Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, alongside my look at Curb Your Enthusiasm, I’m sharing a draft of Seinfeld’s infamous “lost episode” — “The Bet,” or as it was initially titled, “The Gun,” which was written by Larry Charles during the show’s second season. According to the cast and crew, who spoke about this episode in a special feature for the DVD release, “The Bet” got shut down about 20 minutes after its December 12, 1990 table read due to collective concern about its content — and specifically, the A-story in which Elaine considers buying a gun for protection. The first draft of this long-sought-after script finally showed up on eBay last year, where it was recently purchased by a fan who scanned it and uploaded it online for all to enjoy. Thanks to that kind soul, I am happy to provide a copy to readers here. See it at this link.
Having read it — and keeping in mind that it was probably revised a lot between this marked up September version called “The Gun” and the table draft, called “The Bet,” seen by the actors in December — I think it ultimately wouldn’t have been a great episode of the show, even in the context of that formative second season, for there were simply better, funnier ideas elsewhere. And while it’s not as shocking or controversial as its taboo reputation has led us to believe, I do understand why the mere topic of Elaine buying a gun made the cast feel uncomfortable. Personally, though, I’m just glad it wasn’t used because I don’t think it makes much sense for the character — especially given the bent of her initial moral and political stances (which would have made this feel, well, surprising). What’s more, even though it’s deliberately dark and cavalier, it’s still a familiar post-Lear sitcom yarn — as regulars consider getting a gun, or indeed get one, but then change their minds after some kind of incident — and that’s not exactly fresh or rebelliously cliché-busting for a series that, in Season Two, was trying to distinguish itself with more naturalistic, low-concept stories that rejected convention and therefore artifice.
To that point, I think the subplot is more successful, as Jerry and George make a bet with each other on whether or not Kramer (who would have been given a first name in this episode — “Konrad”) was telling the truth about a sexual tryst he supposedly had with a flight attendant. Now, it’s not a hilarious logline either — again, it’s not competitive with the season’s best — but it’s appropriately small and perhaps rooted in reality, playing into the trivial, everyday humor that supports the premise about Jerry Seinfeld using the minutiae of his real-life as fodder for his standup act; “where does a comedian get his material?” It’s congruous with that framework. And what I like about it is that Larry Charles climaxes this idea in a centerpiece where the two stories come together, as Elaine unthinkingly pulls out a toy gun while they’re questioning the flight attendant, which of course causes a scene. This would have been an early example of the narrative dovetailing that became a key aspect of Seinfeld’s identity (and later Curb’s).
Overall, however, I think the episode that replaced “The Bet” — “The Phone Message,” which Seinfeld and Larry David wrote in two days — is much stronger, refining the depiction of George to more explicitly embrace David’s own persona via a very relatable, perfectly simple A-story that’s also paired well with the subplot of Jerry breaking up with a girl over their different opinions on a commercial. Together, that makes for a significantly more situation-affirming segment with character, plot, and comedy. And who knows if it would have even come to exist at all if not for the cancellation of “The Gun” / “The Bet.” So, it all worked out in the end.
Come back next week for a new Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for more Curb!