Seinfeld finds the funny moments in life, whether the main characters are saying that "fruit's a gamble" or wanting to get credit for purchasing a take-out salad (ahem, George). Everyone makes mistakes as no one is totally perfect, and Jerry Seinfeld is one sitcom character who proves this to be true.
Sure, he might have fairly good intentions (sometimes) but he does end up getting into quite a lot of trouble. Read on to find out about Jerry's 10 biggest mistakes that we can learn from.
Not Being More Specific With Bania About Buying Him A Meal
Every Seinfeld fan loves when annoying comedian Kenny Bania (Stephen Hytner) tells Jerry, "Soup's not a meal." After he gives Jerry a designer suit, he says that Jerry should buy him "a meal." Jerry assumes that soup is good enough since, well, it's food. Bania doesn't think so and wants more.
This sixth season episode "The Soup" is not only hilarious but also teaches people a good lesson: when someone says that you owe them something, be very specific about the of the agreement. And don't be a doormat or you'll be like Jerry, paying for several meals because someone keeps insisting that it's not good enough.
Leading On Someone Who He Doesn't Want To Be Friends With
Being a good friend means checking in with the other person, asking them to hang out, and not letting it be a one-way street. Jerry may love hanging out with Elaine, Kramer, and George (okay, maybe "love" is a strong word for cynical Jerry, but he seems to enjoy their company) but he's not a big fan of someone he used to be friends with.
In the first season episode "Male Unbonding," Jerry leads on Joel Horneck (played by Kevin Dunn), as he would rather not see him again. Joel ignores him and Jerry can't stand him. George has a pretty good suggestion: dump him the way that he would someone that he was seeing romantically. The lesson here is clear: don't lead someone on, whether a friend or partner.
Not Returning A Library Book
Things get silly in true Seinfeld fashion, but the main mistake that Jerry makes in the third-season episode "The Library" is not giving back a library book that he borrowed ages ago. He acts like it's no big deal because he swears that he did give back the book, but it turns out that he got two books with similar titles mixed up.
Viewers can learn from this mistake and that the fines will add up if they don't give back a library book, so they'll have to pay for it (literally). It's also a bigger lesson to respect things that aren't yours.
Expecting His Girlfriends To Act A Certain Way
It seems like whenever Jerry is in a new relationship, he expects his girlfriend to act a certain way, and that's definitely a big mistake.
In the season five episode "The Pie," he can't stand the fact that his girlfriend doesn't want to eat pie when they're at Monk's. He exhibits this kind of behavior in other episodes: in season five's "The Masseuse," he hates that his girlfriend doesn't want to give him a massage, for example. This is an important lesson that viewers can learn: don't try to change people and let them be.
Wearing A Pricey Jacket In The Snow
The Seinfeld episode "The Jacket" from the second season is one of the funniest and most classic. Jerry is completely obsessed with a jacket that he's just bought. It cost a ton of money so he's going to wear it everywhere that he can... even out to dinner with George, Elaine, and Elaine's terrifying dad.
Jerry makes the mistake of wearing this pricey jacket in the snow. Instead of wearing it inside out, which is what his friends urge him to do, he gets embarrassed by the fact that the inside is pink. We can learn from Jerry's mistake: it's nice to have fancy clothing, but taking care of them is pretty important, and maybe we should leave these things at home during messy winter weather.
Lying About Watching Melrose Place
In the season six episode "The Beard," fans learn that Jerry absolutely loves watching the juicy soap opera-esque TV drama Melrose Place. Of course, being Jerry Seinfeld, he's not about to it that truth.
In a hilarious scene, Jerry takes a polygraph test and since he gets so worked up about his feelings about the show, he proves that he likes the series. There's really no reason to pretend to hate something that you actually love, and
Getting Rid Of A Family Gift
The season four episode "The Watch" makes Jerry realize that getting rid of a gift from his mom and dad was a mistake. He had put a watch from them in a trash can, but then Uncle Leo (Len Lesser) grabbed it, and Jerry wanted it for himself again.
While of course, we don't love every present that we get from family , it's not polite to get rid of them, especially if some relatives find out. They wanted to give us something and it means a lot to them, and we should smile and accept it.
Wearing "The Puffy Shirt" On National Television
Even though it's obvious that no one should wear the infamous Seinfeld "puffy shirt," Jerry still wears it when he appears on national TV. He listens to Kramer who wants him to wear it, and this is a really big mistake.
This season five episode may make us laugh, but it also makes us think about how we should always go with our gut and do what feels right. Jerry can tell that he looks silly and ridiculous in the shirt, and it doesn't work out too well for him.
Meddling In Someone Else's Business Affairs
Jerry learns the hard way in the season three episode "The Cafe" that it's probably best not to meddle in someone else's work life. Instead of minding his own business (no pun intended), he advises a restauranteur named Babu Bhatt (played by Brian George) on what direction to take his place in.
Giving someone a bad piece of business advice that leads to them losing money is a mistake. We can learn a lot from Jerry here: mainly, to focus on our own careers and not tell other people how to run their businesses, especially if we don't even work in the same industry as them.
Thinking He And Elaine Can Be Friends With Benefits
The season two episode "The Deal" finds Jerry and Elaine believing that they can be friends with benefits. Although they know that dating isn't going to work out, they don't see why they can't stay friends while still sleeping together sometimes.
This is perhaps the biggest mistake that Jerry makes throughout the show's 9 seasons as this never works out. One person always has stronger feelings than the other person, and it gets too complicated. George is right to think that it's a terrible idea.