In Seinfeld, Elaine and Puddy have a very toxic on-and-off relationship. They bring out the worst in each other, yet Elaine often returns to him.
There is a big problem with Elaine and Puddy’s relationship in Seinfeld. The famous show was created in 1989 by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, and its nine seasons follow a fictionalized version of Jerry, his neurotic friend George (Jason Alexander), his wacky neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards), and his ex-girlfriend Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The characters often get into comic situations of little importance (like getting a table at a Chinese restaurant), then make selfish decisions that complicate the situation. They also juggle multiple romantic mishaps, usually short and insignificant. There are a few exceptions, though, and one of these is Elaine’s on-and-off relationship with David Puddy.
Elaine meets Puddy in Seinfeld season 6. Puddy was Jerry’s mechanic and friend before he and Elaine start going out, which is why Jerry shares with Puddy a technique to use in bed. Elaine is disturbed when Puddy uses this maneuver on her, realizing it was Jerry’s, and this leads to the first of their many breakups. Puddy disappears, then returns as a recurring character in season 9: he and Elaine break up and get back together so many times, it becomes inconsequential (just like most Seinfeld jokes, with the exception of the unfortunate O.J. Simson joke). Elaine has a long history of comic love interests, but her chaotic adventures with Puddy obtained a lot of laughs from the audience.
Although used for comedic effect, Elaine’s relationship with Puddy is deeply problematic because they bring out the worst in each other. When Puddy is blatantly ignorant, Elaine becomes irritable, selfish, and outright insulting. In the episode “The Butter Shave,” Elaine and Puddy manage to break up, get back together, then break up again, all in the course of a transatlantic flight. Elaine breaks down and says she can’t take it anymore when Puddy seems fascinated by Norwegian coins, then when she sees Puddy stare (instead of reading something) on the plane. Indeed, Puddy does a lot of staring, and his actor, Patrick Warburton, ponders on the problematic relationship himself (via Today): “I always wondered what Puddy and Elaine were doing together… The sex must have been amazing, ’cause I don’t know what else he brings to the table.” Puddy is dumb, absurd, and unwilling to tend to Elaine’s needs. Elaine becomes frustrated and insults him (or steals his Jesus fish). Elaine is arguably at her worst when she is around Puddy, and uses her partnership with him in a manipulative and toxic way that is unhealthy and a poor representation for good relationships.
A pertinent question, in this case, might be why does Elaine always come back to Puddy? Initially, Elaine finds Puddy attractive for his masculine qualities, such as his height, deep voice, and the fact that he works with his hands (even comparing him to Stanley Kowalski from A Streetcar Named Desire). But towards the end of Seinfeld, Elaine was old enough to be less naïve about Puddy. At one point, Elaine gets back together with Puddy just so he can move furniture for her. The more times they got back together, the less the writers made a big deal out of it.
Although Elaine behaves increasingly horribly to Puddy, he remains a rock (quite literally) for her, always available to get back together, and always sitting, staring, and annoying Elaine with new catchphrases (like “Alright, high five” or “You got a question, you ask the eight ball”). This goes to show that Seinfeld earned its name as “a show about nothing.” The characters never grow or learn from their experiences, maybe with one exception: Seinfeld’s ending, a divisive episode where the characters are sentenced to jail for their selfish behavior. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Puddy is at the trial, and when Elaine tells him “Puddy, don’t wait for me,” he shrugs and replies: “Alright,” summing up (with his plain voice) arguably the most toxic relationship in Seinfeld.
