"The Couch" is the 91st episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the fifth episode for the sixth season. It aired on October 27, 1994. In this episode, George joins a book club, Jerry buys a new couch which acquires an unsanitary stain, Poppie and Kramer collaborate on a pizza-making business, and Jerry puts Elaine's heavy stance on abortion to the test in social situations.
Plot
buys a new couch, giving his old one to Elaine. George's girlfriend gets him to join her book club, which is assigned to read Breakfast at Tiffany's. Elaine falls for Carl, the man who delivers Jerry's couch. Kramer plans to start a "pizza business where you make your own pie" with Poppie, who has bounced back from his troubles with the Board of Health in "The Pie". Jerry and Elaine go to Poppie's restaurant for a dinner of duck, but get into a discussion in which Poppie tells them he is anti-abortion. Elaine walks out in protest, along with numerous other diners who overheard the discussion. Hoping to cause further trouble for his amusement, Jerry asks Elaine what Carl's stance is on abortion. She breaks up with him after finding out that he is pro-life, although they seemed madlyin love. Poppie ends up in the hospital as a result of the disruption Jerry and Elaine caused in the restaurant. Kramer rebukes them, and they send Poppie wine and five-alarm chili as an apology. Poppie is offended by the gift since he has a gastrointestinal disorder. After his release from the hospital, he comes to Jerry's apartment to get payment for the duck dinner and his gastrointestinal disorder causes him to unconsciously pee on Jerry's new couch. Jerry gives the couch to George, who doesn't care about the stain as he can turn the cushion over. Jerry takes his old couch back from Elaine. While in her apartment to move the couch, Elaine offers Carl something to drink. She throws him a bottle of grape juice, but it breaks and spills on the couch. Kramer's pizza business with Poppie ends because Poppie objects to Kramer putting cucumbers on his pizza. Poppie and Kramer get into an argument that alludes to the theme of abortion. George struggles to focus on the book "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and visits video stores in an unsuccessful attempt to rent the movie instead. After a video store clerk declines George's request to call the customer who has rented the movie, George surreptitiously peeks at the computer screen to see who has the rental copy. He heads to the renter's apartment and asks if he can watch the movie with the renter and his family. Before he can see the movie's ending, George accidentally spills grape juice on the family's couch and is kicked out of their apartment. When the book club meets, he remarks that Holly Golightly got together with her neighbor Paul "Fred" Varjak. Since this did not happen in the book, only the movie, George's girlfriend realizes that he didn't read it.
Production
The opening scene at the furniture store was significantly abridged after filming. Among the cuts was George professing his enthusiasm for velvet; despite being cut before broadcast, this speech is referred back to several times during season six.
