The Only Seinfeld Episode Directed By Jason Alexander

When he isn't making us laugh on shows like "Harley Quinn" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (not to mention in ever-present "Seinfeld" reruns and that one "Criminal Minds" episode where he has an incredible wig), Jason Alexander works behind the camera as a director, writer, and producer. By this point in his considerable career, the actor and artist has helmed several noteworthy projects, including episodes of hit sitcoms like "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Young Sheldon," plus, yes, "Criminal Minds."

Despite the strong trivia culture surrounding Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's masterpiece comedy "Seinfeld," lots of people don't actually seem to know about Alexander's directorial contribution to the show. He actually cut his teeth as a filmmaker on the season 3 episode "The Good Samaritan," which became Alexander's first-ever credit as a director in 1992. Later in the show's run, he also directed two clip show episodes, although corny, self-congratulatory clip shows — now a relic of a bygone TV era — are so often skipped over entirely by viewers that it's unclear whether they really count as episodes at all (even if the "Seinfeld" finale sort of was one). Luckily, though, the "real" episode Alexander directed is a good one.

"The Good Samaritan" isn't a stone-cold "Seinfeld" classic, but it is a fun watch that's worth revisiting with the knowledge that Alexander was likely directing himself in all his scenes. In it, Jerry (Seinfeld) tries to forge relationships with two unpredictable women — one the perpetrator of a hit-and-run collision, the other the victim. Meanwhile, George (Alexander) nearly breaks up a marriage after he pointedly says "God bless you" to a taken woman who sneezed during a dinner with Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) and the couple. George starts having an affair with the woman, but ends up fleeing town in fear of her husband. Meanwhile, Kramer (Michael Richards), ever on his own bizarre journey, starts having seizures every time he sees Mary Hartman on TV.

The episode is perhaps best remembered for Kramer's strange diagnosis, the sneezing faux pas, and lines like "I am speechless. Speechless! I have no speech!" In the long run, though, it's an episode that expertly escalates the show's hilarious and ever one-upping exploration of moral bankruptcy. At this point, we're still a little bit shocked that George is committing adultery or that Jerry's initial sense of moral obligation to report a dangerous driver crumbles when she turns out to be a pretty lady. Several seasons later, George would be in his final terrible-lovable form on "Seinfeld", shrugging off the tragic death of his fiancée Susan thanks to cheap envelope glue. The show even ended with a series finale that directly referenced the "good samaritan" laws that share a name with this episode's title.

We have Alexander and episode writer Pete Mehlman — plus memorable guest stars like Melinda McGraw and Helen Slater — to thank for this zany step down the ladder towards the entertainingly unforgivable pit of bad behavior "Seinfeld" thrived in. Alexander no doubt also has the line on his resume to thank for some of the directing gigs he's gotten in the years since. For his first post-"Seinfeld" directing project, he made the quick leap to feature film work, helming and starring in the now-forgotten comedy "For Better or Worse." That movie isn't currently available to stream without a rental or purchase, but you can catch "The Good Samaritan" and the rest of "Seinfeld" on Netflix now.