Seinfeld: Season Nine

Published Nov 09, 2007
Closing out a series isnt easy most shows miss the mark that satisfies everyone but rarely does a show hit the mark that satisfies no one. Well, somehow Seinfeld the "Greatest TV Show of All-Time, according to TV Guide accomplished just that in its two-part finale. And yet even after nine years such a blunder fails to tarnish its legacy. The final season took the shows cascading weirdness to new heights, despite keeping the storylines coherent and hilarious. Highlights include unforgettable moments such as the "two face girlfriend, "serenity now!, a guest appearance by Wilford "Quaker Oats Brimley in Kramers stand-off with the postal service, George re-enacting Frogger, and the backwards episode "The Betrayal, which here has the option to watch forwards. Unsurprisingly, it loses all of its charm. The standout episode though is "The Reverse Peephole, which introduced the "man fur and "European carry-all into every day language. The commentary with Alexander, Dreyfus and Patrick Warburton (Puddy) reveals Joe Mayo, the other "man fur owner, was the name of a stage hand on the show, as well as the ironic fact that Alexander actually injured his back carrying the giant wallet in his back pocket. Its oddly fascinating stuff, in the most Seinfeld-ian of ways. "The Last Lap and "Scenes from the Roundtable look back at certain elements of the series. The latter, however, gathers the fab four and Larry David for a discussion thats full of typically wistful laughs, but its funniest to see David semi-bitterly discuss the material that followed his departure. The best bit though has to be the discussion about the finale, where Seinfeld explains it was "big, whereas the show was used to working on a "small scale, and it needed a "distinctive, potent finish. They admit the hype and expectations were out of control and nothing would satisfy everyone, as well as whether or not the timing was right to say goodbye. Sadly though, there isnt a commentary for the finale, which is disappointing, considering itd be nice for someone to explain why basically every decision was the wrong one. As usual, the rest of the fixings are there, including "Yada, Yada, Yada, "In the Vault, "Sein-Imation and "Notes About Nothing.
(Sony)