The Merv Griffin Show

I was very impressed with tonight's roaringly funny episode. After reading a couple of not-so-positive reviews, I wasn't expecting an episode this hilarious! All 4 subplots were keepers! I was ROTFL when the "Sidler" kept causing Elaine trouble. These realistic subplots are what I love the most! Elaine spilling coffee on herself, wearing wrestling shoes, giving him tic tacs, and just plain getting rattled were all highlights! I was constantly LOL. George's was strong as well, with him running over a few pigeons and a squirrel. Only in the Seinfeld universe! <g> I loved the rest of the turmoil the squirrel put him through with the medical procedures and all--great stuff! Jerry's was better than usual and I'm willing to bet many people could relate, although I'm cautious as to whether many would go to those lengths to play with her toys. <g> Seeing the three of them act like little kids, playing with those toys was classic! Kramer's, albeit a bit far-fetched, was nothing short of excellent. I laughed almost the entire time! Kramer pretending it was a real talk show with real guests, time to time going on commerical breaks, was hysterical! Neuman was a nice addition, too. They all tied together nicely, and the ending was great! Overall, most impressive! I give this one an A. I'm glad they went back to intelligent comedy. Let's hope next week's is just as enjoyable!

Notable quotes:

"Well, then there's another reason why your teeth are green."--Elaine

"Anyone want a cupcake?"--Elaine

All those sounds Jerry made while playing with the toys. <g>

"You go girl!"--Neuman

All of the hilarious remarks Kramer made in his apartment.

"I thought we had a deal!"--George (or something to that effect)

-MFLuder848

I agree 100%! Fabulous episode! A few more great lines I remember:

Kramer: "We have a new format: Scandals and Animals."

Peterman: "Haitian Voodoo Rattle torture."

Jerry: "Hakuna Matata." (sp) Elaine: "I thought I was alone." Jerry: "That doesn't make it right."

BTW, I had a flashback. George's "We had a deal!" reminded me of his "We had a pact!"

Weebel Village? E-Z Bake oven? C'mon. How many of you Gen-Xers owned either of these. I had the Weebel's Treehouse, myself, and you know what? I STILL have the Mattel Electronics football game. The sounds were authentic.

Weebles have been resurrected by another company and are now being produced again. And Kenner STILL makes the E-Z Bake oven!

Yep.

However, many toys of the past that are made today are very different and many are of a lesser quality than in the past.

B.J. Major wrote in message ...

Scott W wrote:

Well yes, I'll give you that. Quality of toys has been steadily degrading since the mid 1960's (unfortunately), with few exceptions.....

Well, whether or not toys today are of lesser quality than toys of the '60's, I still question the premise of a 43-year old single man who would rather play with toy soldiers than a beautiful woman. I myself am Jerry's age and I know exactly where MY priorities would be in such a situation! I realize that one of the foundations of Jerry's character is his eternal "Peter Pan" complex, but he is descending into infantilism!

Lee Salem wrote:

The character on the show isn't 43, but I don't think that matters in this case. It strikes me absolutely clearly that any aged man who discovered the "toys" of their youth might be blind to other delights. And since the show is a comedy, the turn the wick up and he's even MORE inclined to play.

That little football game was the shit when I was a kid. If I had one now a lot of my "real" life would go on a back burner.

Best, WT

"if the truth will set you free and knowledge is power, what the hell am I doing watching so much TV?"

In article , [email] wrote:

One reason to have kids is to play with the toys! Boy there is some neat stuff! And to think of things we used to build with Legos, and now they got all them special pieces! Geeze kids got it good now..

Brandon Stockton wrote:

Seems you also missed the point and some dialogue, too. Jerry was already having "wild sex" (his words to George) with this woman; the fact that he was also interested in her toy collection *doesn't cancel out the other!* I guess you are of the opinion that if he wanted to take her to a baseball game (or other outing) in addition to having sex with her that would be wrong too, or that his preferences would be screwed up. Sheesh.

Lee Salem wrote:

What kind of standards are you holding TV Jerry to? This is a cat who isn't really interestied in a well-rounded relationship. Have you seen the show before? He's selfish, picky, and more selfish. His actions with the toy gal seemed exactly reasonable based on countless earlier relationships...

WT

"if the truth will set you free and knowledge is power, what the hell am I doing watching so much TV?"

Lee Salem wrote:

I never said anything about it being well-rounded; that's your term. And I hardly think of taking a couple Excedrin (that anyone can buy over the counter) and using a box of wine on other occasions as "drugging" her!! You make it sound like he was doing something illegal....

In , [email] (B.J. Major) writes:

Actually it is illegal. Ever heard of Rufinol? The date-rape drug?

Dave wrote:

What you are referring to is Rohipnol (sp.?), I assume. Yes I have heard of this, but that was *not* what was going on here. She had a headache and *she asked* for some pain reliever. What was given to her was not an illegal drug or anything close to it! How can you even compare the two?!

Actually, it's Rohypnol (thanks Doc!)  How can I compare the two??
Intention.  Jerry wanted her asleep so he could take advantage of her.
Whether 'taking advantage' means playing with toys against her will,
or playing with her body against her will, is irrelevent.  Whether the drug
used is legal or not also doesn't matter.
--------------------------------------------
             [email]
(Hammer nail here--> <-- for a new monitor.)
          (Remove XXXX to reply)

So whether he did something illegal -- sexual molestation or legal -- played with her toys is "irrelevant." And whether he used a legal substance or an illegal one "doesn't matter?"

Those ARE the important distinctions in this discussion -- they DO matter, and they are relevant

Yeah, just like when he was dating the masseuse! Another reason this episode was bad

In article , Lee Salem wrote: I still question the premise of a 43-year old single man who would

Lee,

I think you have to keep in mind the track record of Jerry's character. He has a different beautiful girlfriend every week with no effort. He would probably fret more over losing his toothpaste. Granted, for another person it would probably be a different story.

Jennifer Darling wrote:

I think the reason for this was that in the later scenes, the joke was not the turkey dinner itself, but the fact that they brought Elaine along, and later, that Elaine was continuing to take advantage of her. New methods of knocking her out weren't important to the scene, so the writers didn't bother.

-Kenny

I completely agree. The very surreal nature of this episode kept me in stitches. It is funny to note when shows get to their last year and they decide they can try anything, that is when it really gets funny. The characters' inner-children were all revealed in this episode. It was great.

James in Oklahoma City

This episode was really bad. I thought it deserved no more than a C-. The reason why I didn't fail the episode was because the last 5 or 10 minutes of the show was very good. The Scandals and Animals was funny; the squirrel gnawing brains was funny. But not much else. Kramer's antics were no longer antics; they bordered on insanity. It was just a really boring episode. I don't think it even had the potential of being funny. The whole concept of the Merv Griffin Show, as surreal as it was, could never have worked. The squirrel incident could have been very funny, and in Elaine's thread, the chemistry between her and the sidelurker guy whatever wasn't up to snuff. Peterman was predictable in commentary. Again, the episode is saved by Newman and Costanza.

MFLuder848 wrote:

Apparently you don't remember the 3rd Rock from the Sun episode where Dick runs over a squirrel and saves its life. Then he visits it at the vet, then lets the squirrel go free, only to be carried away by a bird.

I think Kramer was looking for the script in the dumpster with the Merv Griffin set.

Rich

Two things that every movie should have: Hockey and Lesbians. (Chasing Amy) SOCK MONKEY Washington Capitals: Let's Go Gacks!!!! The Puff Daddy Millennium is coming

If you can laugh that hard at such a mediocre episode, then I would advise that you not watch any of the Old episodes because you'll laugh so hard that you'll have a heart-attack.

Justin T.

[email] (MFLuder848) wrote:

Justin T.--

Who do you think you are copping that sort of attitude, that whatever you don't laugh to can't possibly be funny?!! I have watched Seinfeld for years, and have seen all but about 10 episodes. I have seen classics such as "The Contest" and "The Hamptons". I have laughed so hard I hurt my jaw. I admit I didn't laugh to that degree during "The Merv Griffin Show", but I still found it millions of more times amusing than the other episodes this year. I am a hugely obsessed fan who took offense when you implied I have no sense of humor.

I truly think you should respect other people's opinions more. We're having a good time and you're trying to ruin it for us. Maybe I don't have as high as expectations that you do (which are overly high, IMO) but that only means I enjoy the episodes more and am more optimistic about what's to come. I have seen you constantly put down people who actually--OH MY, THEY COULDN'T HAVE!!--liked one of the new episodes. ((((shock)))) I understand that you are disappointed by the 9th season. Please, remember your opinion is no more thought-out or important than the other Seinfeld fans. Just because you deem an episode "mediocre" doesn't mean it's fact.

-MFLuder848