That Seinfeld's strength came mainly from its observational humor, which covered every possible topic, no matter how trivial, became a real benchmark from Season Three onwards. The Pen, in particular, shows exactly how insane the program's wit could become.
Unusually, the episode doesn't take place in New York. Instead, it's all the way down to Florida, where Jerry's parents live. Since there will be a dinner in honor of the old man, Jerry decides to pay a visit, and takes Elaine with him. Once there, he engages in a casual conversation with a neighbor regarding an "astronaut pen", which he is later given as a gift. The weekend rapidly deteriorates starting with the next morning, when the neighbor in question begins to insist the pen be returned.
A pen. That's right, a pen. With the notable exception of Tarantino, no one would be able to center a whole movie around that subject without hitting a narrative dead end. Fortunately this is TV comedy, where only 22 minutes are required, and Larry David, who wrote this story, is a genius in making the most boring item the core of a perfect gag mechanism, which is why the scenes where Jerry and everyone else argue about the pen are as hilarious as Elaine and Morty Seinfeld experiencing the side effects of a rather uncomfortable couch.
Sure, some viewers might be turned off by the complete absence of Kramer (who was missing in The Chinese Restaurant too) and George (a fact that irritated Jason Alexander so much he threatened to quit unless he was included in every other show, even in a one-scene gig), but come on, really, who needs them when we've got Elaine spoofing Marlon Brando's epic "Stellaaaaaa!" in a way not even The Simpsons would have gotten away with? It's absolute nonsense, from start to finish, but that's why it's so darn funny.
