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

Season 6 of Seinfeld shows a confident sitcom firing on all cylinders. It was a brilliant look into the bizarre neuroses of a handful of New Yorkers trying to get through their day-to-day lives yet they can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Seinfeld was the brainchild of writer Larry David and comedian Jerry Seinfeld, and they created one of the most inspired TV shows in American history. The sixth season is noteworthy as the show filmed its 100th episode, and finished the season on top of the ratings.

The show centers on Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine. Jerry plays himself, a New York-based stand up comic. His apartment is the usual meeting place of the quartet and he’s the unofficial leader of the group. George (Jason Alexander) is the neurotic loser who is prone to outbursts of rage and indignation. Kramer (Michael Richards) is Jerry’s enigmatic neighbor known for falling all over the place and saying “Giddyup.” Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is Jerry’s ex-girlfriend. She’s the one of the group who probably has the most sense, although she is prone to courting trouble just like the rest.

Each show usually follows each of the characters in their own plot line, which will somehow become entangled in the lives of the other characters at the end. As you watch the show, you basically know that nothing is going to work out well in the end. While in the hands of most writers the show would become predictable, Larry David was the master at keeping each episode unexpected and original. He gave his characters a bit of a misanthropic side, so it was okay that everything fell apart. As long as you’re cynical that nothing will ever work out, you don’t have too feel bad for anyone.

Maybe I’m just the cynic.

But what’s great about this show is how it illustrates the pettiness of people. They savor the small victories like a parking space or winning a race way back in high school way more than they actually care about anything important in the world. This is true of more people than they’d like to believe. What’s also hilarious about Seinfeld is the nicknames they come up for people because I think most people are that petty to not bother learning other people’s names. One of my favorite activities with my girlfriend is to decide what celebrity a person we’ve just encountered reminds us of. The way the characters in Seinfeld assign these nicknames to their coworkers or strangers or even people they are dating actually rings true.

The supporting cast and one-off characters in Seinfeld give the show plenty of depth. Usually the focus of the show isn’t the four main characters themselves, but their reactions to the people they encounter. Recurring characters include the evil, scheming Newman, George’s somewhat insane parents, Jerry’s parents who are involved in the petty politics of their retirement community. Season six introduces David Puddy (Patrick Warburton) as the monotone, nonchalant on and off boyfriend of Elaine. Jerry’s archrival, hack comedian Kenny Bania shows up in this season, as well. George began working for the New York Yankees at the end of last season, so he often encounters a Larry David-voiced George Steinbrenner.

As far as DVD boxed sets go, the Seinfeld shows have been a pretty good value. You can get the fifth and sixth seasons together if you wish to have a small replica of Jerry’s puffy shirt. I thought getting the seasons individually was just as good of a deal since I have no place to put that little shirt anyway. But as far as extras go, they’ve been really good about making the DVDs worth your while. There are several audio commentaries, as well as text commentaries with oodles of little known facts for each episode. There are loads of interviews with the cast and crew, which are entertaining (except for Jason Alexander- he’s kind of pretentious). Season Six also has deleted scenes, bloopers, and some animations based on the show. You can also find some exclusive Jerry Seinfeld standup material.

All in all, this DVD boxed set is of tremendous value and I highly recommend it to all fans of the show and good TV in general. I know you can find the show in syndication, but they are edited down and the DVDs offer you the full, remastered episodes commercial free. What could be better than that?

Now for the run-down:

1. The Chaperone
Jerry dates Miss Rhode Island, but she must be chaperoned at all times. Kramer volunteers to chaperone, and offers some less than stellar advice as her new talent coach.
“If you were Miss America, and the U.S. was on the brink of a nuclear war, and the only way the conflict could be averted was if you agreed to sleep with the enemy's leader, what would you do?”

2. The Big Salad
Elaine and George fight over who paid for a salad. Kramer helps a friend in an OJ-like car chase. Jerry can’t believe that Newman once broke up with the woman he’s dating.
“He's a mystery wrapped in a Twinkie.”

3. The Pledge Drive
Elaine’s boss starts a trend of eating candy bars with a knife and fork. George believes that everyone is giving him the finger.
“Go do your thing where you lie to everyone.”

4. The Chinese Woman
George’s parents separate, but his mother has a change of heart when she gets advice from a woman she thinks is Chinese. Kramer decides to eschew boxers and briefs altogether.
“I'm out there Jerry, and I'm lovin' every minute of it!”

5. The Couch
Jerry and Elaine’s political discussion leads to Jerry’s couch being ruined. George joins a book club, but tries to bluff his way through reading it.
“Oh, you really missed something. And I have to say… it was pretty much all my fault.”

6. The Gymnast
Jerry dates a Romanian gymnast. Elaine’s boss is obsessed with Magic Eye paintings. Kramer passes a kidney stone. George gets caught eating food out of the trash.
“Well, you, my friend, have crossed the fine line that divides man and bum.”

7. The Soup
Jerry accepts a gift from an annoying comedian, in exchange for a meal. George tries dating a waitress from Monk’s, but steps in manure while walking through the park.
“I don't even mind the word “manure.” You know, it's, it's “nure,” which is good. and a “ma” in front of it.”

8. The Mom & Pop Store
Elaine helps her boss get a chance to hold one of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade balloons. George buys a car because it once belonged to Jon Voight. Kramer tries to help a mom & pop shoe store, causing Jerry a lot of problems.
“So Mom and Pop's plan was to move into the neighborhood, establish trust for 48 years, then run off with Jerry's sneakers?”

9. The Secretary
George becomes attracted to his secretary, despite his plan to the contrary. Jerry catches his dry cleaner wearing his clothes. Kramer gets Uma Thurman’s number and sells his clothes to Bania, leaving him stranded at a clothing store.
“I didn’t think ahead.”

10. The Race
Kramer, Elaine, and George all somehow get involved in Communism. Jerry’s old rival from high school wants a rematch with Jerry because Jerry once beat him in a race.
“Faster than a speeding bullet, Lois.”

11. The Switch
George worries his girlfriend might be bulimic. He also helps Jerry formulate a plan for the roommate switch. The gang learns Kramer’s first name.
“Elaine, of course I'm concerned. I'm payin' for those meals. It's like throwing money down the toilet.“

12. The Label Maker
Newman and Kramer go to extreme lengths while playing Risk. George tries his own version of the switch. Jerry gets Super Bowl tickets, but might not be able to use them as a friend is getting married that day.
“I think he re-gifted and then he de-gifted and now he's using an upstairs invite as a springboard to a Super Bowl sex romp!”

13. The Scofflaw
George meets up with an old friend, who tells him a secret that he can’t keep. He also decides to try a toupee. Kramer meets an obsessed cop who is on the trail of a scofflaw.
“Newman’s the white whale!”

14. Highlights of 100 (Parts 1&2)
This is a two part clip show, originally aired as a one hour special to celebrate the show’s 100th episode.

15. The Beard
Elaine tries to convert a gay man. George, now wearing a toupee, is set up with a bald woman. Jerry’s police officer girlfriend wants him to take a lie detector test over Melrose Place.
“Remember, Jerry, it's not a lie if you believe it.”

16. The Kiss Hello
Jerry gets caught up in a petty argument between his father and uncle. He is uncomfortable with all of the women in his building insisting on a “kiss hello”.
“If you could say touch her breast as part of the kiss hello, then I think I could see the value in it a little bit better.”

17. The Doorman
Kramer pretends to mug George to amuse some German tourists. Jerry and Elaine have to deal with her boss’s sadistic doorman. George discovers his father has breasts, so Kramer tries to invent an undergarment for men.
“A bra is for ladies. Meet the ‘Bro.’”

18. The Jimmy
The group encounters a man who refers to himself in the third person. Elaine dates him by mistake. This leads to Kramer seeing Mel Torme in concert. Jerry fears that his dentist and his assistant may have lived out a Penthouse fantasy while he was under anesthesia.
“So you were violated by two people while you were under the gas. Big deal! You're single.”

19. The Doodle
George dates a woman from Elaine’s drawing class who doesn’t care what he looks like. Kramer goes into Jerry’s apartment while it’s being fumigated and loses his sense of taste. The fumigation couple with Jerry’s parents cost Elaine a great job with Viking Publishing.
“Well it's a story about love, deception, greed, lust and unbridled enthusiasm.”.

20. The Fusilli Jerry
Kramer mistakenly gets the vanity license plates of someone else. He decides to make a statue of Jerry out of corkscrew pasta, which leads George’s father to have an accident in an uncomfortable place. There is much discussion on people’s “moves.”
“I can't believe you're hoarding sex moves. I'm out there rubbing two sticks together while you're walking around with a Zippo!”

21. The Diplomat’s Club
Jerry’s assistant micromanages his life and drives him crazy. George is accused of being racist. Kramer starts gambling with a stranger at the airport. Elaine is going to quit her job, but finds out her boss put her in his will.
I'll meet you at the Diplomat's Club. I'll be the one without the big red sash.”

22. The Face Painter
Kramer causes a monkey at the zoo to become depressed. George gets a bad reaction when he tells his girlfriend he loves her. David Puddy’s bizarre face painting at a hockey game causes problems.
“I said no more face painting, and as you can see… this is not my face.”

23. The Understudy
Elaine gets a new job with the J. Peterman catalog. Jerry is dating Bette Midler’s understudy. When George injures Bette in a charity softball game, many people believe Jerry organized a Tonya Harding-like “hit.”
“Understudies are a very shifty bunch. The substitute teachers of the theater world”


Other Seinfeld reviews:

Seasons 1&2
Season 5



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD