SEINFELD FINALE = MY THOUGHTS.

As the post says here are my thoughts on the final episode of Seinfeld. I would like to say first and foremost thatI've always liked Seinfeld, I considered it one of the best TV shows on television ever. On the eve that the finale was to premiere on Thursday, May 14, I missed watching the final episode to go see a revival screening of the director's cut of The Wild Bunch as part of the WB retrospective held at my local Uptown movie theatre. I enjoyed it very much, the old 1969 movie still holds up with great acting, some of the most memorable lines ever held on film, eerie symbolism in the opening scene which had me in shivers, and a intriguing scarry examination of violence and a revising of the old Western films. I wondered on that dark Thursday night in May if I should see The Wild Bunch thinking why do I want to see an old movie like this when I should be watching the end of my favorite sitcoms ? Am I nuts, I wondered, after all I expected people to call out on the streets asking me if I had seen it and me saying I hadn't and they frowning at me, shaking their head saying I had missed one of the greatest Seinfeld episodes ever and one of television's finest moments. Later after seeing The Wild Bunch, I went to school and read the newspaper, watched the finale on videotape since my folks had graciously taped it for me and realized I had been right to see an old movie. Yes, the movie was old but it was entertaining, dramatic and kept me interested. The Seinfeld finale did none of those things and nobody came up to me saying I had missed a great event, instead they came up and whined and cried about how bad the Seinfeld finale was. A sentiment I share...the Seinfeld finale was an appropriate end to the show by having them in jail but was also, a mediocre long, dull, dumb, predictable, not funny and one of the most over-rated and over-hyped events ever that failed on all levels to pay off. It's wasn't good nor was it great. It was an average typical TV show that had some god laughs (I loved George's comment that he cheated in the contest, liked Jerry and Elaine's near confession of their love for each another in the near-plane crash, liked the return of Jackie Chiles to defend the Seinfeld gang in the trial and thought his line "You don't have to help anybody! That's what this country is all about!" was a classic and I couldn't stop smiling and laughing at that great line. But the rest of the Seinfeld finale was pretty bad, a long self-indulgence, an exercise in anti-entertainment that used the worst idea ever in TV, the idea of a clip show...that's what the final Seinfeld was all about. Just a clip show, a rehash and nothing new or something unforgettable, just something plain ordinary, typical and ugly sick bad comedy that's not very funny. The finale earns a C+ and I only give the plus because Seinfeld has been one the funniest tv shows on the air for so long and has made my laugh so much better because it's humor. In conclusion, whenever, I'm in trouble or having a problem about what to do I think back to that night when I could have seen the old or the new, I realize sometimes you can never tell that what seems like the wrong decision actually turns out to be one of the best decisions you've ever made in your life and you just want to thank the Lord for the time you've had-and a time I did have at the movies. To top it off, all weekend I had been watching just about every movie at the WB festival at Uptown and the theater manager came out to thank us all for making the festival such a big success. I smiled knowing there and then how great the power of movies can be to unite thousands of strangers who don't know one another and never will meet again and turn them into a family to cheer on, laugh, scream, cry, gasp, thrill to some of the greatest movies ever made on a movie screen. That weekend of Friday the 8th of May to Thursday the 14th of May was one of the greatest experiences in my life as a movie-goer and I'll always treasure those beloved fond memories with me of the movies.

Ronald J. Whalen wrote in message ...

I would like to say first and foremost thatI've always liked Seinfeld, I considered it one of the best TV shows on television ever.

You "consider", there is no consider, IT IS the best show on tv, and will always be. (In syndication)

I enjoyed reading your comments on the Finale--here's my take on the finale and the series:

I have to bring up the Puerto Rican Day, but NOT the controversy surrounding it. The PRD episode reminded us of a specific type of classic Seinfeldian humor in the way it revolved around a single event--such as dealing with a traffic jam. Earlier shows exemplifying this early technique of Seinfeld humor are The Parking Garage (23), The Chinese Restaurant (16), The Library (22), The Limo (35), The Airport (50), The Subway (30), The Dinner Party (74) and, more recently, this season's The Dealership. These episodes showed how the characters responded to situations and people surrounding a particular situation or event. The magnetism to this type of humor was the identification we all had to different characters and reactions due to the frustration of the situation (and Jerry's presentation of such in a humorous way). The much maligned Puerto Rican Day belongs in this same class of shows and demonstrated some of that early technique of humor.

The success of Seinfeld, in my opinion, was due to this quirky brand of humor-- finding humor in situations we face every day (hence, the "show about nothing") and which we could identify with. It can be frustrating to forget your spot in a parking garage, wait at a restaurant, deal with coach class, buy a car and lie about your persona to get a free limo ride from the airport and accidentally assume the identity of an Aryan leader....well, you get the idea. Seinfeld's humor came from this simple look at life..and how sometimes the character's exploits are inextricably linked (e.g.--In "The Shoes" Elain's illness leads to George looking at cleavage he shouldn't have been looking at and the Pilot almost gets cancelled; In "The Jimmy" Kramer's dental work ends up putting Jimmy out of commission and George's shoe plans fall through; In "The Opera" Jerry and Elaine are running from and dating the same Crazy Joe without knowing it; in "The Stall" Elaine is having a toilet paper feud, Kramer is having phone sex, and Jerry is dating--all the same person!). These countless links and brand of everyday humor helped make Seinfeld what it was. I always enjoyed line delivery and facial expression. The cast clicked with great timing and trying to produce a quality product. Sometimes I would rewind my tape and look at a scene several times to admire Jerry or Kramer's delivery (George and Elaine, too).

As the show got older the episodes became a little too slick--missing was the raw punch from earlier seasons. The show seemed more modern and sometimes obscure with less of the type of humor that Seinfeld created and delivered as a stand-up. I still thought the show was the best on at the time, though. The Finale just tried to hard. Larry David wanted to do something grand, but Seinfeld didn't become popular off "grand". David wanted to create something big that would encompass almost a decade of success and be innovative at the same time. The idea was admirable, the jail ending was attractive and workable, but it turned into a clip show of old jokes. There was too much reliance on old material instead of creating new humor. David should have concentrated on writing a new show peppered with subtle references for the seasoned viewer. I believe the concept was workable, but there was just not much substance within the framework. David should have stuck to the original recipe. That's all that happened, in my opinion. It was an admirable effort with a misguided direction. That doesn't change the brilliance of the series, though. That Seinfeldian humor permeated throughout the series, even into later years--I enjoyed most every episode. Some later eps I enjoyed were The Foundation (127), The Bizarro Jerry (129), The Abstinence (135), The Andrea Doria (136), The Summer of George (148), The Junk Mail (153), The Merv Griffin Show (154), The Betrayal (156), The Dealership (159), The Reverse Peephole (160), and The Maid (167)...and most of them in fact. It was the best sitcom ever in my opinion, and brought a quirky, identifiable, and magnetic humor into our homes.