While the character of Elaine didn't appear in the pilot episode of Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus soon joined the cast and made Elaine an integral part of the show and central friend group that included comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his friends George Costanza And Cosmo Kramer.
Seinfeld was an incredibly relatable series about nothing that explored the daily lives of relatively normal citizens of New York City. Elaine was definitely one of the sweeter members of the groups who the rest looked to when they needed social advice, but she also came with her own annoying habits and quirks that became unforgettable moments for fans of the long-running series.
Annoying: Can't Control Her Laugh
Elaine has a great sense of humor which serves her well in her friend group, especially alongside Jerry Seinfeld. She is shown frequently helping him with his routine before he debuts new material, and they are always quick to share a laugh with each other.
Unfortunately, in the third-season episode "The Pez Dispenser" she isn't able to control her laughter when Jerry puts the childhood candy toy on her knee during a piano recital. Elaine's laugh annoys George's girlfriend so much it disrupts her performance and ultimately led to the end of their relationship.
Sweetest: Fed A Starving Cat
Elaine was forced to borrow Kramer's recently purchased meat slicer in order to feed her neighbor's cat with deli slices after the power went out in their apartment, potentially saving the cat's life while the owner was away.
Of course, Elaine was the one who shorted the power to the apartment to silence a daily alarm, which also turned off the cat's automatic feeder. Karma eventually repaid Elaine for her kind act when she was trapped in her own apartment without power, and Jerry, George, and Kramer camped outside her door feeding her through her broken door handle.
Annoying: The Exclamation Point
Most of Elaine's jobs over the course of the series were in the literary field as a writer and editor in various forms, and in the fifth season episode "The Sniffing Accountant," she begins dating an author she met at the office.
When Elaine's boyfriend neglected to include an exclamation point about a friend having a baby when taking a phone message, Elaine was upset and she broke up with him. As she was editing his manuscript, she replaced all of the periods with exclamation points in his book in retaliation, which almost cast doubt on her job.
Sweetest: Gave Jerry's Father A Job
Elaine rose quickly at her job at J. Peterman's to the point where she was in charge of the company, which allowed her to give Jerry's father Morty (played by Barney Martin) a job when he became worried about Jerry's finances in "The Money."
While Morty had a long career in the fashion industry he was painfully out of touch with modern designs, and Elaine soon became irritated with his presence at her office. On George's advice, Elaine scheduled a late meeting which irritated Morty and led him to quit his job (which he didn't need), solving the problem efficiently.
Annoying: Relationship With Puddy
While Elaine's on-again-off-again relationship with David Puddy (played by Patrick Warburton) was filled with hilarious moments in the later seasons, their repetitive cycle was annoying to their friends, and even each other on occasion.
After the couple headed home from a month-long European vacation in the ninth season episode "The Butter Shave," their cycle repeated itself a number of times on the long flight home as they broke up and got back together again, irritating their seatmate, "Vegetable Lasagna."
Sweetest: Brought Her Friends To India
One of the most divisive episodes of the final season was "The Betrayal," which followed the group as they traveled to a wedding in India, though the episode was told in reverse-chronological order that fans were mixed on when it first aired.
After Elaine received a last-minute invitation to the out-of-country wedding, she decided to go to the wedding in spite and paid for her friends to go along with her. The wedding was filled with a bit of drama from everybody, though Elaine discovered that she had a previous relationship with the groom that was revealed at the wedding.
Annoying: Didn't Check Jerry's Mail Thoroughly
Babu Bhatt (played by Brian George) did not have a great relationship with Jerry and his friends, despite a strong start when Jerry tried to help him with his restaurant, though it ultimately led to him having to close.
When Jerry went away and asked Elaine to check his mail for him, she collected it without looking at it and failed to notice Babu's Visa renewal had been delivered to Jerry by mistake. This led to Babu's deportation and his long-standing grudge against Jerry, though if Elaine had just checked the mail she would have caught the error in time.
Sweetest: She Would Spare A Square
Proper bathroom etiquette was explored in the fifth season's "The Stall" when Elaine found herself in a bathroom stall without toilet paper and is forced to appeal to her neighbor in the bathroom, who refuses her, saying she can't spare a square. The woman in the next stall is revealed to be Jerry's new girlfriend, though Elaine doesn't realize this until they later meet in Jerry's apartment.
Elaine's outrage at their confrontation comes at her claim that it's common courtesy to help the next stall over, though she manages to get her revenge by stealing all of the toilet paper out of the bathroom's at the group's favorite diner when Jerry's girlfriend was in there, refusing her request for a spare square.
Annoying: Thinks She Can Dance Well
Elaine demonstrates a few times throughout the nine seasons of Seinfeld that she loves to dance and isn't afraid to do it in front of a lot of people, though as George learned in the eighth season episode "The Little Kicks," she wasn't very good.
After a speech at an office party, Elaine tried to take the party out onto the dance floor, where George recounted her dancing as "a full-bodied dry heave set to music." While Jerry was afraid to tell her she was bad, Kramer wasn't afraid to let her know - "that ain't dancing, Sally. You stink!"
Sweetest: Gives Jerry Another Chance
The fifth season episode "The Mango" broached the topic of faked orgasms while Jerry and George were out for lunch with Elaine, who revealed she had previously faked them with Jerry when they were dating.
This began to deeply affect Jerry's confidence and soon began to threaten their friendship, which led to Jerry begging Elaine for another shot to prove himself in the bedroom. While Elaine was initially apprehensive, she ultimately determined that they needed to have sex to save the friendship, and she gave Jerry another chance.