So you held out for less money?

Tonight’s Seinfeld episode was part 2 of the “negotiations with NBC” Of course, Kramer contributed some great sight and sound gags such as catching tissue on fire with a cigar and making funny noises when he sat down in a leather chair.

The scene that I enjoyed the most, though, was a dialogue between Jerry and George concerning the amount of money they were going to be paid for the pilot episode of the “show about nothing”. George had turned down an offer of $13,000 in an attempt to bargain with the NBC executives. When George found out that NBC was not into playing bargaining games, he went to the executive’s apartment, made a fool of himself, begged and ended up getting the deal only by negotiating down rather than up. When Jerry found out about this there was a great dialogue between them.

Funniest scene:
Jerry’s parents are visiting from Florida and are in Jerry’s apartment. His parents question him for possible reasons that George would have for turning down the offer from NBC. Jerry thought that maybe George will get more money. George enters the apartment and all eyes are on him. He beams a huge smile at Jerry and his parents and shouts, “We’ve got a deal”.

Jerry’s father puts his arm around George and tells Jerry that George had the right idea and he knew exactly what to do. He knew how to talk to “those guys”. No one was going to take advantage of Georgey.

Jerry then asks George how much did they get and George responds sheepishly that he got $8000…to be divided between both of them.

Jerry is aghast and asks George for some clarification; he just wants to make sure he has this right. He asks George incredulously, “So you held out for less money?”

George, with his eyes cast downward, immediately responds that Jerry was right and that he was wrong.

Jerry proceeds to explain to George that the basic idea of negotiating is to get your price to UP.

George, with eyes still focused on the floor, responds that Jerry is smart and he is dumb.

Jerry tells George that is the way negotiating is done in the Bizarro world.