It’s been a long while since I did anything about my favorite show ever. Of course a good reason for that is because six years ago I did an episode guide where I talked about every episode. Has it been that long? Speaking of “has it been that long?”, guess what turned twenty this year? The final episode of Seinfeld aired twenty years ago in May. You know me, always first to cover a milestone. Anyway, the final episode is now twenty years old…
and I still hate it. Ok I am no longer irate about it. I am not kidding when I say that at the time, I swore to never watch another episode again. Yeah I still watch the show every day so that sure didn’t last. I’ve seen the episode enough times again that I can accept it, flawed as it is! But I did some digging and found about a dozen articles on that final episode 20 years later, and how it pissed so many people off. So I decided to do something a little different. I never really discussed my favorite e episodes. I discussed the one’s that are not my favorite, why back when, but what about the one’s I personally love?
So to celebrate twenty years since the finale, almost thirty years of Seinfeld, here they are. Not necessarily the “Best” episodes, just the one’s i have a real fondness for. These aren’t just episodes I can (and probably have) watched 1,000 times but episodes I still get a laugh from. They are also episodes that bring back a special memory and I can even recall watching them the first time. I did limit to ten, which was hard, at least one per season. And to make it easier on myself, in broadcast order.
The Library
No Season 1 so let’s go right to Season 2 where I can’t believe how young I was when these aired. Man do I have memories of this one. First of all, when Jerry does his bit on school says at the end I remember still being in high school and Man am I old. Second, there was a time in my English class when my teacher was talking about what people do with yearbook’s and half the class said “put it on a bookshelf” obviously recalling the scene in this episode where Jerry gets his yearbook out. It’s a memorable episode with the Library cop and of course that final scene where we find out what happened to that book after all. Clever and funny. “The Phone Message” is great too, I still remember the laugh when George announces his father wore sneaker in the pool. It just barely made it here.
The Chinese Restaurant
Having to choose between this or “The Parking Garage” is liked asking me if I like my nephew more than my niece. And while I have seen “The Parking Garage” a million times, the story kind of falls apart with the whole getting arrested for urination thing. The Chinese Restaurant is sold from start to finish. I still remember hearing about this episode and we, like most of America, we baffled. A whole episode standing around a restaurant waiting for a table??? Brilliant. “The Subway” is excellent too and I’ve also seen that more times than I would care to admit!
The Contest
Yeah when I first saw this episode I was confused. Later I saw the re-run and it was hysterical. Just a coincidence I’m sure. To be fair though this is easily the best episode of the series because it does everything right. It’s just a slice of everyday life, and it’s wonderful. The only gripe is I wish the ending had been stronger. It’s the best episode, period. “The Bubble Boy” is a classic of course as if almost every episode from Season 4.
The Junior Mint
The memory for this one is after the effect. I tried Junior Mints because of this episode and enjoyed them. But seriously this is a landmark episode because of a line Jerry utters in the coffee shop. It was the kind of thing that once they realized they could do that, what couldn’t they get away with? From Jerry and the girl whose name he can’t remember to ridiculous way the junior mint ends up in the guy…this episode is a true wonder!
The Puffy Shirt
It’s hard to settle on an episode I like from Season 5 because it was during this period I was in college so there are lots of memories from hat era in this episodes. I picked this one because it’s a classic. “The Opposite” always makes people’s lists, and it’s ok. “The Glasses” brings back some good memories too. And “The Dinner Party” is wacky fun.
The Marine Biologist
When this episode first aired my brother had been looking into marine biology as a career so this was an amusing coincidence. Of course the whole episode leads to that final speech given by George, which is just brilliant. Is it far fetched? Yeah probably. Buy when it’s funny we don’t care. Of course this season also gave us “The Hamptons” where we discovered shrinkage was a thing.
The Switch
I wanted one from ebery season. but Season 6 was the hardest. None of these episodes stand out. Oh I like them, mostly, just fine but there are no slam dunk’s. So I went with this one because we get to finally learn Kramer’s first name so that counts for something. “The Big Salad” and “The Pledge Drive” are flawed episodes which do have place in my heart. And of course “The Understudy” and that fantastic Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding gag.
The Hot Tub
This one probably wont appear on to many favorite episodes lists, I get that, but I still remember the laugh I got at the final gag in the episode. Even though, in hindsight, it’s predictable. The story of an Olympic runner and how he got screwed over by knowing Jerry and his friends. Hmmm. Anyway there were some gems in Season 7 but while “The Soup Nazi” gave a great character and some catchy lines that doesn’t mean it’s a great episode. “The Rye” is a classic but it’s basically one story (except for Elaine’s which is boring) and doesn’t have the usual Seinfeld vibe. And I love “The Calzone” it just barely made the list.
The Pot Hole
This is one is kind of by process of elimination. So in this episode after knocking a woman’s toothbrush into a toilet, she gets her revenge by hiding putting something of his in a toilet. In the end we find out what it was, a toilet brush. I will always remember mu half asleep wife muttering that a toilet brush is SUPPOSED to go into a toilet bowl. I know, silly but there you go. This was a hard one to choose. “The Bizarro Jerry” almost went here but once you get past the gimmick that episode isn’t that great. Which kind of sums up every episode in Season 8. Good, but not great. I also liked “The Chicken Roaster” but it hasn’t aged well. Yadda Yadda Yadda……
The Burning
I love this episode because things were getting weird in Season 9, and the show was really losing focus. This felt like a throwback show to an earlier season. George isn’t screaming like an idiot, Kramer gets some funny lines, and the problems tie together in the end. Sort of. Not the best maybe, but for Season 9 it’s a highlight.
So I managed to throw in some honorable mentions but I feel good saying those are my ten favorites. If I missed yours comment and let me know. For more hunt down my episode guide.
The sad thing about this series is that with so may shows basically ripping off the formula twenty years later, it’s had for younger people to grasp onto why this is considered the greatest sitcom ever. You have to remember what TV looked like in 1991. We did not have show’s like this. Everything about it, from the premise to the writing to the way the stories worked was different. It’s not joking to say Seinfeld changed the way sitcoms are made, from Friends to The Office. It’s also so easy to watch this a hundred times and not tire of it, as I still watch it pretty much every single day. I love this show and always will.
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