I thought this was not one of the best episodes of the series, but the
writers had to deal with Susan' s death -- it needed followup and closure,
or it would have been viewed as far too callous. With that in mind, I
believe it was handled all right. As for the rest:
George: involving him with the "Foundation" creates some interesting
plot possibilities, but this is essentially a one-joke setup (he's not rid
of Susan --- foiled again!). He's stuck with the "inlaws" he doesn't like,
he lost out on $$, and he gets it rubbed in by having to participate in
the foundation. OK- but where does it go?
Elaine: a good plot development with great possibilities. Taking this
responsibility plays right into her personality, and can be lots of fun.
(I thought the ending clip on the subway was awful, though).
Kramer: I think this was one of the worst-written episodes for him
I've ever seen. The business with the kids was a single joke that got
played out far too long and I didn't find it very funny - I also thought
the scene in the alleyway looked amatuerish.
Jerry: the way they ended is engagement was funny and not unexpected,
and totally within his character's portrayal. I believe his character has
to be consistent and change the least of all of them. They let him resume
being who he's been. I thought the business with Delores not believing him
was too contrived, however.The bigger issue, I feel, is that as the show grows older and the characters go through various "life" experiences, we automatically expect greater depth in their portrayal because don't all of us grow from our experiences? This goes against the way the show has been written, however ... Jerry really doesn't have to change because to a great degree he's the "straight man" for the others. However, watching some of the older reruns this week makes me wonder -- if a new episode were written with the characters having the same innocence they had 5 years ago, would we find it disappointing? Do we now expect more from the characters? I think that's one of the challenges this season.