- Back in the present, the other flight attendant, Randy, asks the nun for her guitar. She proceeds to sing a song, "River of Jordan," a la Peter, Paul, and Mary, to the sick little girl in the back of the plane.
- Though Randy gets the entire plane involved in an inspired rendition, things were considerably less enjoyable for the little girl, whose IV gets knocked out by Randy's guitar.
- Meanwhile, Ted's with a new unwitting victim; he continues his story in flashback form, addressing nobody in particular.
- We learn that Ted and Elaine were in the Peace Corps together, living in a tribal village in Africa. While Elaine explains to the women the merits of Tupperware, Ted "teaches" the men the sport of basketball, which the locals pick up pretty quickly, and probably not because of Ted's coaching talents.
- The two have a conversation, and Elaine tells Ted that she wants to go home. It becomes clear that Ted is still running from something: the guilt he still feels about his failed mission. The name George Zipp is mentioned again.
- "And that, as much as anything else, led to my drinking problem," recalls Ted, beginning one of the film's most classic running gags.
- Bored literally to death by Ted's aimless storytelling, the WWII era Japanese soldier sitting next to him commits seppuku.