The Betrayal (20 Nov. 1997)

The infamous "backwards episode". Elaine decides to spite her old college roommate Sue Ellen Mischkie by taking her, Jerry and George to India to attend Sue Ellen's wedding. Elaine ... See full summary »

Director:

Andy Ackerman

Writers:

David Mandel, Peter Mehlman,

Stars:

Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Alexander	...	George Costanza
Michael Richards	...	Cosmo Kramer
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Elaine Benes
Jerry Seinfeld	...	Jerry Seinfeld
Wayne Knight	...	Newman
Brenda Strong	...	Sue Ellen
Michael McShane	...	FDR (as Micheal McShane)
Justine Miceli	...	Nina
Bart Braverman	...	Zubin
Shaun Toub	...	Pinter
Heidi Swedberg	...	Susan Ross
Noor Shic	...	Usha
Jocelyne Kelly	...	Model
Brian Kaiser	...	Postman
Shelley Malil	...	Usher

Storyline

The infamous "backwards episode". Elaine decides to spite her old college roommate Sue Ellen Mischkie by taking her, Jerry and George to India to attend Sue Ellen's wedding. Elaine repeatedly reveals secrets about her past when Jerry discovers the combination to Elaine's "vault". Jerry runs in to an ex-flame - Nina, who is a "great conversationalist". George wears boots that alter his height to impress Nina and doesn't use the bathroom the entire time they are in India. Meanwhile, Kramer has a nasty encounter with a man named Franklin Delano Romanowski who tells him to drop dead.

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Plot Keywords:

india | birthday wish | making a wish | reverse chronology | nonlinear timeline | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1997 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Shapiro/West Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The backwards episode "The Betrayal" is based on a Harold Pinter play, "Betrayal", which also uses the same gimmick. Sue-Ellen Mishkie's fiancée in the episode is named Pinter in tribute to the playwright.

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Goofs

When the airplane they are flying to India on is "Somewhere between New York and India" the aircraft shown is clearly a Boeing 747. However, during the interior shots of the aircraft, it is clearly a Boeing 737 or a similar airframe.

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Quotes

George Costanza: You can stuff your sorries in a sack, mister!

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Crazy Credits

Because of the backwards nature of this episode, the Castle Rock logo appears at the beginning with the lighthouse spinning the other way. Additionally, all the credits show in backwards order.

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Connections

References Betrayal (1983)

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Soundtracks

"Lohengrin - Bridal Chorus"
(uncredited)
Music by Richard Wagner

User Reviews

A very clever parody of Harold Pinter's movie "Betrayal."

This episode is based on the movie "Betrayal" by Harold Pinter (winnerof the Nobel Prize for Literature, 2005). The movie starred Jeremy Irons and Ben Kingsley as long-time friends and business associates. As the movie opens, Irons's character meets with Patricia Hodge, the wife of Kingsley's character, to reminisce about an affair they'd broken off about a year earlier. The movie then moves backward in time until the closing scene that occurs just before Irons and Hodge embark on their affair. At every moment, the audience knows more than the characters do, which gives the story a compelling poignancy.

Seinfeld takes this conceit to hysterically funny levels by continually introducing "prior" information that makes what we just saw happen "later" all the funnier. The episode incorporates some inside jokes as well: there are several "love triangles" going on (Elaine, Susan, Pinter form one; Jerry, George, and Nina the other) and of course, the character of Pinter is an homage to Harold Pinter. The fact that they all go to India for the wedding may be a nod to Kingsley's heritage (he's half Indian).

Very creative and very funny, this episode proved that "Seinfeld" could be fresh and innovative even in its 9th season.