The Soup (Seinfeld)

Infobox Television episode
Title = The Soup
Series = Seinfeld


Caption = Kenny Bania entering the apartment.
Season = 6
Episode = 93
Airdate = November 10, 1994
Production =
Writer = Fred Stoller
Director = Andy Ackerman
Guests =
Episode list = List of "Seinfeld" episodes
Season list = Infobox Seinfeld season 6 episode list
Prev =
Next =

"The Soup" is the 93rd episode of the NBC sitcom "Seinfeld". This was the 7th episode for the 6th season. It aired on November 10, 1994.

Plot

George is flirting with a waitress from Monk's Cafe.
Elaine just returned from a trip to England with Mr. Pitt; she met a man who is flying over with Elaine's frequent flier miles.
Kenny Bania, an obnoxious comedian, offers Jerry a brand new Armani suit for free.

After his kidney stone ("The Gymnast"), Kramer decides to dump his refrigerator to eat only fresh foods.Bania delivers the suit but he insists Jerry should buy him a meal in exchange.

Simon, the Englishman, has arrived but he is being arrogant with Elaine while in a taxicab.Kelly, the waitress, and George go for a walk.George mentions how he likes the word "manure", and subsequently Kelly says she has a boyfriend.Jerry thinks she made that up to avoid George.

Kramer goes to Jerry's apartment for food, not for himself, but for his hungry girlfriend Hildy who is a waitress at Reggie's.At Mendy's restaurant Jerry is ready to eat dinner with Bania, but Bania only orders a soup, which, he says, cannot count as the "meal".

Simon is acting rude with Elaine and he doesn't seem to have plans to return to England. He turns out to be a real "".George is feeling uncomfortable in Monk's with Kelly around.Kenny Bania reclaims the meal again; this time he orders a soup and sandwich, which don't count either as they didn't eat in a fancy restaurant like Mendy's.With information provided by his girlfriend Hildy, Kramer informs George that Kelly doesn't have a boyfriend so she did invent the story earlier.

In order to get rid of Bania, Jerry offers the Armani suit to Simon, who willingly accepts it.George is hesitant to eat at Monk's so they go to Reggie's, where Hildy works. However they don't have the omelette nor the Big Salad that Jerry and Elaine want.

At his apartment, Jerry is out of food for Kramer's hungry girlfriend.Hildy got fired because Kramer made too many calls to her workplace, so George wants to try the same trick with Kelly.

Back at Monk's, Kelly informs she isn't going to work there anymore.Kelly's boss, fed up with calls, says he will treat George as his "hand puppet".Bania attempts to reclaim the suit from Jerry.Simon, who has just flirted with a woman in front of Elaine, has a job interview thanks to the suit Jerry gave him, and he decides he might stay longer in the country.Elaine tells Bania where his suit is, and a heated Bania confronts the unsuspecting Simon outside the restaurant.Jerry and Elaine celebrate with an omelette and a Big Salad.

The last shot of the episode is George eating by himself at Reggie's.

Quotes

* Jerry: Ok, this is it, you know. This is the meal. So stock up, buddy boy.

Real Mendy's

There is an actual Mendys's, located in the concourse of Rockefeller Center. It is however a kosher delicatessen, and not the nice, sit-down restaurant featured in the episode. It prides itself as the original home of the "soup and half-a-sandwich" with a sign of the Seinfeld four. On the sign, Jerry is saying, "Soup and half-a-sandwich, now that's a meal."

Trivia

* This is the first appearance of Kenny Bania.
* The closing scene with George eating at Reggie's will again appear in season 7's "The Pool Guy", when George is again forced to eat at Reggie's because his "worlds keep colliding". In order to save money and a scene for that episode, they made sure in that episode that George was wearing the same clothes as he was wearing in "The Soup" in the final scene.
* Tracy Kolis, who plays Kelly the waitress, previously played George's ex-girlfriend and Jerry's girlfriend, Marlene, in Season 2's "The Ex-Girlfriend".