The Voice (season 9, episode 2)

written by Alec Berg & Jeff Schaffer & David Mandel, directed by Andy Ackerman
original airdate: October 2, 1997

Jerry imagines that his girlfriend’s belly button talks to him and he enjoys imitating it. Kramer hires an intern to assist him at Kramerica Industries. Play Now tries to push George out, but he refuses to quit. Jerry bets Elaine that she can’t stop sleeping with Puddy. Gordon Jump guest stars.

FEATURED LOCATIONS

The Improv is not featured in this episode.

Jerry’s Apartment
Jerry tells Claire about “the voice,” and gets dumped for doing so. She takes him back, but with the ultimatum he can never do it again. Jerry reaps in the dough after constantly winning bets that Elaine will continue to see Puddy. Kramer decides he needs an intern to assist with his daily life, and gets an NYU student to join “Kramerica Industries.”

Monk’s Café
Jerry and George tell Elaine about “the voice” that mocks Claire. Jerry bets that Elaine will “backslide” into a relationship with Puddy after seeing him at the coffee shop. Thanks to Claire, Play Now is bankrupted, and George is left with no severance. Kramer sends his intern to Monk’s to take notes while he is away.

Play Now (NOT REAL)
New York, NEW YORK
George is offered a buyout from his contract, but decides to stick it out (in an increasingly hostile environment) so he continues to be paid. Kramer and Darren test their oil “bladder” from George’s handicapped bathroom.

Amsterdam Ave., New York, NEW YORK
Mr. Tommasoulo discusses catching George running down Amsterdam Ave. with his motorcart in his hands from “The Butter Shave,” and grills him for it.

Cloud Club (NOW CLOSED)
405 Lexington Ave., New York, NEW YORK (map)
nearest subway: Grand Central – 42nd Street (4,5,6,7)
Kramer is upset that his idea to renovate the Cloud Club was “stolen,” although he has no ownership or money to realistically do so. Formerly on floors 66-68 of the Chrysler Building.

Kramer’s Apartment
Kramer hires an NYU intern, Darren, to assist with operating Kramerica Industries, which according to NYU is “nothing more than a solitary man with a messy apartment which may or may not contain a chicken.”

Führerbunker
In den Ministergärten, Berlin, GERMANY (map)
George declares his situation at Play Now to being “a weed in Hitler’s bunker,” as his office has been downgraded in the hopes he will leave. Hitler’s bunker was the site of his last stand, before his eventual suicide in April 1945.

Elaine’s Apartment
Elaine convinces herself to call Puddy back, thus falling right into Jerry’s “backslide” prediction. Puddy later comes over, and Elaine forces him back into a relationship…including cuddling.

Puddy’s apartment
New York, NEW YORK
Elaine is convinces that she left her gloves at Puddy’s, prompting her to call him and continue her “backslide” into a relationship.

New York University
37 Washington Sq. W., New York, NEW YORK (map)
nearest subway: West 4th Street – Washington Square (A,B,C,D,E,F,M)
Kramer meets with Darren’s internship Dean, explaining Darren’s work functions, and his place as a part of Kramerica Industries.

zoo
New York, NEW YORK
Kramer tells Jerry that he’s lost track of time thanks to Darren’s absence, and that he was supposed to pick up Newman from the zoo 12 hours earlier.

Santa Monica Pier
200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CALIFORNIA (map)
Jerry is shown at the Pier, pondering his life with or without “the voice.”

restaurant
New York, NEW YORK
While Jerry ponders whether he likes Claire or “the voice” more, he pictures the two of them at a restaurant, and then him alone, performing “the voice” for amused wait staff.

Claire’s apartment
New York, NEW YORK
Jerry quickly ends his relationship in favor of keeping “the voice,” triumphantly using the voice to Claire’s face at her door.

movie theater
New York, NEW YORK
Elaine is at the theater with Jerry, and gets up to get popcorn…but ends up leaving to be with Puddy, putting her deeper into her “backslide.”

NETHERLANDS (map)
In a deleted scene, Jerry and George continue their discussion from “The Butter Shave” over finding out where Holland is, even using a globe and atlas to investigate. Upon finding the Netherlands, Jerry deduces that Holland may have just sunk, like the lost city of Atlantis.

BELGIUM (map)
In a deleted scene, Jerry again notes how the Netherlands sits right next to Belgium (as in “The Butter Shave“) in his and George’s search for Holland, which George verifies as true with his atlas.