People hated "The Invitations" too

I remember in May 1996 watching the season finale of Seinfeld. Susan died and the gang went out for coffee. I was a little shocked. My wife was not amused at all. The next day at work, everybody said they hated it and it went too far. Eventually it sank in and it has become a classic Seinfeld moment. The idea of the gang in prison for doing "nothing" will eventual catch up to most of you.

[email] (GP MVP) wrote:

Hmmm, maybe I'm in the minority, but that was by far my favorite season, and I thought the way George reacted to Susan's death was hilarious. He was in such a personal hell as the wedding approached, with this sense of impending doom hanging over his head. When Susan died, I think the intention was for George to feel bad about the fact that she was dead, but to also have a huge sense of relief that he wouldn't have to marry her. The relief was so much stronger than the grief over her death, that it came off as glee. I could completely relate to his reaction. Let's not forget how George came to propose to Susan in the first place. The finale, on the other hand, just wasn't funny in my opinion. It's hard to imagine it ever seeming funny in the future. When you say the premise out loud, that they were imprisoned for criminal indifference, and it was a show about nothing, it sounds very clever. However, the execution was poor. They could have done so much more with it.

Matt

Matt Richardson wrote in message ...

I don't read this newsgroup EVER, but am a Seinfeld fan and wanted to see what people were saying. Anyway... I have NEVER heard anyone say exactly what I've been saying since the 1995-96 season- It was THE BEST SEINFELD SEASON BY FAR.

The "We Had a Pact!" theme that was present throughout the season as well as classic episodes (see: Soup Nazi) made it my favorite by far. Thank you Matt for saying the same thing that I've been saying for a long time.

pHiL

Matt Richardson wrote in article ...

Interesting comparison, though. But a couple of points:

1. Most of the complaints about the finale aren't about what happens, but how it's carried out. Susan's death was jarring, but no one complained about how far-fetched it was (which, of course, it was), because the material carried the day.

2. I heard about Susan's death before I saw the episode, so I was deprived of the shock value. I thought it was hilarious--especially George asking Marisa Tomei for a date.

I just don't think the finale and the "Invitations" are open to comparisons along these lines...

I don't think you're in the minority on this one...

In article , [email] (GP MVP) wrote:

Never became "classic" to me.

Eb

The Invitations was classic. It demonstrated how unrealistic a person like George is but there are a lot of people with a touch of him. His reaction after Susan's death was hilarious. Don't take it seriously. ITS TV!

Amen! I thought "The Invitations" was hilarious!! I was shocked, but mostly I was shocked at myself for laughing so hard. The series finale was the most appropriate way for the gang to go out! It wouldn't have been like the "New York Four" to make a big production out of it. I loved every minute of it!

Kate

[email] (GP MVP) wrote:

I remember mixed emotions, but I thought it was far better at the time than what I feel about the Finale.

Same here. When I saw The Invitations, I didn't think (as apparently many did), "Oooh, that's TOO mean spirited." I just thought it wasn' all that funny. Kind of like the finale...I remember thinking many times during the episode, "I don't see (this or that character) acting that way...something's OFF."

GP MVP wrote in message ...

I believe I was one of the few who thought that the characters reacted too emotionaly to the news of Susan's death. I mean they hesitated way too long to go get coffee. Other than that I always loved that episode (3rd best of all time.)

On Sat, 16 May 1998 00:25:49 -0400, "Melissa \"Budgie\" Dirmeyer" wrote:

I heard that in an interview Jerry said that if he could do that episode again he would have George explode with joy and happiness right there in the hospital. Apparently Jerry feels like you do, that the gang was too emotional about Susan's death.

I cried when they shot Old Yeller...get over it.

GP MVP wrote in article ...

too

long

of

True - but, THEY HAD ANOTHER SEASON - this is it ! It should have lived up to all of the hype.

Mike

GP MVP wrote in article ...

in addition, they paid homage to the entire "community" of "seinfeld's" world with a role call throughout the show. they even, with the pool hall scene, showed that perhaps their lives sustain themselves even without the 4 main characters. there were also a few key moments that some may have missed: 1) the almost-hugging scene outside the NBC office between george and jerry. it has always been the show's motto to have "no hugging, no learning." 2) the final conversation, re: the buttons on george's shirt, was the same conversation that started the series, on the pilot "seinfeld chronicles" as it opened in the diner. 3) the most common theories about the ending were all hinted at during the episode, i.e. jerry and elaine getting together, the characters dying in a plane crash, jerry moving to LA, and the ending being a hoax and the show goes on. of course none of these happened, and the real ending was predicted by few (only afterward have i heard the "i knew they'd end up in jail!" (yeah right) . . . do you think these mind games were making fun of us and all the hype?? i do. they even referred to the new (fictional) show as a "water cooler show,which of course "seinfeld" has been labeled recently. i was very disappointed when i was watching it, but the more i thought about it today, the more i think it was genius.