Seinfeld: Classic or Dud

i think this was true once, back when a lot of the ideas within the show were stand up comedy material, but the sitcom style seemed to actually deify the shallowness it once parodied. i'm not sure sitcoms *have* to do that, just saying that "Seinfeld" did. To me that made it unlikeable and even undermined a sound basic premise - that the meaningless ticks people have really are intrinsically funny.

"jerry seinfeld was always the worst part of seinfeld."

OTM, quite.

" The show could almost do completely without Jerry. "

COMPLETELY FUCKING INSANE.

Youre right, hes not the straight man. But he is completely necessary, he is the equilibrium between George/Neroutic and Kramer/Psychotic. Im not as religious about the show as most people, but the Sienfeld IS classic, no question about it, lock thread, give it up, goodnight.

he's not merely a straight man, tho he is that. well, how does a straight man function? is he a stand in for the audience? a measure of normalcy with which we can identify?

if that's the case i think jerry is something slightly different--think of the "Even Stephen" espisode where everything in Jerry's life balances out--he's completely invincible! no emotions, not a care in the world, completely childish in a sense. those are the best espisodes. that sort of cheerful nihilism (almost a kind of zen!) makes him a pretty unique character because he is totally devoid of "conflicts"--even his clean freak stuff is meant to remove him from us once again, he can't even stand to be around humanity. whenever, esp in the later episodes, jerry becomes more human it's not as convincing, and is probably the source of people complaining about him being a dead weight.

So one for the time capsule, but I doubt I'll ever rent the DVDs.

i want this framed and on my wall:

http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/4333/seinfelds6e48sl.jpg

Was a little disappointed with the finales but hey ho.

I think my particular favourite episode would have to be the Merv Griffin show, all the main characters have great plotlines in this one I thought - Jerry's obsession with his girlfriends toys, George and his pigeon problem, Elaine and the sidler, and of course Kramer pretending to host a chat show is just the greatest thing I've ever seen. When he plays the music tape for George's entrance. Hilarious!

ewww!

Classic.

xpost

OMFG I made this connection only recently too after watching this episode several times. GENIUS!

Jay Peterman is by far the funniest sub character ever created in the history of the earth. Costanza obv wins the main prize.

Heh heh heh, yep! I'm not sure if my wife was more amused at making the abortion/pizza connection or the look on my face, which as she describes it was a combination of being impressed with the writing and pissed-off that I didn't figure it out after all these years. :-|

total otm

Torrent of all episodes of Seinfeld ever was at 19.8% when I left for work this morning.

right up to this point, it's the classic sitcom setup, right out of "the honeymooners," and as old as shakespeare.

but now comes the twist: the boss proposes an utterly condescending, mean-spirited toast to "our shrimpy little friend here" whose "antics we've always enjoyed," and so on. george's face freezes in a moment of self-loathing and perverse glee, and he blurts out: "DRINK UP!"

X-post

And surely Larry is a combination of Jerry and George?

Once you turn on Roz Chast, you can never go back. What used to be a little funny or insightful is suddenly insipid and played-out. My guess is that this occurs within the first year of a subscription to the New Yorker.
-- patita (muzee...), October 12th, 2006 10:04 AM. (later)

It pretty much describes how I feel about Seinfeld in 2006 (minus the New Yorker part). I loved this show madly, but in my view it isn't funny 85-90% of the times that it was in the 90's. Maybe it just hasn't aged well in my view.

"year"

I just fucking love George to bits. Jason Alexander has done a wonderful job of making such a spiteful hated little man into someone you can't take your eyes off watching.

Here's my list of favourite George moments:

Leaving his car parked in the Yankee stadium, to give the illusion to his superiors that he's working all hours.

His 'vertical leap' boast

his 'reverse parking' boast

his 'great parking space' boast, in the hospital visiting the new born babies parents "are you sure the baby wouldn't like to see the parking spot?"

pretending to be handicapped

Slipping the mickey into his bosses drink

cheating on his iq test by slipping his paper out the window to elaine

cheating on his latvian orthodox test, writing notes on his arm

again by writing crib notes on his arm, learning the 'move'

his answering machine, the whole episode George is avoiding his girlfriend because he thinks she wants to split up with him, he wants to take her to a works ball. his theory, if she can't find him, she can't break up with him.

eating the half eaten chocolate eclair out the bin.

taking his shirt off when he goes to the bathroom

When George and Susan are shopping for wedding invitations, the shop assistant brings out a huge catalogue and states "the more expensive ones are at the front". George grabs the catalogue and immediately flings it open from the back.

That whole Susan dieing episode, at the end. crazy

leaving a tape recording the Foundation meeting, due to paranoia that they're accusing him of killing Susan

The worlds collide episode, George losing it about Elaine wanting to be friends with Susan. Elaine rings up and George is reluctant to hand the phone over to Susan.

George persistantly trying to prevent the couple from stealing his idea about calling a child 'Seven', even to the point of badgering the mother when she's in labour. "I'm a friend of the mother, I'm having sex with her cousin"

Buying Elaine the damaged jumper, with the red dot on, because it was cheap

Walking out on a high note. George realises that once he's made a huge funny in his office meetings he just ends up saying something dumb soon after. So he develops a habit of just getting up and leaving after delivering a good joke. Particular funny when he performs this routine in Jerry's apartment.

pretending to look angry to create the illusion he's busy at work

reluctantly giving his debit card code out to save a mans life.

Georges 'man love' for Jerry.

Georges 'man crush' for Elaines 'cool' rush-junkie boyfriend.

wanting to appear to be the funniest member of the group for his new girlfriend, making jerry act depressed.

when he taunts the shackled prisoner guy in the magazine shop, "maybe I'll read it in the park tomorrow, it's supposed to be a beautiful day!"

His 'fire escape' involving knocking down old ladies and children to get out first. and then his amazing reasoning to everyone afterwards. Jerry's reaction in the coffee shop later "perhaps she'll see things differently once she's released from the burns unit".

The whole marriage thing, regretting it immediately and spending episode after episode trying to postpone it. "When are you getting married?", Susan: "June", George: "Late June"

When Jerry asks him to pretend he doesn't know him in The Race episode, they chat like they've just met after five years and George goes into lie overload. Ends up almost walking away without getting to the point of why they're lieing in the first place.

In the car dealer shop, George refuses to trust any of the salesmen and OMG it's just so fucking funny.

Jerry: "It's a perfect plan. So inspired. So devious. Yet so simple."
George: "This is what I do"

Other George highlights:

"The sea was angry that day my friends... like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli" from The Marine Biologist.

"A simple joke, from a simple man," he tells Jerry in The Abstinence, in which he's turning into a genius because he's 'not getting any', and ponders the idea that maybe he should just never have sex again, 'maybe I can serve the world better this way'.

But the most brilliant, mindblowing George episode for me is The Opposite, when he finds his 'religion' in ignoring everything his instinct ever told him, and to do the opposite. "Hi... my name is George, I'm unemployed and I live with my parents."

Oh and Dr. Carl Sagan completely OTM, it keeps me going as well, I cannot get enough.

Jerry: "All right, you're on a desert island. You can bring five books. Which five do you take?"
George: "I gotta read five books?"
Jerry: "All right, one. Come on!"
George: "Oh, I got it. Three Musketeers."
Jerry: "You've read that?"
George: "No, I'm saving it for the island."
Jerry: "Let's start this whole thing over. Best Chamberlain: Wilt, Richard, or Neville?"
George: "For the desert island?"
Jerry: "OK."
George: "Richard."
Jerry: "You know, he was in The Three Musketeers."
George: "Exactly. Save me from having to read the book."