Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

I’m a sucker for DVD boxed sets. The problem is that there are so few shows worth buying. And there are various reasons why it’s not worth buying- the show is either not that good, or sometimes the price just doesn’t seem like a solid value, or it’s still in syndication ad nauseam (MASH anyone? I mean that show has been around so long I’m surprised Hawkeye hasn’t started making Kim Jong Il jokes). I have a tendency to make impulse purchases, so I try to avoid any media store at the mall. I think I paid about $140 for season 3 of the X-Files. I think the F.Y. in F.Y.E. stands for something else…

Anyhoo, I’m happy to say that the first two seasons of Seinfeld is a good value. You can typically find this in the 30-40 dollar range at most brick and mortar stores, and probably cheaper through online stores such as amazon or deepdiscountdvd.com. It’s a little hard to justify purchasing a show still in heavy syndication, but there are enough extras with Seinfeld seasons 1 and 2 to make it worth it.

If you’re considering buying the set, you’re probably already familiar with Seinfeld, at least from its extremely popular later seasons. When the show first started out it wasn’t a ratings powerhouse. I was actually a fan of the show when it came out, but I’m not trying to brag about being a visionary. My parents would watch TV every evening from the time my father got home until he went to bed. Since we didn’t have cable, we would watch whatever network sucked the least on that night. Bear in mind that this was of course whatever my father deemed sucking least, so there was plenty of Paradise (later Guns of Paradise) and Walker, Texas Ranger.

Oh, and Home Improvement.

But somehow Seinfeld fell through those cracks and I enjoyed it. I wasn’t really aware of ratings or anything like that, and the fact that it was on was enough for me. It was interesting enough that I didn’t leave to play Nintendo or have my G.I. Joes go on a recon mission to the couch. You never know where Cobra might turn up next.

The fact that this show added so much to America’s lexicon also makes it worth watching the original episodes to see how it all started. There’s no hugging… no lessons… none of the trappings of typical sitcom fare. It’s funny how the show was considered to be cutting edge simply by not having that Growing Pains need to have everyone love each other no matter what. I realize that’s not all the differentiated the show from others at the time. It’s also one of the few half hour shows that seemed to really target adults and not families and didn’t have to pander.

If you’ve seen Larry David’s brilliant Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO sitcom, you can really see his stamp on Seinfeld. He was co-creator, executive producer, and primary writer of Seinfeld (for the first seven seasons). In the interviews he gives for this box set he discusses how continuity was extremely important to him, which is why the show had such longevity in the public’s consciousness. As bizarre as many of the stories seem to be, I think Larry David is actually able to make his shows seem more realistic. Life isn’t full of people having these cathartic realizations just in time to do the “right thing”, where even if they don’t do the “right thing” it doesn’t matter because there are no consequences.

In Seinfeld, there are consequences. Many shows seem to forget that their pilot episodes, or even entire first seasons ever happened. In Seinfeld, many elements introduced in the first few episodes can be found throughout the series (Art Vandalay, George pretending to be an importer/exporter and an architect, Jerry’s obsession with cereal and Superman)

The idea of George (Jason Alexander) always pretending to be an architect or somehow meeting with someone named Art Vandalay is funny not just for the sheer strangeness of it, but for how often he tries to pull it off. I think everyone knows a person who tries to beat the system and always seem just short of getting it right. It’s great to see George scheme all episode long, only to panic at the critical moment. While he’s still cheap and neurotic, in these early episodes he still has a bit of confidence and swagger that will erode as the series goes on. I mean, he actually makes money on the stock market!

Kramer (Michael Richards) is many people’s favorite in later seasons because of his slapstick entrances to Jerry’s apartment and “Giddy up” catch phrases. But early on, he’s not really part of the group, and actually serves to make the others uncomfortable (like when he tries to get George to eat some cantaloupe). He’s unshaven and a little sleazy (watching girls at the bus stop with binoculars). But what’s fun to note is how Larry David had intentionally not made him part of the group, which is why Kramer isn’t present in the real-time episode The Chinese Restaurant. Kramer didn’t go out with them and was never seen in the coffee shop with the others, so why would he be in the restaurant? It may have bothered Michael Richards to not be included in the episode (as he notes in an interview on the disc), but it’s rewarding to see Larry David really stick to the characters. Sure, Kramer could have been in the episode and get some laughs and most people wouldn’t have second-guessed his presence. But Larry David noticed and that’s why his shows matter.

Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) shows up after the pilot episode as Jerry’s ex-girlfriend and now platonic friend. Even with characters as myopic and selfish as Seinfeld’s leads tend to be, they handle their breakup pretty well within the scope of the show. There’s some initial awkwardness, which runs through most of the first two seasons. Once again, Larry David scores big when he doesn’t make it too easy of a transition for them into platonic territory. It’s great to see them still end up as each other’s date to many outings, including dinner parties and weddings while usually cramping each other’s dating style.

Finally, Jerry Seinfeld is the show’s fourth main cast member. He’s probably the least convincing actor of the four, as his delivery still has a bit of that self conscious stand up ring to it. Yet, he still does a good job of fitting into the show’s structure, which usually involves the group converging on his apartment. I think my favorite moment with his character from the first two seasons is his hang up over a date liking an annoying cotton Dockers commercial. I would have dated a lot more if I could sleep with the vapid. That to me is a much more realistic depiction of a “deal breaker” than probably anything else I’ve seen in a sitcom. A decent looking girl, who seemed nice enough, once struck up a conversation with me at a bar and everything was fine until she mentioned what a great acting job Rob Schneider pulled off in The Animal.

The set includes:
The 18 episodes of the first two seasons- The first season consists of five shows from late Spring in 1990, and the show arrived full time as a midseason replacement in 1991.

Loads of interviews- Nearly every episode has a few minutes of interviews from the cast, directors, writers, etc. This offers great insight into the making of the show and is a lot of fun. The only issue I have is that I have a real problem with Jason Alexander’s interviews. I just hate when people really choose their words carefully because they’re trying to appear really thoughtful as they speak. It just feels slimy. He voiced Catbert on the Dilbert cartoon and that now seems really fitting. People in HR, whose sole purpose in life is to screw over their employees, have that same patois.

Notes about nothing- For the true fanatic you can have little notes appear at the bottom of the screen chronicling everything from where the writer’s got an idea from to counting the characters girlfriends and boyfriends.

Deleted scenes and commentaries- Not only do you get to see the shows in their entirety and not the butchered syndication versions, but several episodes have scenes that were never before aired. One that stands out is a deleted scene from The Chinese Restaurant where George describes an injury caused by a bed in a hotel being too tightly tucked. I can’t remember the episodes for sure, but I know this is referenced at least twice in the future. There are a couple of commentaries that are worth listening to as well. Larry David is really engaging without really trying to be.

The shows are shown in their production order and not their original aired order. This is significant because the network hated The Chinese Restaurant and held it until near the end of the season. Another episode, The Stranded, was actually held until the third season.

The episodes:

Season 1
1.The Seinfeld Chronicles (Pilot) (available in two versions)
2.Male-Unbonding
3.The Stake Out
4.The Robbery
5.The Stock Tip

Season 2
1.The Ex-Girlfriend
2.The Pony Remark
3.The Bus Boy
4.The Baby Shower
5.The Jacket
6.The Chinese Restaurant
7.The Phone Message
8.The Apartment
9.The Stranded
10.The Statue
11.The Heart Attack
12.The Revenge
13.The Deal

Personal favorites:
The Stake Out- Jerry knows where a woman works but not her name, so he and George stake out her office. The fake name Art Vandelay is born.

The Stock Tip- Jerry and George discuss Superman’s sense of humor. The ketchup and mustard bottles represent the red sun of Krypton and the yellow sun of the Earth.

The Pony Remark- The great visual gag of Elaine sitting at the kid’s table at a Seinfeld family get together is priceless. It’s never mentioned in the show directly, you just get to watch it. Every other sitcom would have made that the focus and probably the only joke.

The Jacket- Elaine’s intimidating father makes his sole appearance in the series and George can’t get "Master of the House" from Les Miserables out of his head.


The final word: The crisp writing of the show and vision of Larry David are what made this show. The performances of the four leads make them some of the most memorable characters of all time. For the price, all of the extras make this boxed set a steal.



Other Seinfeld reviews:

Season 5
Season 6


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older