A Seinfeld Retrospective

I have recently returned to the classic TV sit-com “Seinfeld” in an attempt to assemble a ‘best of’ list of episodes, but it has turned into a rather subjective collection of ‘not bad’ episodes rather than anything to really write home about.

What is “Seinfeld”?

“Seinfeld” is famously ‘the show about nothing’ and indeed it is. Four thirty-something New Yorkers centred around stand-up comedian Jerry in his apartment and nearby coffee shop, simply live their daily lives, which are generally concerned with dating and work. The cleverness is that episodes are constructed around plot strands comprised of 3 or 4 little annoying everyday observations – such as Why DO security guards have to stand up all day? Jeez, can’t my neighbours stop their dog barking so much! Don’t you hate it when you can’t remember where you parked the car? Etc. As the series goes on, the best episodes bring these 3 or 4 plot strands into contact with each other to produce farcical climaxes of some amusement.

Has it dated?

Yes and no. There are a few scenes that would be considered meaningless or horribly politically incorrect nowadays – many of George’s subplots can seem rather sexist or, at worst, rapey, today but, then again, George was always considered an idiot within the programme itself so this largely gets a pass. Technology dates the programme in that no one has a smart phone of course, but then the plot rarely revolves around technology anyway. But “Seinfeld” has dated in that I think the humour is mostly much too mild compared to today’s comedy which is more fast-paced and bombastic. Modern comedy tends to be more outspoken, cynical and rides the line between good and bad taste much more. Finding ‘the best’ episodes was difficult for me not because the series is irrelevant and alien nowadays but it seems to fail to build on its ideas enough: a good comedic premise is established then fails to come to much of a climax before the episode ends. 

My Episode Selections

This is probably why the only 3 episodes (marked with * below) I can truly recommend nowadays all have to do with sex (masturbation, sexual orientation, and faking orgasms respectively).  These episodes are really “Seinfeld” on steroids, preoccupied with something more than minor neurotic irritations of modern life. The rest of my list is comprised of:

• episodes with farcial climaxes (which don’t quite reach the right highs), such as “The Merv Griffin Show”
• episodes with famous subplots, such as “The Soup Nazi” and “The Yada Yada”
• episodes which I think nicely introduce characters or situations such as “The ex-girlfriend” (contender for “the most typical basic Seinfeld episode”) or “The Pen” (best intro to Jerry’s parents).

However, for the uninitiated viewer, sadly I could not find a clear introduction to Newman’s character (I just have to say he is a hated neighbour of Jerry’s) and after series 7 it is necessary to know that George’s fiancée Susan died from licking the envelopes of the cheap wedding invitations George picked out (the actual episode not being funny enough to include). I’ve also not included any of the special set-piece episodes such as “The Parking Garage”, where the whole episode is set in one location; the reason being that, while I think these episodes are interesting novelties, they tend to be more annoying than funny, in my opinion. Interestingly, the list below does reflect the consistency of the writing of the series over time as the episodes are spread pretty evenly over the entire run and, barring the early episodes and the unfunny season finale, the strength of the writing is commendable.

My rating system for “Seinfeld”:
* = amazing, don’t miss! Only 3 eps
^ = pretty good! Another 7
~ = moderately above average; 6 of these

Season 2
1. The Ex-Girlfriend^
2. The Pony Remark~

Season 3
3. The Pen^
7. The Cafe^

Season 4
11. The Contest*
16. The Outing*

Season 5
1. The Mango*
6. The Barber~

Season 6
3. The Pledge Drive^

Season 7
6. The Soup Nazi^

Season 8
3. The Bizarro Jerry^
4. The Little Kicks~
17. The English Patient~
19. The Yada Yada^

Season 9
6. The Merv Griffin show~
8. The Betrayal~