The Checks

Infobox Television episode
Title = The Checks
Series = Seinfeld


Caption = Kramer and his Japanese friends in the hot tub.
Season = 8
Episode = 141
Airdate = November 7, 1996
Production =
Writer = Steve O'Donnell & Tom Gammill & Max Pross
Director = Andy Ackerman
Guests =
Episode list = List of "Seinfeld" episodes
Season list = Infobox Seinfeld season 8 episode list
Prev =
Next =

"The Checks" is the 141st episode of the sitcom "Seinfeld". This was the 7th episode for the 8th season. It aired on November 7, 1996.

Plot

Elaine's new boyfriend, Brett, is obsessed with designer furniture and the song "Desperado" by The Eagles. Jerry spots an umbrella salesman using the sales technique he invented. The salesman says it was someone else.

Hundreds of twelve-cent royalty checks keep arriving from Jerry's brief appearance on a Japanese television show. Kramer warns George that the carpet cleaners he hired are actually a front for a religious cult. Intrigued, George tries to be converted, but they're not interested in him.

Kramer meets some Japanese businessmen and he takes them on the town and to the cleaners. He is a little confused about the exchange rate and spends all their money. Brett delivers a large chest of drawers to Kramer and thinks that Jerry might be jealous. Kramer thinks the TV pilot that Jerry and George did would be perfect for Japanese television. They pitch it to a couple of Japanese TV executives.

Elaine tries to find a song that she and Brett can share, including "Witchy Woman", also by The Eagles. Run out of money, Kramer puts his Japanese friends up at his place, sleeping in the chest of drawers (much like a capsule hotel). Jerry caught in the rain meets the man in the street that claims credit for the twirl. He also meets Brett who is convinced Jerry is down on his luck.

George gets the cleaners to do the offices at Yankee Stadium where they find a new recruit (George's boss). Mr. Wilhelm, joins under the name of Tania, the name Patty Hearst took after she was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. Because of the humidity from the hot tub, Kramer's guests get stuck in the chest. Jerry, with writer's cramp from check signing, uses a fire ax to open the chest, which scares the Japanese guests and injures Brett who passes out.

Trivia

* Two of the episode's guest stars (Richard Herd and Sab Shimono) had both previously appeared in the 1980 M*A*S*H episode "Back Pay".