don't you mind your own business?
GEORGE: I think hitting a defenseless child is my business.
KID: (TO GEORGE) You're ugly.
GEORGE: ...What?
KID: You're ugly.
GEORGE: You are!
KID: You are!
(THE KID GETS IN THE CAR. GEORGE IS STUNNED.)
GEORGE: I should've hit the little son-of-a-bitch. I can't stand kids. Adults think it's so wonderful how honest kids are. I don't need that kind of honesty. I'll take a deceptive adult over an honest kid any day.
KRAMER: (RE: CAR) I found it!
ELAINE: He's got it.
KRAMER: Oh...no.
JERRY: All right, that's it. From now on no more calling out they found it, unless we're sitting in it. Okay?
ELAINE: Jerry, look at my fish.
(JERRY HOLDS UP THE BAG AND HITS IT WITH HIS FINGER.)
JERRY: His eyes look a little cloudy.
GEORGE: Oh are they gonna be furious.
JERRY: Who's got the tickets? GEORGE I do. (TO KRAMER) I thought you knew this mall. You said you'd been here before!
KRAMER: It was easy the last time.
ELAINE: My fish are dying right in front of me! We have to get someone to drive us around the parking lot to help us look for the car.
JERRY: No one's going to do that.
(ELAINE SPOTS A FORTY-ISH, STYLISH COUPLE WALKING TO THEIR CAR.)
ELAINE: Excuse me, we can't seem to find our car. I was wondering if it would be possible if you're not in a hurry, to drive us around the garage for five minutes so we can look.
MAN #1: (HOLDING HIS HANDS UP) ...Sorry.
ELAINE: Five minutes.
MAN #1: Can't do it.
ELAINE: We're not wilding.
THEY LEAVE.
(SHE APPROACHES TWO GIRLS - EARLY TWENTIES, MALL KIDS.)
ELAINE: (CONTINUES) Excuse me - I can't seem to find my car - do you think you could drive me...
(THEY START LAUGHING.)
ELAINE: (CONTINUES) Oh that's funny? Is that funny? Well tell me if you think this is funny: These fish are dying! They're gasping for oxygen right now! They'll be floating in an hour. Is that funny too?
(THEY IGNORE HER AND KEEP LAUGHING. CUT TO JERRY AND KRAMER.)
JERRY: Those are really ugly sneakers. Where did you get those?
KRAMER: Right here at the mall.
(BACK TO ELAINE, SEEKING OUT A MAN WITH A BEARD.)
ELAINE: Excuse me...
(HE IGNORES HER AND KEEPS WALKING.)
ELAINE: (CONTINUES) Sorry to have disturbed you. Terribly sorry. But the fish will be dead. You do know that. They can't live in plastic. That's not me talking, that's science.
(CUT TO JERRY AND KRAMER.)
JERRY: It's amazing how shopping makes me have to go. All I have to do is walk into a department store and it's like some kind of horse laxative just kicked in.
KRAMER: You drank a whole bottle of water.
JERRY: I know.
KRAMER: So why don't you just go?
JERRY: No I can't.
KRAMER: Don't you get tired of following rules?
JERRY: You think I'm too cautious?
KRAMER: Why be uncomfortable if you don't have to? It's organic.
JERRY: Organic. So's Buddy Hackett.
KRAMER: Buddy Hackett?
JERRY: He's a comedian.
KRAMER: I know.
JERRY: All right. All right.
KRAMER: (pointing) You can go over here.
JERRY: I can manage.
KRAMER: (turns away and spots George) George! (leaves scene)
KRAMER: It'll take you ten seconds.
HE NUDGES JERRY.
JERRY: Okay, okay. I'll be right back.
(WE STAY WITH JERRY AS HE WALKS TO THE BACK OF A CAR, LOOKS AROUND LIKE SUPERMAN, THEN LETS FLY. HE FINISHES, ZIPS UP, THEN TURNS AND SEES A SECURITY GUARD STARING AT HIM WITH HIS ARMS FOLDED.)
SECURITY GUARD: Okay, let's go. Come with me.
JERRY: But...
SECURITY GUARD: Come on.
JERRY: (STARTS TO LEAVE, TO HIMSELF) ...Kramer
(END OF ACT ONE)
[ACT TWO SCENE C INT. SECURITY GUARD'S OFFICE - A SMALL ROOM WITH A DESK AND A CHAIR. JERRY PLEADS FOR HIS RELEASE.]
JERRY: I've had this condition since I was eleven! I've been in and out of hospitals my whole life. I have no control over it. Doctors have told me that when I feel it, the best thing to do is just release it. Otherwise, I could die.
SECURITY GUARD: Well you're still not allowed.
JERRY: Do you hear what I'm saying to you?! I'm telling you that if I don't go, I could die. Die. Is it worth dying for?
SECURITY GUARD: That's up to you.
JERRY: So you don't care if I die.
SECURITY GUARD: What I care about is the sanitary condition of the parking facility.
JERRY: It was life and death.
SECURITY GUARD: Uh huh.
JERRY: Oh I'm lying. Why would I do it unless I was in mortal danger? I know it's against the law.
SECURITY GUARD: I don't know.
JERRY: Because I could get Uromysitisis poisoning and die. That's why!...Do you think I enjoy living like this?...the shame, the humiliation...You know I have been issued a public urination pass by the city because of my condition. Unfortunately my little brother ran out of the house with it this morning.
JERRY: (CONTINUES) Him and his friends are probably peeing all over the place. You want to call the Department of Social Services? Oh, it's Saturday. They're closed today. My luck.
SECURITY GUARD: You can tell the police all about it.
[ACT TWO SCENE D INT. PARKING GARAGE - GEORGE, KRAMER, AND ELAINE.]
KRAMER: (CALLING OUT) Jerry!
ELAINE: Jerry!
GEORGE: Unbelievable, I'm never gonna get out of here. The guy goes to pee, he never comes back. It's like a science fiction story.
ELAINE: Maybe he went to one of the other levels. I'll go look for him.
GEORGE: Oh now you're gonna go? ELAINE I'll be back in five minutes.
GEORGE: If you go now, I know what's gonna happen. We'll find the car, Jerry will show up, and then we'll never find you.
ELAINE: No, no, I'll be back.
(SHE LEAVES.)
GEORGE: Oh what's the difference? We'll all be dead eventually.
KRAMER: Does that bother you?
GEORGE: Yeah, it bothers me. Doesn't it bother you?
KRAMER: Not at all.
GEORGE: See now that bothers me even more than dying bothers me, cause it's people like you who live to be a hundred and twenty because you're not bothered by it. How could it not bother you?
KRAMER: I once saw this thing on T.V. with people who are terminally ill. And they all believed the secret of life is just to live every moment.
GEORGE: Yeah, yeah. I've heard that. Meanwhile I'm here with you in a parking garage, what am I supposed to do?
[ACT TWO SCENE E INT. SECURITY OFFICE - JERRY AND THE SECURITY GUARD.]
JERRY: First of all you don't even know technically that I went. That's for starters. I mean I could've been pouring a bottle of water out there. You don't know.
SECURITY GUARD: I know what you did.
JERRY: Oh really, do you? Well it just so happens that I did pour water out. I had a bottle of very tepid water and I poured it out. And I could see how you made a mistake, because pouring water out sounds very much like a person urinating.
JERRY: (CONTINUES) And you know when you think about it it's really quite an amusing case of mistaken identity. That's all it is.
SECURITY GUARD: Yeah I'm sure.
JERRY: You know this is not the first time this has happened to me. I always carry water because of my condition. It dehydrates me. It's a vicious cycle.
[ACT TWO SCENE F INT. PARKING GARAGE - ELAINE, LOOKING FOR JERRY. SHE'S TALKING TO AN OLDER BLACK MAN ABOUT TO GET IN HIS CAR.]
ELAINE: And now he's gone. I'm sure he's looking for the car. Five minutes, that's all. I just want to find him.
MAN #1: I can't do it.
ELAINE: But why? Why can't you do it?
MAN #1: I can't.
ELAINE: No, see that's not a reason you can't. You just don't want to.
MAN #1: That's right.
ELAINE: But why? Why don't you want to?
MAN #1: I don't know.
ELAINE: But wouldn't you get any satisfaction out of helping someone out?
MAN #:1 No, I wouldn't.
[ACT TWO SCENE G INT. SECURITY SHACK]
JERRY: (A NEW TACK) All right, all right. I want to apologize. I was frightened, I said crazy things. I obviously offended you. I insulted your intelligence. The uromysitisis, the water bottle...I made it all up, and now...I'm going to tell you the truth. Today my father and mother are celebrating their fiftieth, well I'm jumping ahead here, their forty-seventh wedding anniversary. We made arrangements to spend the evening together. They are supposed to be in front of my building at six-fifteen.
JERRY: (CONTINUES) What I haven't told you, or anyone else for that matter, is that my father's been in a Red Chinese prison for the past fourteen years.
[ACT TWO SCENE H INT. PARKING GARAGE - GEORGE AND KRAMER, STILL LOOKING FOR THE CAR.]
KRAMER: The guy's got a fat fetish. Spector never dates a woman under two hundred-fifty pounds.
GEORGE: (NOT INTERESTED) Really.
KRAMER: What does he do with all that fat? Does he just jump up and down on it? Does he gouge it like Killer Kowalski?
GEORGE: Who's Killer Kowalski?
KRAMER: He was a wrestler. He would grab hold of someone's stomach and just squeeze it until they gave.
GEORGE: I've gotta go to the bathroom.
KRAMER: So go. GEORGE Here?
KRAMER: (SHAKING HIS HEAD) You and Jerry.
(GEORGE WALKS OUT OF THE FRAME AS KRAMER CONTINUES TO SCAN THE GARAGE. CUT TO GEORGE FINISHING UP. HE ZIPS UP, THEN TURNS, STARTLED. CUT TO THE SAME SECURITY GUARD, ARMS FOLDED, STARING AT HIM.)
[ACT TWO SCENE J INT. SECURITY OFFICE - GEORGE BEING LED IN BY THE SECURITY GUARD.]
GEORGE: Don't you believe me? It's their fiftieth anniversary. You know this is gonna kill him. You're aware of that. Kill him. On the biggest night of his life...
SECURITY GUARD: Oh your folks have an anniversary today too?
JERRY: (TO GEORGE) Was he also in a Red Chinese prison?
GEORGE: (TO JERRY, SOMEWHAT IMPRESSED) A Red Chinese prison?
[ACT TWO SCENE K INT. PARKING GARAGE - KRAMER, WANDERING AIMLESSLY.]
KRAMER: George! George!
[ACT TWO SCENE L INT. PARKING GARAGE]
ELAINE: Jerry! (THEN SHE CHECKS HER FISH)
[ACT TWO SCENE M INT. PARKING GARAGE - JERRY AND GEORGE ARE BACK IN THE GARAGE EACH HOLDING THEIR SUMMONS.]
JERRY: Well what happened was my father was staying in the home of one of Red China's great military leaders, General Chang, who by the way came up with the recipe for General Chang's chicken. You know, the one with the red peppers and orange peel at Szechwan Gardens? GEORGE Sure, I have it all the time. Very spicy.
JERRY: Well General Chang was a very flamboyant man. A complete failure as a general, but a helluva cook.
ELAINE: (O.C.) Jerry! JERRY Elaine?!
ELAINE: (O.C.) Jerry! Over here...
(NOW THEY SPOT HER.)
ELAINE: (CONTINUES) Where have you been?
JERRY: I was arrested for urinating.
GEORGE: (PROUDLY) Me too.
ELAINE: You what?
JERRY: I have uromysitisis. It's very serious you know.
ELAINE: Look at my fish... (JERRY EXAMINES IT) Is he...
JERRY: No, but he's not looking good... (ELAINE TURNS TO TWO HUGE BODY BUILDERS IN WORKOUT WEAR)
ELAINE: (DESPERATE) Please, we can't find our car. Please drive us around the parking lot to find our car. My fish are dying.
MAN #2: Can't do it.
ELAINE: I can see not caring what happens to us, we're human. But what about the fish? The fish?
MAN #3: Sorry. (THEY KEEP WALKING.)
ELAINE: That's right, go. Go home to your dumbbells. Work on your pecs. I'm really impressed.
(THEY LOOK BACK AT HER.)
ELAINE: (CONTINUES) That's right you heard me. You got a problem with that?
GEORGE: Elaine, shut-up.
JERRY: Hey, where's Kramer?
GEORGE: I don't know. (TO ELAINE) Where's Kramer?
ELAINE: I thought he was with you.
GEORGE: See, I knew it. I knew this was gonna happen...
(HE LOOKS AT JERRY'S WATCH AND THROWS HIS HANDS UP.)
GEORGE: (CONTINUES) Look at the time, that's it.
ELAINE: Have we looked over there? Have we checked that side?
GEORGE: We came in over there!
ELAINE: We didn't come in over there!
JERRY: Where's Kramer?
(JERRY SEES THE ATTRACTIVE WOMAN THEY TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, AMY.)
JERRY: Hey George, there she is again. ...
GEORGE: So what do you want me to do?
JERRY: Ask her to drive us around. There's your opening.
GEORGE: That is an opening.
(GEORGE TENTATIVELY APPROACHES HER...)
GEORGE: (CONTINUES) Excuse me...I really... What's happened is that my friend forgot where he parked and if you're not in a big hurry, we'd really appreciate it if...
AMY: Oh sure, I'll drive you around.
GEORGE: You will?
AMY: Sure.
(GEORGE WAVES FOR JERRY AND ELAINE.)
GEORGE: Thanks a lot. I'm really late. My parents are waiting in front of my building and we're stuck here.
AMY: I wouldn't want to get lost in here. It smells like a toilet. People are such animals.
GEORGE: Yeah, right.
JERRY: Filthy pigs.
(THEY ALL GET IN THE CAR.)
GEORGE: It's a blue Honda...
AMY: This has happened to me too. It's very frustrating.
ELAINE: Hi, I'm Elaine.
JERRY: Jerry.
AMY: Hello.
ELAINE: It's very nice of you to do this. I've asked several people and they wouldn't even answer me.
AMY: I'm happy to do it. (TO GEORGE) I'm Amy.
GEORGE: Hi Amy, I'm George.
(GEORGE TURNS TO THE BACK SEAT AND GIVES AND GIVE A, "HOW BOUT THIS?" LOOK.)
[ACT TWO SCENE N INT. PARKING GARAGE - MINUTES LATER LONG SHOT OF CAR - THE BRAKES SQUEAL AND THE CAR COMES TO AN ABRUPT STOP, THEN GEORGE, ELAINE, AND JERRY GET OUT.]
GEORGE: (TALKING IN PASSENGER WINDOW) I didn't mean anything by it. I don't even know L. Ron Hubbard! I didn't know you were...
(SHE PULLS OUT, LEAVING RUBBER, THEN)
GEORGE: (CONTINUES) ...with that group.
ELAINE: (SHOUTING TO AMY) What about my fish?
JERRY: Boy, those Scientologists. They can be pretty sensitive.
ELAINE: I'll say.
(THEY TURN TO GEORGE, WHO'S GAPING AT SOMETHING.)
ELAINE: What is it? (THEY DISCOVER WHAT HE'S STARING AT) The car!
JERRY: The car!
GEORGE: The car!
ELAINE: We found it. I can't believe it!
THEY WALK TO IT...SUDDENLY GEORGE STOPS.
GEORGE: Kramer, Kramer's not here...I knew it. I knew it! I knew this would happen. (SCREAMING) Kramer! Kramer!
JERRY: Kramer!
(THEY ALL SLUMP AGAINST THE CAR. ELAINE HOLDS UP HER FISH)
[ACT TWO SCENE P INT. PARKING GARAGE - ONE HOUR LATER SAME SHOT - BUT NO FISH. IN THE DISTANCE WE CAN MAKE OUT KRAMER STRUGGLING WITH THE AIR-CONDITIONER. JERRY TAPS ELAINE WITH HIS ELBOW. ELAINE TAPS GEORGE. WE STAY ON KRAMER AS HE GETS CLOSER.]
JERRY: Kramer.
KRAMER: Jerry?
JERRY: Yeah, over here.
KRAMER: Boy I had a helluva time finding that air-conditioner. I looked everywhere. I completely forgot where I hid it. You know where it was?
GEORGE: Purple 23.
KRAMER: Right! Purple 23. I could've used you.
GEORGE: Sometimes it's good to have a pencil to write these things down.
(THEY GET IN THE CAR.)
KRAMER: What time is it?
GEORGE: Seven forty-five.
KRAMER: Well at least there's no traffic.
GEORGE: Right.
KRAMER: What time does that play start?
GEORGE: Eight o'clock.
KRAMER: That might be a problem. (TO ELAINE) Where's your little bag of...
(JERRY INDICATES HE SHOULDN'T PURSUE THAT.)
KRAMER: (CONTINUES) Oh...(TAKES OUT PARKING STUB) Boy this garage is going to cost a fortune. You know how long we were here?
SILENCE. HE STARTS UP THE CAR AND AS THEY HEAD OUT... FADE OUT. END OF ACT TWO
The End
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