This ‘Seinfeld’ Episode Proves Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Comedic Genius — and No, It’s Not the Dancing

Over the course of the nine seasons of Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has had way too many hilarious moments to count with her performance as Elaine Benes. Her horrible dancing in “The Little Kicks” may be the first to come to mind, and some other major highlights include her drugged-up Marlon Brando impression in “The Pen,” and, of course, her vendetta against the Soup Nazi in one of the show’s most iconic episodes. Elaine’s angry outbursts are some of her best moments, but there’s one episode in particular that highlights the comedic genius of Louis-Dreyfus’ performance in a slightly more subtle way.

“The Subway” Is the Perfect Example of ‘Seinfeld’ Finding Humor in Everyday Life

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In the Season 3 episode, “The Subway,” George (Jason Alexander), Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Kramer (Michael Richards), and Elaine briefly ride the subway together before going their separate ways. Elaine heads to a lesbian wedding, but her train ride is hardly uneventful, ultimately missing the wedding altogether when the train gets stuck on the tracks. Louis-Dreyfus shines in any episode that features Elaine’s internal monologue, especially when she’s traveling. Through a combination of physical comedy and voice acting, Louis-Dreyfus is at her peak in “The Subway,” an episode that gives us a hilarious look into Elaine’s mind as she’s caught in some extremely relatable situations.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Has Too Many Iconic Moments to Count in ‘Seinfeld’

Every Seinfeld fan has their favorite Elaine moment. “The Soup Nazi” is a classic, but there are so many other great ones to choose from throughout the show’s 180 episodes. There’s time she tells Sigourney Weaver that maybe, just maybe, the dingo at her baby in “The Stranded.” When she begs the woman next to her in the bathroom to spare her a square of toilet paper in “The Stall,” Elaine’s painful desperation is brilliant. The way she becomes irrationally angry about George’s toupee to the point where she eventually snatches it from his head and throws it out the window in “The Beard” is iconic. There is even the simplest of moments, like her uncontrollable laughter after Jerry places a Pez dispenser on her leg during George’s girlfriend’s piano recital in “The Pez Dispenser.”

And who could forget her visceral hatred for “The English Patient” in the episode of the same name? The list goes on. In a series full of top-notch comedians, Louis-Dreyfus never failed to make her mark, providing viewers with endless laughs as she finds herself in a variety of aggravating situations in her work and love life. Physical comedy is a major part of the humor in Seinfeld, and though Michael Richards’ performance relied on it the most, Louis-Dreyfus is also a brilliant physical comedian, and her performance in “The Subway” is a testament to that.

Elaine Has Never Been More Relatable Than She Is in “The Subway”

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“The Subway” is one of the rare episodes that splits George, Jerry, Kramer, and Elaine up for most of the runtime. After breakfast at the coffee shop, they each ride the subway to different locations. George is on his way to a job interview, Jerry to Coney Island to pick up his impounded car, Kramer to pay off his traffic tickets, and Elaine to a lesbian wedding. We’d never been introduced to these particular friends of Elaine’s before this episode, but evidently, she’s close enough to the couple to be their best man, and is even tasked with bringing the rings to the ceremony. As she heads off by herself, an overly familiar stranger in her subway car strikes up conversation with her, complaining about a nearby man who won’t give up his seat for a woman.

Elaine reluctantly engages, and Louis-Dreyfus masterfully portrays the feeling of being stuck in an uncomfortable conversation with a stranger, trying to remain polite but keeping her answers as brief as possible. The conversation starts off normal enough, but starts to take a turn when the middle-aged woman reveals that she doesn’t know the meaning of the word “ironic.” When the woman notices the gift in her hand, Elaine looks like she wishes the ground would swallow her whole as she’s forced to admit she’s on her way to a lesbian wedding, knowing it’s not the kind of answer the woman was expecting, and would likely be met with judgment. The woman looks disturbed and walks away soon after, leaving Elaine with the need to defend herself, yelling after her, “I hate men, but I’m not a lesbian!”

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After this disastrous interaction, the rest of Elaine’s ride gets even more stressful. The subway unexpectedly stops for a few minutes, which is hardly a rare occurrence in New York City, but the pressure of trying to make it to a wedding on time and being stuck on a crowded subway causes an immediate mental spiral. Whenever Louis-Dreyfus has a scene that features Elaine’s internal monologue, her physical comedy and expressive face work in tandem with her impassioned voice-over to highlight Elaine’s hilarious, yet understandable, reaction to uncomfortable situations, especially when she’s trapped in one place.

While the subway remains stopped with no explanation from the conductor, we listen to Elaine’s internal monologue turn misanthropic and claustrophobic as she starts to notice the body odor of other passengers, feels something touching her leg, and complains about feeling like she’s trapped in a cage. She tries to put things in perspective by comparing her situation to that of a hostage or someone in a concentration camp, but this only gets her more worked up as her internal monologue turns into yelling and swearing. When the lights suddenly go out, she wonders if she’ll be stuck there for the rest of her life.

Like many of the situations Seinfeld’s characters find themselves in, Elaine’s plight is highly relatable. Anyone who’s ever ridden an overly crowded subway or similar form of public transportation can relate to her anxiety at that moment, as it can feel like time is moving in slow motion, especially when you need to get somewhere on time. Louis-Dreyfus’ performance really sells it, wincing, grimacing, and hyperventilating as Elaine starts to spiral and attempt to calm herself down. Even if you were to watch the scenes on mute, you can feel Elaine’s building panic and anxiety from Louis-Dreyfus’ performance alone. Her reaction in this situation is also a precursor to the Season 4 episode, “The Airport,” which features a similarly brilliant combination of Louis-Dreyfus’ physical comedy and voice acting as Elaine is squished between two people on an airplane. While this may not be the first episode to come to mind in terms of Elaine’s funniest moments, it showcases exactly what makes Louis-Dreyfus’ such a talented, well-rounded comedic actress and an integral part of the success of Seinfeld.

Seinfeld

Release Date

1989 – 1998

Writers

Darin Henry, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Bill Masters, Bruce Kirschbaum, Steve O’Donnell, Tom Leopold, Don McEnery, Greg Daniels, Jon Hayman, Kit Boss, Lawrence H. Levy, Matt Goldman, Matt Selman, Billy Kimball, Fred Stoller, Charlie Rubin, Steve Lookner, Steve Skrovan