The Implant

"**The Implant**"
"The Implant"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 4; Episode 19
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Peter Mehlman
Production code	419
Original air date	February 25, 1993
Guest appearances
	Teri Hatcher as Sidra; Megan Mullally as Betsy; Tony Amendola as Rushdie; Carol Rosenthal as Ticket Clerk; Donald Bishop as Dr. Allenwood; Kieran Mulroney as Timmy;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Old Man"	Next →; "The Junior Mint"
	Seinfeld season 4
	List of episodes

"The Implant" is the 59th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 19th episode of the fourth season, and first aired on February 25, 1993 on NBC.^[1] In this episode, Elaine investigates whether Jerry is dating a woman with breast implants, and George tries to legitimize himself as his girlfriend's boyfriend by accompanying her to a funeral in Detroit. This episode popularized the term "double dipping" entering the public lexicon.^[2]^[3]

Plot

After enjoying his first date with Sidra, Jerry runs into her at their health club. Elaine is sure, at a glance, that Sidra has breast implants, so Jerry sends her to get proof for him. After Elaine double-checks, Jerry decides not to see Sidra again.

After nine dates with Betsy, George has failed to put the moves on her, being deprived of his dominant hand when she sits on his right side. He learns that she does so because she is deaf in her right ear, but switches places anyway to make his move. George dismisses a sudden phone call as not an emergency, but it brings news that Betsy's aunt has died.

Kramer misses the warm weather in Los Angeles, while claiming that he saw author Salman Rushdie at the health club. In the sauna, Jerry and Kramer suggest that George would be legitimized as Betsy's boyfriend by accompanying her to the funeral in Detroit, and Kramer schemes to help George get a bereavement discount to earn frequent flier miles for himself. They learn that a death certificate is required to claim the discount post-flight.

In the sauna, Elaine finds Sidra complaining about Jerry, who used his "old girlfriend" as an excuse to break up. Elaine trips and grabs onto Sidra's breasts to break her fall. She reassesses Sidra's breasts as being real and "spectacular", to Jerry's anguish. Kramer books a flight to Puerto Rico with his miles, and tries to identify Rushdie without asking outright, due to the fatwa against him. In the sauna, the lookalike claims to be "Sal Bass", a writer, which Kramer takes to be coded wordplay for his real name.

At the wake in Detroit, George offers to get Betsy snacks, but gorges himself while making excuses to secure the death certificate. He thoughtlessly double-dips a chip, then doubles down when Betsy's brother Timmy confronts him. Timmy tries to stop George by force, starting a fracas, and Betsy throws George out.

Sidra meets at Jerry's, despite her displeasure. He sits on her left to use his dominant hand to put the moves on her, and lets her tease him about whether her breasts are real. Jerry dismisses sudden pounding on the door as not an emergency, but finally lets in Kramer, who wants to borrow his bathing suit, and Elaine, who is sharing photos of her Puerto Rico trip with Jerry. Sidra deduces that Elaine is the "old girlfriend" and that Jerry sent her. She leaves, but not before taunting Jerry with her real and "spectacular" breasts.

George's bereavement discount claim is shown up as blatantly fraudulent when he brings back only a photo of himself next to the casket as proof.

Production

During the taping, Larry David asked Teri Hatcher to add the line "And, by the way, they're real, and they're spectacular," which was not in the script.^[4]

Reception

The television show MythBusters tested the theory that double dipping was like "putting your whole mouth right in the dip" on the April 22, 2009 episode. The MythBusters found that double-dipping produced fewer microbes than putting all the dip in your mouth. Also, the number of microbes present was negligible compared to the amount found in a regular dip.

In Salman Rushdie's non-fiction book Joseph Anton: A Memoir, Rushdie recounts bumping into Jerry Seinfeld at a cocktail party where Seinfeld nervously asked his opinion of "The Implant" and "visibly relaxed" upon Rushdie's telling him "that he had thought the episode very funny."^[5]

References

^ "Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
^ Daniel Kreps (July 5, 2019). "Close Talkers and Double Dippers: 15 Phrases 'Seinfeld' Spawned". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
^ ""Double dipping" your chip: Dangerous or just…icky?". August 4, 2016.
^ Robinson, Joanna (July 8, 2014). "How Teri Hatcher Inspired Larry David to Come Up with Her Famous Seinfeld Line on the Spot". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^ Rushdie, Salman (September 10, 2013). Joseph Anton: A Memoir. US: Random House Trade Paperbacks. p. 575. ISBN 978-0812982602.

External links

"The Implant" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

[2] Daniel Kreps (July 5, 2019). "Close Talkers and Double Dippers: 15 Phrases 'Seinfeld' Spawned". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 21, 2020.

[3] ""Double dipping" your chip: Dangerous or just…icky?". August 4, 2016.

[4] Robinson, Joanna (July 8, 2014). "How Teri Hatcher Inspired Larry David to Come Up with Her Famous Seinfeld Line on the Spot". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 25, 2022.

[5] Rushdie, Salman (September 10, 2013). Joseph Anton: A Memoir. US: Random House Trade Paperbacks. p. 575. ISBN 978-0812982602.

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v t e Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend"† "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip"† "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"†
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats"† "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100"† "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac"† "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit"† "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode