Seinfeld is one of the best sitcoms ever made, and while we may have liked its characters for how funny they are, let’s face it, they’re not very nice people. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Kramer (Michael Richards) and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) are petty and self-centered. The world revolves around them, and everything else exists either to serve their happiness or be the cause of their irritation.
One of the repetitive tricks with Seinfeld is that Jerry is dating someone new almost every week. And every week he comes up with reasons not to love them. He notices that EllenChristine Taylor) has no friends, so he wonders if she’s a loser. Jenna (Kristen Davis) seems cute, but Jerry accidentally drops her toothbrush in the toilet and can’t tell her. There is Beth (Debra Messing), who turns out to be a racist and anti-Semite. Okay, Jerry might have had a good reason to let her go. Jerry’s other friend, who quickly pushes him away, is the woman in charge of one of SeinfeldThe most memorable phrases: “She had man’s hands.” A woman accused of male hands is based on the real life of the future wife of one of the Seinfeldwriters, and the reason he wrote a character about her will surprise you.
Jerry Seinfeld is outraged that his new girlfriend has male hands
In the third episode SeinfeldIn Season 8, Bizarro Jerry, we meet the woman who will forever be known as the Hand Man. Jerry’s last girlfriend this week is first mentioned by Elaine at the diner when she tells Jerry that he should go on a date with her friend Gillian (Christine Bauer) who is the writer. Jerry isn’t interested until Elaine shows him a photo that even has Gillian’s information on it, like the stats on a baseball card. George needs the photo so he can use it to meet women, telling them that this woman is his dead fiancée, but for Jerry it will become much more personal.
Jerry meets Gillian at a trendy restaurant. She’s blonde and pretty, which is exactly what he likes, but when they shake hands, he immediately sees that there’s one literally huge problem: the size of her hands. However, he does not exaggerate. Gillian’s arms are massive. A real man’s hand was used for close-ups. Back at the diner, Jerry hits Elaine with one of the show’s best Seinfeldisms: “She had man hands.” He continues by saying, “The hands of a man. It’s like a creature from Greek mythology, I mean she was half woman, half terrible beast.” Elaine gets annoyed and then reminds Jerry that he will help her with something the next day. “Well, if you need an extra pair of hands, I know who you can call,” he says.
Jerry and Man-Hands, uh, Gillian, go on another date at a restaurant, where she rips open bread with her huge hands and easily opens a bottle of beer. Jerry is so outraged that he says he is not hungry. Gillian then tells Jerry that he has something on his face and goes to wipe it off with his finger. Turns out it’s an eyelash. Gillian tells her to make a wish and he reluctantly does so, closing his eyes and blowing on her finger. When he opens them again, Jerry says, “It didn’t come true.” Gillian continues carving the lobster while Jerry looks at her in pain.
The next morning, Jerry confesses to Kramer that he is going to break up with Gillian. “Those meaty paws. It feels like I’m dating George “Animal” Steel… Maybe I’ll tie her to the fridge and sell the tickets.”
Later, Jerry tells Gillian at his apartment that he just wants to be friends. While she is in his bathroom washing her hands, George calls in a panic because a photo of Gillian he used to pick up women has just been accidentally destroyed. He needs another photo. Jerry rummages through her purse, but meaty paws squeeze his hand.
‘Seinfeld’ Writer David Mandel Reveals ‘Man Hands’ Is Based On His Real Wife
“Bizarro Jerry” was written David Mandel, which has a long history in comedy. In addition to being a writer for Seinfeldfor which he wrote 10 episodes, Mandel wrote for Saturday night life And Curb Enthusiasm. He also served as an executive producer for the latter. He recently had great success as a showrunner for vice presidentwhere he reunited with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Mandel spoke a couple of times about what inspired him to write Seinfelds “Bizarro Jerry”. Part of this is due to his love for Superman where Bizarro Superman is. SeinfeldIn “Bizarro Jerry”, Elaine, fed up with her usual friends and wanting something more, hangs out with three new guys who are tempted and read books. The strange thing is that they are very similar to Jerry, George and Kramer, but behave exactly the opposite. In 2017, Mandel told Variety:
“Not only does this include the concept of Superman, but ‘man’s hands’ is something like my wife. She has working hands because she grew up on a farm, while I have baby hands and I have never worked hard.” day in my life. We exaggerated it for the show, and this woman with giant hands became a joke. Obviously everything I write is me, but that’s what I felt the most.”
Mandel says “Jerry’s Bizarro” was his Shakespeare sonnet for his wife
In 2007, The New York Times ran an article about Mandela and his wife, a sports pediatrician named Dr. Rebecca Whitney. They met in 1988, on their first day at Harvard. They started dating in 1995 but broke up soon after. Partly to win Rebecca back, Mandel wrote about his ex’s manly hands. The article says:
In response, Mr. Mandel wrote “an episode of Seinfeld about her,” he said. “It’s the modern equivalent of Shakespeare’s sonnet.” He explained that in an episode called “Jerry’s Bizarro”, Jerry Seinfeld is dating a woman with “man’s hands”. Dr. Whitney, who winces when he mentions it, chimed in: “I would like to clarify that my hands are farmhands, not working hands.”
Seinfeld has long been referred to as a “show about nothing”. While this may partly be the case, since the series aims to be about the moments where the characters talk about what just happened, it may not be entirely true. One of their writers used it as a way to get his ex-girlfriend back. So next time you look Seinfeld and you run into “Bizarro Jerry” when Man-Hands puts his meaty paws all over Jerry’s face and he recoils, don’t laugh like the studio audience did. Be overjoyed because you are watching a hell of a fun and very strange love story.
Source: Collider
I have worked as a journalist for over 7 years and have written for many different publications. I currently work as an author at Daily News Hack, where I mostly cover entertainment news. I have a great deal of experience in the industry and am always looking to learn more. I am a highly motivated individual who is always looking to improve my skills. I am also a very friendly and personable person, which makes me easy to work with.
