In the end, Seinfeld proved it still knows how to go right by going where other sitcoms never would. This finale took risks that thankfully paid off perfectly. This goes up there with Newhart as one of the cleverest, bravest and coolest series sign-offs ever concocted. It's so clear that the show is controlled by creators who still love it as if they were fans, not by any network formula-spinning machine. I'm surprised and glad they did something without regard for whether the mass audience or the overly sentimental fans would like it. It makes it all the more special for those of us who choose to "get it."
I wouldn't have wanted just another Seinfeld episode. To be special, the last one had to be different. I didn't want to see any heartwrenching plot threads tie up the characters' lives, face any "happily ever after" endings, or endure any corny self-congratulatory bows. I got what I wanted, something subversive, self-referential, seld-deprecating, honest, humble, satisfying, clever, and amusing.
What I got was the Anti-Seinfeld. If you're going to end, then really end it. Seinfeld's ending was a twist that turned the series on its head. It's like Darth Vader being unmasked in the last Star Wars movie. It deconstructs and reinterprets everything you've come to accept, but at the same time makes perfect sense as the ultimate, logical progression from what has come before. It does this by stepping out of the narrow conventions and logic that kept the story locked in on itself all along, entering a more complicated, more real world. You can't do that in the middle of a story. It tears down the superstructure that supports the entire artifice. But for the story's conclusion, this kind of ending succeeds sweetly by not just summing up the little make-believe stories in a comfortabll make-believe way. It ends the entire process of telling the story from the outside in.
The hilarious exchange at the beginning over the cell phone faux pas ("Have we gone too far this time?") was the first clue to the show's ultimate theme. Once they got past the cute red-herrings and references, the transport of the characters to the rural countryside was like Dorothy waking up in bed after visiting the land of Oz. This sneaky plot device pushed the characters out of the world where they can get away with what they do, and into a place where they're forced to deal with reality. All of a sudden, they become responsible for everything that we could just take for granted before. It's not so much ending the stories of these characters, as it is deconstructing all the assumptions the story itself was founded on. Talk about a more creative way to end a story than having the characters get married, or hit the lottery.
That's why the laughs at the end become almost muted. We can't laugh when we're forced to accept that the ridiculous behavior of the characters has real consequences. We can't laugh when we're forced to admit that these people are not lovable, but sad and pathetic. The whole layer separating the series from reality is broken down. If we knew people like these in real life, we would think of them exactly how we think of these characters by the end of the finale. The show sums this up perfectly with Seinfeld's failed prison comic stand-up. Jerry has lost that protective boundary, that illusion, that distance between himself and his audience that allows him to be funny.
Besides the daring structure, there were hilarious touches along the way. George got flustered, Elaine got bothered, and Kramer got jiggy. The Costanzas dysfunctioned, while Newman was at his most heinous. The show wasn't perfect, as no Seinfeld episode has been. A certain sloppiness and off-balance tone has always accompanied Seinfeld's rough edge and quirky pace. Going back to the most pointless and unfunny Seinfeld storyline ever conceived, the NBC show-within-a-show bit, was a mistake that stopped the episode dead in its tracks for five minutes. Referencing this in such a big way instead of recalling other classic bits on a small scale, like the shrinkage bit, was a poor choice. Apparently they've read too much of their critics, who never fail to discuss the most obvious episodes as opposed to the best ones. But overall this final Seinfeld provided a great deal of humor within an incredibly well-conceived and daring storyline. It almost makes it seem worth it to close the series when their creative talents remained in good form. It was a clever and unforgettable sign-off, one of television's best. Good show.
-Eric S.
"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." -Albert Einstein