Jerry, George, and Elaine stop by a Chinese restaurant on the way to see a screening of Plan 9 from Outer Space. The manager (played by guest star James Hong) tells them the wait will be "five, ten minutes." And there's your plot.
Tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: The restaurant manager (James Hong) somehow mishears "Costanza" as "Cartwright" when George's girlfriend calls looking for him.
- Bottle Episode: The episode takes place entirely in the titular restaurant.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Jerry mentions a sister (the real Jerry Seinfeld does have a sister). Such a character never appeared in any episode, nor was mentioned again. It's especially odd in episodes that feature Jerry's parents.
- Hypocritical Humor: A rare positive variation. George is desperate to get to the payphone and an obnoxious person is having an overly long conversation despite George later loses an opportunity to use the phone after the first man leaves. George goes on a rant that it's a Crapsack World, only for the man to actually go up to George and apologize. George nonchalantly accepts his apology.
- Only in It for the Money: "For fifty bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow."
- Out of Focus: This was the first time in which all four members of the gang didn't participate. Kramer was left out because, at this point in the show, he never left his apartment.
- Race Against the Clock: The gang tries to get dinner before seeing Plan 9, an element that was added so that they could have the tension of a ticking clock.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: The gang finally gets fed up and leaves... and then a table opens up seconds later.
- Shout-Out: Jerry doesn't want to go to Plan 9 by himself since it would mean "making sarcastic remarks to strangers." This is a reference to Mystery Science Theater 3000, created by Jerry Seinfeld's good friend Joel Hodgson. The show famously refused to riff on Plan 9, seeing it as too easy a target.
- Suddenly Shouting: George: "OF COURSE I'M NOT CARTWRIGHT!"
