Let’s be honest: we’re all a bit tired of The Simpsons and their Nostradamus-esque writer’s room seemingly predicting every seismic future event. That’s why it’s a nice change of pace to discover that Seinfeld foreseen the strength and resistance of Ukraine almost two decades ago.

The clip – which is now going viral – comes from the season six episode ‘The Label Maker’, which first aired on January 19th 1995.

It sees Kramer and Neumann playing some sort of world domination board game during a subway ride. After Kramer takes Greenland and most of Western Europe (“I’ve left you teetering on the brink of complete annihilation!”), a defiant Neumann insists he’s still in with a fight because he still has “the Ukraine.”

This prompts a giddy fit of laughter from his adversary. “You know what the Ukraine is, it’s a sitting duck,” mocks Kramer. “The Ukraine is weak, it’s feeble, I think it’s time to put a herd on the Ukraine.”

That’s when a man who had been suspiciously watching their game unfold interjects. “I come from the Ukraine. You not say Ukraine weak!” When Kramer then tells him they’re just playing a game, he grows angrier. “Ukraine is game to you?! he shouts, before smashing their board game all over the subway.

The actions of the Ukrainian people during the Russian invasion clearly back up the Seinfeld scene: their president – a comedian no less – has refused to flee to the U.S.; a grandma told Russian soldiers to “put sunflower seeds in your pocket so they grow when you die”; Ukrainian soldiers on a remote island told a Russian warship to “go f**k yourself.”

So we doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin ever caught the Seinfeld episode in question. Maybe he was more of a Frasier guy.

Love Film & TV?

Get the latest Film & TV news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

For more on this topic, follow the Film & TV Observer.

https://twitter.com/mindfulvegan_ca/status/1497710220268634114?s=20&t=xByDLhbI2YL1xDOyI3lqaw

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine