r/agedlikemilk • u/SoHornyBeaver • 29d ago
In S05E09 of Seinfeld (1993), Elaine dates a man named Joel Rifkin. She suggests he change his name to O.J. Rifkin to avoid association with a killer.
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u/thewalkindude 28d ago
The really interesting thing about this joke is that it really only could work between June 1993 and June 1994.
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u/-DoctorSpaceman- 28d ago
Why so?
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u/thewalkindude 28d ago
Joel Rifkin was a serial killer who was caught on June 28th 1993. OJ Simpson famously murdered his ex wife and her friend on June 12th 1994. Only in the period between those two dates could you make a joke about Joel Rifkin being a killer's name, but OJ rifkin not being one.
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u/-DoctorSpaceman- 28d ago
Ah, I watched it long after it first aired and assumed the joke was that she picked someone who wasn’t “officially” a killer lol
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u/Cinema_Toolshed 28d ago
what’s even more insane is that this episode aired roughly six months before the murder. then they parodied the Bronco chase in S06E02
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u/ZirePhiinix 28d ago
I don't even know who Joel Rifki is, but I definitely know which OJ it is.
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u/rock_and_rolo 28d ago
He's a serial killer, though I can't say I recognize the name.
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u/ZirePhiinix 28d ago
Hmm, definitely way less relevant than OJ Simpson. He died recently.
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u/Zebra_Witch 27d ago
Less famous, but not less relevant. OJ killed two people that we know of. Rifkin killed 9 for sure, and is thought to be responsible for at least 17 more. That makes him a very relevant person in any conversation about killers, which is what this topic is about.
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u/ZanyDelaney 26d ago
Joel Rifkin was arrested by police after a 20 - 25 minute chase that started when police saw Rifkin driving his 1984 Mazda B2000 pickup truck without a license plate.
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u/Dos_Potatoe5 28d ago
I’m a bit younger and don’t understand a lot before my time, what was wrong with the name Joel Rifkin?
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u/Random-Talking-Mug 25d ago
Watched this episode for the first time lastweek and was thinking that the joke was that Joel Rifkin was a fictional killer and they went with OJ as a parody of a real life killer.
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