SPOILERS FOR 1/29 EPISODE FOLLOW...DON'T READ IF HAVEN'T SEEN...
Just got through watching tonight's episode on tape, and have to say it was one of the funniest SEINFELDS ever (it was also probably one of the funniest sitcom half hours period). Extremely surprised/shocked at two posts I read before writing this one, about how the show sucked. Can't argue against opinion, but I have to say, I can't see anyone not liking this one.
What made it so well-received for me was the tight writing. The jokes were composed and configurated for maximum timing delivery. A good example of this was a couplet featuring what will probably go down as one of the best lines uttered during any SEINFELD ever. If you'll recall, Newman approaches the anti-Jerry woman in the java-house and expresses his admiration, mentioning that it's so nice to see a show that's not about nothing (or about something, I forget how he worded it)...then, we see mute-Kramer encounter the impracticality of his rash, impulsive decision when he enters a cab and the cabbie inquires as to where he wants to go, leaving mute-Kramer once again shellshocked by one of his stupid schemes. The whole episode seemed to work like that: good, solid jokes backed up by proper placement and pacing.
Another good illustration of what I'm talking about is Elaine's (and by the way, she really is a cutie, especially the way she gave Jerry her wiggle of superiority at being in the New Yorker) cartoon in the upscale magazine. She's so proud and shows the joke to Jerry, who then proceeds to express his nonchalant attitude towards it and make the blasphemous suggestion that the pig should've complained about his apartment being a stye...that was hilarious precisely because it was not only funny that Jerry was reacting negatively to Elaine's proud moment, but he rebuffed her pride with a joke that was genuinely funnier than Elaine's. Then, the rhythm was kept afloat by mute-Kramer's written suggestion of the pig reciting: My wife is a slut, a somewhat lame non sequitur, totally in keeping with Kramer's dumb, illogical wit. The whole show was like this, with joke after joke feeding off each other and fueling each other, causing a combustion of belly laughs across the Nielsen families (at least, that's what I'm theoretically- and biasedly- imagining). There also was a proper balance: we saw what we needed to see of Kramer/Elaine/George/Newman/Peterman and not a second more, not a second less. The dynamics were handled well, and the show was static not in the least. I thoroughly enjoyed it. A+....