![]() Seinfeld has had to suffer through the carping of some former critical admirers of his series. The final scene fades out as George asks, “Haven’t we had this conversation before?” – A confluence of perfect comedic irony.So far in this, the ninth season of ''Seinfeld,'' the groundbreaking NBC comedy about the mundane and inane events in the superficial lives of four utterly self-oriented New Yorkers, Mr. In the last true scene of the series, nine years later, Jerry once again details the importance of button placement on a garment. The first dialogue that Jerry and George have in the July 1989 pilot (then called “The Seinfeld Chronicles”) has Jerry comment that the placement of buttons “literally makes or breaks a shirt”. The element that I have come to appreciate most about the finale is that it displayed that quality until the last frame. Seinfeld was a show steeped in clever satire. It took me watching the finale again, 22 years later, to finally feel all buttoned up about it. At the time, as a fan of the show, I wished that the finale offered something more of a concrete resolution. According to David, “I was not interested in an emotional ride, and neither was Jerry”. When it came to the finale, the creators felt that the episode should embody those sentiments and attitudes. The charm of the show was that it never took itself too seriously but all the characters were very sincere about it. They’ve already written it, and often they’re disappointed, because it’s not what they wrote.” Looking back, the farcical wit that characterized the show beautifully suited the finale. He added that people felt, “Jerry and Elaine should get together,’ and all that. Seinfeld co-creator Larry David stated, “I think the thing about finales is everybody writes their own finale in their head”. The fact is that you can’t please everybody. As a vehicle to celebrate the fantastic story lines and legendary characters that made the “show about nothing” the greatest show of all time.īecause of unnatural expectation, it was inevitable that the Seinfeld Finale be considered a public disappointment. Instead of making the final show something that it is not, it should be saluted as recognition of the series’ genius. I no longer attempt to view the finale as a conclusion of the show but rather a commemoration of it. ![]() My perception of the last show has changed. Upon revisiting the final episode, I have a new appreciation for it. ![]() In a 2017 interview regarding the final show, Jerry Seinfeld remarked, “I sometimes think we really shouldn’t have even done it.” He went on to add, “There was a lot of pressure on us at that time to do one big last show, but big is always bad in comedy”. This is due to the immense expectations that the show had built over 178 glorious episodes. I have come to the realization that it would have been impossible to find a “perfect” way to end Seinfeld. But good simply did not seem good enough for such a great show. It was not that there was necessarily anything wrong with the finale. Of the finale, Jason Alexander said, “I thought it was a good episode, not a great episode.” In essence, that was why I was initially so disheartened with the 1998 swan song. It felt like the show was making too big of an effort to wrap itself up. Personally, my overwhelming sentiment was that the last episode should have been better. Fans felt cheated by a lack of closure and critics thought that the conclusion took the easy way out by simply recycling the show’s most iconic moments. The final episode was ridiculed by fans and critics alike. To me, the last installment was not indicative of the tone that the show had established and certainly not representative of its undisputed brilliance. The first time I saw the Seinfeld Finale, I was confused, upset and disappointed. It would be another 22 years before I could bring myself to watch it again. ![]() I was one of over 76 million people to tune in to the two-part series finale. It was also my favorite TV show and in May of 1998, I watched it come to an end. Seinfeld was the confluence of perfect comedic irony.
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