Seinfeld's Merv Griffin episode: Horrible!

Has the gang completely lost it? I agree with most that this season is the worst ever, but tonight's episode was abysmal (IMO). The vet having to order tiny surgical equipment for the squirrel? Jerry turning into Pee-Wee Herman around those toys? Embarrassing.

On Fri, 07 Nov 1997 00:14:44 +0000, "R. Boswell" wrote:

I know of *many* grown men who turn into kids around toys they enjoyed when they were young or always wished they had owned. IMHO this was hilarious! (Okay I admit it, I can relate to it personally!)

Anyone else think the vet had a hard time keeping a straight face with the "we could order special tiny surgical instruments" line? He seemed to be holding back a laugh - wonder if they had to shoot that scene a number of times.

Oh well, *I* thought it was a very funny episode. It sure felt like vintage Seinfeld to me - I'm still scratching my head about the previous episode with George's parents inexplicably lusting after another and no moments that made me laugh aloud or scenes that I can really recall vividly.

BTW, it was cool seeing *the gang* all together in the same scene again - and no Puddy.

R. Miller

I thought the same thing.  It must be tough to hold back the laugh
when you have lines that are that funny.  I don't know how it doesn't
happen more often to the fab 4.  There must be a lot of scenes reshot.
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I LOVED the episode. One of the best ever, It was so funny I cried!!

I loved the ending scenes, it was like something out of a Kubrick film! I agree, this was one of the best shows ever!

Ronie J Whalen

Man are you kidding? That was the best episode I have ever seen. Go watch Dick Van Dyke or something.

The show was surreal. I loved it.

AND DOOD, LOTS OF GROWN MEN ARE LIKE THAT ABOUT TOYS. What did you expect from Jerry, he dates little girls.

James in Oklahoma City

If that's the best episode of Seinfeld that you have ever seen, then it must be the only one you have ever seen! Maybe you've been watching too much Dick Van Dyke.

JW3045 wrote:

What's this slagging on Dick Van Dyke? That show was great!

J.D.

No, YOU go watch Nick at Night. I'll go back and watch "classic" Seinfeld in syndication. Go watch Dick Van Dyke indeed. What the fuck does THAT mean?

Ill tell you what it means, Boswell . It means your suspended from the newsgroup for a week for spewing an obscenity. Make sure you submit a written request to return, 24 hours before said suspension expires.

Is that so? Who died and made YOU net police? Get lost.

CClark, No one died and made me net police. I just felt that an apparently unpopular decision had to b made. I thought people might applaud my courage. Evidentally, I was mistaken, but my decision stands.

C, You get the self appointed security from time to time. All you can do is laugh them off.

Hey Boz, The key word is" laugh". Dosen't anyone around here have a sense of humor? I'm going some place where the mood ia a little lighter. Perhaps to the "alt.true crime" newsgroup or something.

Um, yeah we all have a sense of humor. Isn't that why we're in the Seinfeld newsgroup and in this particular thread!? Let's review shall we? Several people have spoken out saying this season has been subpar. I said that I thought that this particular episode was the worst. Someone told me to go watch Dick Van Dyke instead. Guess if my opinion doesn't mirror someone else's then I should go watch another show huh? Unbelievable.

Piss off!

Hey Boswell, What are you doing here? I thought you were suspended. BTW, is "Piss off!" an obscenity?

I really liked that episode it was one of the FEW this season that could actually be called good. For sure it isn't a classic but it is one of the best this season

That's exactly the word that popped to mind after viewing this rubbish. This episode was so bad it was embarrassing.

I'm starting to wonder about some of these people in this ng.

Thank goodness the show is in syndication so we can remember how good it once was.

Jack

Cath Corey wrote:

That's part of it, but there is also nostalgia for things past once a person gets to be a certain age (usually mid-thirties). There is also often a longing for things that maybe one had as a child, but doesn't have any longer due to the parents getting rid of the toys, giving the toys away to someone else, etc. etc. I didn't mean to imply that the Seinfeld cast were going to turn into toy collectors--it's just that the symptoms they all manifested are typical of what I see all the time as a toy collector myself. Lots of times, people that get re-introduced to items they had as a child (or, wished they had!) make a resolve to acquire the items as an adult, and they unknowingly begin the collecting journey.

In article ,

Then I guess I've "lost it," too, because I found the show pretty funny. There's probably no point in getting into a big argument over what's funny and what isn't; as Roger Ebert said, either you laugh or you don't. I laughed. Sorry you wasted your time.

I agree, it's embarassing. The actors are just making fools of themselves. They are like little, insane children.

Justin T.

"R. Boswell" wrote:

[email] (Justin Tribble) wrote:

Though it was admittedly milked far beyond its comic value, I derived a perverse enjoyment from the Merv Griffin bit because the "hip" critics and fans never seemed to catch on that it was a take-off of KING OF COMEDY (and these were the same critics and fans who rhapsodized over the "Maybe the dingoes ate your baby" line a few years back). --Hal E.

The "tiny instruments" line was great but after reading everyones posts to this thread I am beginning to wonder if some people confuse different with bad.

Personally, I liked the episode a lot. But then, I thought that Twin Peaks got *more* interesting AFTER they found out who killed Laura Palmer.

I agree. I wasn't nuts about the squirrel (pun unintentional, I swear), but the rest was great. THe way I see it, the gang knows they're getting tons of money, know that people will watch them do anything, and know that they may very well not be on much longer, so this whole season is one big "kiss my butt" to anyone looking at the show for a beacon of wuality television. THe plots are so ridiculous and some of the charaters so stupid, that you have to appreciate it.

In article , Gil Jawetz writes:

And appreciate it I did. I thought the "Merv Griffin" episode was hilarious. Kramer was more insane than he's ever been, George couldn't have been any unluckier, and Seinfeld and Elaine were just goofy.....perfect episode actually.

John

The Merv Griffin episode was above average for this season but below overall

Claire, Let's not bring class envy into this discussion. Besides, this was the best episode of the season. Peace Out

Not hardly. I haven't seen a good Seinfeld episode since "Man's Hands". Come to think of it, that was LAST season!

The ENVIOUS Claire

Im sorry but the Merv Griffin episode is probably the best one I've ever seen. The talk show set had me cackling nonstop...then the toys, Jim Fowler...it's just so stupid it's funny...that's why I watch seinfeld-for the oddball humor

~Mike Fedyszyn

"R. Boswell" wrote:

I didn't mind the toy bit; Jerry has always had his childish silly side--remember the "tie car wash" from "The Jacket" or his Golden Boy shirt?--but George's plot got annoying when the squirrel came into it. Why didn't he just dump the girl already? Still, it was funny when his good old cheapness showed through as he asked how much putting the squirrel to sleep would cost.

The Merv Griffin plot, far and away Kramer's furthest and most random insanity yet, was disturbing on one hand because Kramer is now just a hair away from being certifiably nuts, but it did work on a certain level. It didn't feel like a Seinfeld, but it was an effective parody of talk shows in general, especially with the new format.

Other than that, the episode was pretty decent, except for some really dumb throwaway lines scattered throughout the episode that really brought the whole thing down, like the tiny instruments line (too corny and not terribly clever), the reference to George being changed when he was seven (get real), Peterman's "If you are undead, I'll find out" (huh??) and Kramer's gravel-in-a-blender.