The Marine Biologist

"**The Marine Biologist**"
"The Marine Biologist"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5; Episode 14
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Ron Hauge & Charlie Rubin
Production code	513
Original air date	February 10, 1994
Guest appearances
	Wayne Knight as Newman; Carol Kane as Corinne; Richard Fancy as Lippman; George Murdock as Testikov; Rosalind Allen as Diane DeConn; David Blackwood as Hotel Clerk; Heather Morgan as Woman on Bench;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Dinner Party"	Next →; "The Pie"
	Seinfeld season 5
	List of episodes

"The Marine Biologist" is the 78th episode of the American sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 14th episode of the fifth season.^[1] It was originally broadcast on NBC on February 10, 1994.^[1] In the episode, George pretends to be a marine biologist in order to impress an old crush, which puts him on the spot when they encounter a beached whale. Meanwhile, Elaine attempts to recover her electronic organizer after a renowned Russian author throws it out the window of a moving limousine. Jerry Seinfeld considers the episode one of his favorites.^[2]

Plot

While having a conversation with Elaine about his favorite T-shirt, "Golden Boy" (which, due to its age, is "dying"), Jerry jokingly tells her the novel War and Peace was originally called War, What Is it Good For? (a reference to Edwin Starr's hit song "War"); Elaine takes him seriously. Kramer gives Elaine an electronic organizer. He has acquired a stash of 600 Titleist golf balls from a driving range and decides to hit them into the ocean.

Jerry runs into George's college crush Diane and tells her George is now a marine biologist. Intrigued, she asks Jerry for his number. George is upset because he thinks he can't convincingly pretend to be a marine biologist.

Elaine shares what Jerry told her with renowned Russian author Yuri Testikov, who is being courted by Pendant Publishing, her company. This causes an argument between Elaine, Mr. Lippman, and Testikov. When Elaine can't shut off her electronic organizer's beeping, Testikov angrily grabs it from her and tosses it out of the window of the limousine they are sharing. It hits a woman named Corinne in the head. She finds Jerry's phone number in the organizer and calls him. Corinne says she won't return Elaine's organizer until she is compensated for her hospital bill. Since Elaine destroyed her contacts book upon getting the organizer, she needs it back, but feels Testikov should pay Corinne's bill. She and Jerry meet him in his hotel room with a tape recorder hidden in her bag. They record a confession, but Testikov is irritated by the noise of the tape recorder and digs it out of Elaine's bag. He throws it out the window, hitting Corinne in the head while she waits outside the hotel.

Kramer returns home in humiliation, having missed every ball except one, and gotten sand in his clothing. While trying to get sand out of his shoe, he accidentally drops it out of his apartment window, hitting Newman. At the beach, George is called upon to use his non-existent marine biology skills to save a beached whale. Motivated by love for Diane, George approaches the whale, realizes its blowhole is obstructed, and reaches in to pull out Kramer's golf ball.^[3] George is hailed as a hero and confesses to Diane that he is not really a marine biologist. She dumps him in response. Jerry tells Elaine that in its latest run through the washing machine, Golden Boy "didn't make it", but has been replaced by its son, "Baby Blue".

Production

George's climactic whale monologue was not in Ron Hauge and Charlie Rubin's original script; it was a rewrite that show creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld came up with in a burst of late night inspiration.^[4] Because the monologue was written at the last minute, there was no time to rehearse it. Despite this, actor Jason Alexander's delivery on the first take was so satisfying to the show's producers that no further takes were shot.^[4] Seinfeld stated that his shocked expression in the scene was not an in-character reaction to the story, but rather him marveling at Alexander's ability to have the speech memorized so quickly.^[5]

The production crew wanted to use the animatronic whale from the then-recent film Free Willy for the scene at the beach. Due to miscommunication, the owners of the animatronic whale thought the Seinfeld crew wanted the real whale, and declined the request.^[4] The crew resorted to crafting a CGI whale. Larry David was pleased with how real the CGI whale looked, but decided that the scene would be more effective if the whale were kept off-camera.^[4]

Sequences which were filmed but deleted prior to broadcast include George giving an in-depth account of his made-up visit to the Galapagos Islands and Newman finding a mentally unhinged Kramer vacuuming non-existent sand.

Critical reception

Rick Kushman of The Sacramento Bee listed this as one of the Top Ten Seinfeld Episodes: a "brilliantly plotted story that weaves together all kinds of silliness".^[6]

In 2009, a New Hampshire Union Leader columnist speculated that one could ask "people to name their favorite living marine biologist... and the most likely answer is George Costanza."^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
^ Season 5 extras. inside looks # 7
^ Hauge, Ron and Charlie Rubin (February 10, 1994). "Script: Episode 78 – The Marine Biologist". Seinology.com. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Seinfeld Season 5: Inside Look - "The Marine Biologist" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.
^ Jerry Seinfeld’s INCREDIBLE Reveal about the ‘Beached Whale/Golf Ball’ Episode | The Rich Eisen Show. Retrieved 2024-05-03 – via www.youtube.com.
^ Kushman, Rick (May 10, 1998). "Nothing But the Best – BEE TV Columnist Rick Kushman Chooses The TOP 10 Seinfeld Episodes". The Sacramento Bee. p. EN16. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
^ Clayton, John (October 26, 2009). "NH woman pulls plastic from the Pacific". New Hampshire Union Leader. p. 1. Retrieved April 30, 2013.

External links

"The Marine Biologist" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 December 2021.

[2] Season 5 extras. inside looks # 7

[3] Hauge, Ron and Charlie Rubin (February 10, 1994). "Script: Episode 78 – The Marine Biologist". Seinology.com. Retrieved April 30, 2013.

[InsLook-4] Seinfeld Season 5: Inside Look - "The Marine Biologist" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.

[5] Jerry Seinfeld’s INCREDIBLE Reveal about the ‘Beached Whale/Golf Ball’ Episode | The Rich Eisen Show. Retrieved 2024-05-03 – via www.youtube.com.

[6] Kushman, Rick (May 10, 1998). "Nothing But the Best – BEE TV Columnist Rick Kushman Chooses The TOP 10 Seinfeld Episodes". The Sacramento Bee. p. EN16. Retrieved April 30, 2013.

[7] Clayton, John (October 26, 2009). "NH woman pulls plastic from the Pacific". New Hampshire Union Leader. p. 1. Retrieved April 30, 2013.

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v t e Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend"† "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip"† "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"†
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats"† "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100"† "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac"† "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit"† "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode