The Episode of Seinfeld That Changed Everything

[@PillarofGarbage]

Hey everyone. Looks like this video's picking up a bit, one year later - so if you're a new viewer, hi! Two things: 1, in the past year my standard of video production's increased a lot, so check out some newer videos if you liked this one! and 2, I am still planning to make a super long Seinfeld analysis, as teased in this video, at some point this year, so subscribe if you don't want to miss out on that!

[@atltom331]

Judging by your name, you must also be a Community fan 😀

[@PillarofGarbage]

@@atltom331 Correct! If you're interested, I've made a few videos on Community as well: kzbin.info/aero/PLsf-M5Ux6kmWF4ge9iKpGamF41oSMPncN

[@Shishkebarbarian]

i just had this video recommended to me, even though i've been a subscriber to you for a few months now. I never saw it before and i LOOOOVE seinfeld. this was a great analysis. it perfectly illustrated what has been making me uncomfortable about the finale for over 25 years even if i was never, myself, able to put a finger on it. the finale just felt so *unfair* considering everything we know about the Seinfeld, and our own, world. I am also from NYC and lived there for 35 years including the show's run years so i really felt familiar with the setting and the kind of people that inhabit it. Anyway, looking forward to that new Seinfeld video and keep up the great work as always!

[@tim.martin]

Algorithm sent me here after I watched "What's the deal with Jerry Seinfeld?" on channel Dodford. My guess being that your new audience is more Seinfeld fans that you anticipated (updated algorithm?).

[@stevesherman1743]

I LOOOVE your impersonation of Seinfeld !

[@HappyCodingZX]

I always thought that the whole world of Seinfeld was full of people just as dysfunctional and selfish as they are. Just look at the supporting characters - George's parents, Elaine's boyfriends, their neighbours, the waiters in the restaurants, George's employers - all of them. And they all reflect parts of ourselves and the people we encounter, which is why we can relate.

[@nychris2258]

Yes, I mean what sort of creature is Newman?

[@mizzyroro]

Bubble boy.

[@geraldframinghammer2626]

No one would want to watch cooperation in the midst of main characters who are dysfunctional. Many of these episodes are based on real life experiences of creators and writers. And it's a show about nothing. People doing everyday mundane stuff, and the interactions in a big city putting a wrench in the gears of people's boring everyday intentions of just existing and getting through life.

[@MLennholm]

Agreed, the show didn't change with that episode, it always took place in a world where basically everyone is a selfish jerk. And the few decent people we encounter are made to suffer.

[@scipioafricanus5871]

@@nychris2258 Newman is a vile weed!

[@danlotesto4570]

I think the final scene with the four of them stuck in a cell together was brilliant. Whether intentional or not, it's a nod to Jean Paul Sartre's fampus play, "No Exit" in which three characters are condemed to torture one another in hell for eternity by just being themselves. As Sartre once said, "Hell is other people."

[@joebarr725]

And in the jail cell they are intensely debating the most insignificant topic imaginable.

[@CeeLoGreen666]

The same argument about shirt buttons from the very first episode if I remember correctly

[@RaptorFromWeegee]

Who you kiddn, SArtre stole that idea from the Twilight Zones 'Five Characters in Search of an Exit' episode. Seriously, I think of hell as a place where they send you when you're a bad person and part of the punishment is that you have to be in hell with other bad people participating in an endless loop of torment and abuse. Kind of like prison or living in a trailer park. Seinfeld's unflinchingly realistic and reflects the fact that most people suck and most lives lived suck. I loved the finale episode, what more were people expecting? Some cornball last-episode-of-MASH bullshit? Its a comedy so they made it funny and pulled out all the stops bringing back popular guest stars. They also tied up loose ends, settled scores and even achieved something poignant, in my opinion.

[@danlotesto4570]

@@RaptorFromWeegee On the other hand, 75% of Americans believe they're going to heaven. Given how judgemental, hypocritical, and/or just plain boring most of these people are, if they're correct, then being stuck in heaven with them WOULD be hell for me!

[@ponytrekker8996]

It was intentional they referenced other movies during their run

[@Kristopherf1]

I always thought Seinfeld's finale should have just been a regular episode without any extra fanfare so we could all just go on believing they were also still going on in New York.

[@trublgrl]

Honestly? Puerto Rican Day" is the finale you want. It's the last episode by the actual team that was writing Seinfeld at the time. I think they put everything in that show, it is jam packed with laughs. The "Finale" episode brought back creators from the beginning of the series, like Larry Charles, and wrote a show that was supposed to be "important," and maybe didn't feel like it was in the same world we've been watching. To me, that's the real finale.

[@smkh2890]

Far worse was the finale to 'LOST', which was a lame cop-out.

[@Barbarous_Wretch]

I agree. And it's what the Sopranos did. But then people started trying to read secret codes into everything in that.

[@readpad9415]

The finale was fine. It was a curtain call for the actors and characters. Geez, don't be so entitled.

[@gggumball]

@@readpad9415 it didn't make a lot of sense

[@icyshells]

I never thought they were evil or garbage people. Just that they were imperfect and neurotic.

[@Shishkebarbarian]

its funny, that is precisely how they all came off as during the show's heydey. at least here in NYC. imperfect, neurotic, relatable.

[@lm_b5080]

i think after watching curb and getting to know larry david better through it, its clear thatt the seinfeld characters are often just the worst versions of larry or him imagining what'd happen if there were no societal norms to obey

[@brotheldan2009]

They arent evil, Kramer is a hell of a guy and George gets fucked with almost un necessecarily every episode

[@9and7]

No. Just ahead of their time. Which is what makes the show timeless.

[@gunjaneighteen]

Like all of us.

[@stephenboughter4519]

I have always thought it was a great ending. What a creative way to bring back and honor all of the hilarious minor characters that helped make the show great throughout the years.

[@TheGreatPresenter]

I agree

[@sandragizzo3251]

💯

[@mikelomez9313]

Yeah I liked it as well and let's be honest there was probably no way they could have made the finale episode something that people would like.

[@vaneast411]

this

[@michaelwelch9123]

I watched Seinfeld when it came out, and what stood out was that at the time, most sitcoms were centered around a work locale, or a family with x number of kids, and these things drove each story. Seinfeld dealt with things everyone could relate to, at least early on. Two of their best episodes the Chinese Restaurant and the Parking Garage were just four friends having z bad day.

[@TheJeremyKentBGross]

Those episodes were legendary.

[@TheSodaShop]

Yes! They have such relatable problems and that's what makes in brilliant

[@brandondetroitfanmichaels4325]

You probably like the fly episode of breaking bad... Because it's artsy or whatever

[@sandragizzo3251]

Loved the Chinese restaurant one! Daring Elaine to eat the EGGROLL on someone's table! Onea my favorite episodes!😂

[@heirrose1606]

This take is garbage. What a privilege to not know the world is just as false & cruel lmfao. Where & how did you grow up? Even as a teen watching the show I realized the show was about Everything, about every little thing that bothered them & triggered their selfish & regularly neurotic behavior.

[@sandyago4735]

I loved the finale. They were sentenced to live within their self created jail cell. The camera pulls away with the characters chattering about nothing. Brilliant

[@whatismyname5151]

Not just about nothing, its the same conversation he had with George in Ep1 of the show. About the buttons. Look up "Seinfeld First scene vs Last Scene"

[@chrisc6015]

I also enjoyed the finale

[@JamesScottSelfDefense19]

Then Jerry bombs in the jail...

[@hungryjackman]

In the jail cell, Jerry points out that George''s buttons are unevenly spaced, just as he does in the first episode. Good bit, but it also hammers in that these are static characters and their lives aren't going to change much, even in jail. They aren't crying or in shock, they're just apathetic as always, and it's funny in that Larry David kind of way. Anyway 10/10 video, great take.

[@redacted2275]

Larry wrote the episode, it's on purpose. It's not "hammered", their lives are a never-ending loop of the same situations... all four of them have some sort of epiphany throughout the whole show to change things up (Kramer going to Hollywood, Elaine wanting to "stop living like children", Jerry questioning "what they’re doing in life" talking to George) but all four of them can't break out of this loop.

[@zapkvr]

Its rare for people who are so in synch in disposition to find one another that's why it works. We know it's rare so there's nothing recognisable about it. In real life there's always that profound tension between us but this group have a very simpatico world view. It's the essence of life long friendship.

[@CanadianLoveKnot]

I think the Finale has aged really well. Once you understand that the show was never going to deliver a perfect episode to close everything off, but rather find a creative way to bring back every character from the show.

[@horace6851]

I always liked the finale. But funnily when there was a clip of worst finales ever I recognized How I Met Your Mother. Also a finale I really liked and thought it matched the story perfectly. But I also like GOT finale so.... I might not be the best person to judge, or so I hear :)

[@AdVentures-kf6kx]

The best show that is still captured by a phrase used today is - "Not that there is anything wrong with that"

[@cqrql]

I never understood the hate for the finale. So what they ended up in jail, it was a one year sentence.

[@Mullkaw]

i honestly doubt it's as real as modern news articles make it out to be

[@user-wc5lp5pr9k]

Plus the finale of curb your enthusiasm suggests a follow up on that

[@gregbasore2108]

I love the Seinfeld Finale because it subverts the classic "clip show finale" format so perfectly. Instead of a bunch of clips looking back fondly at all of the best moments of triumph and love for the main characters as they prepare to move onto a better life, we get a montage of them at their worst before they're locked up in prison.

[@steveyoung1224]

This analysis is spot on. First, how do you wrap a 9 season hit show in 30 or 60 minutes? The more I watch the finale the more I like it. In the end they all get tagged for being the people they are. A year in the slammer and then back to their lives. It's the ultimate Seinfeld moment and back to business as usual. It's been nearly 25 years and the show is as popular with Seinfeld fans as it ever was and more than likely picking up new fans and new haters all the time. Viva La Seinfeld.

[@gregbasore2108]

@@steveyoung1224 Yup. Also, the best finales are the ones that people argue about for years afterwards. The kind of ending that stirs up debate for people watching it as it airs or discover the show years later when they can binge the whole motherfucker. M.A.S.H., The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, LOST and How I Met Your Mother are all great shows that still get talked about. By comparison, shows that have a strong consensus on their finale, good bad or confusing, tend not to last long in cultural conversation and if they do, it's generally for the wrong/unintended reasons. Game of Thrones is remembered for It's disappointing final seasons and terribly executed finale. The final 13 episodes, that were aired during two separate years were a rush job that soured the love audiences had for the preceding six season. The Good Place was a great show with a great finale, but there's not much to be said about that final episode beyond "It was a fitting end to the story" and that it left no need for any spin-offs or follow up, because it literally resolved everything in it's universe. Then there's St. Elsewhere, which wouldn't even be talked about today outside of a "great hits that time forgot" list if it weren't for the wacky final moments that ended with a "what the fuck" moment and writer Dwayne McDuffie writing an essay about how it's a good thing that TV shows aren't enslaved to continuity because a weirdo twist like that would get nixed in the writer's room, because everyone would point out that it'd destroy every show it crossed over with and all the shows they crossed with etc. People missed the point of the essay and spread the idea that "St. Elsewhere's ending means that nearly every show on TV is part of the twist!" which ends up validating the original point made by McDuffie in the first place, that TV works best with self contained continuity or small pockets of shows in a shared world. The ultimate proof of St. Elsewhere's cultural irrelevance beyond it's weird twist ending, is that practically no one ever talks about the show itself, or the characters or their arc or the plots or even likely knows any of those details, because the only reason anyone knows about it, is that it's got a reputation for the weirdest ending ever.

[@SunshineSuperstar]

They did do a clip show just before that episode!

[@peterolbrisch8970]

​@@SunshineSuperstarSuck it.

[@peterolbrisch8970]

​@@steveyoung1224It's a sitcom. It's not going to end like a movie. These people who don't like it are pretty clueless. What did they expect, a atomic bomb explosion?

[@ShadowKrueger]

The finale of Seinfeld is actually brilliant in a subtle way. The line that started the show ended the show. The first and last line of the show is George and Jerry saying "that button is in the worst possible spot, the second button literally makes or breaks the shirt."

[@cade377]

Exactly. The issue with many Series Finales is simply that everyone has their expectations set so incredibly HIGH. HIMYM, to me, the finale was great. But most had some other expectation of what they wanted to see.

[@BuckyNugget]

Can you name 1 funny line in the finale?

[@ParodyKnaveBob]

​@@BuckyNuggetYes: Jerry doing standup in correctional orange (paralleling the old days when he'd do standup as intros, outros, and/or interstitials).

[@ParodyKnaveBob]

​@@BuckyNuggetAlso, OP named one before you asked. $:^ ]

[@BuckyNugget]

@@ParodyKnaveBob Yeah, that was hysterical 🙄

[@PZHeadRecords]

"Show about nothing," was a line the character George used to describe his idea for the fictional "Seinfeld" sitcom that was a storyline in Season 4; it was never meant to describe the Actual Seinfeld (except in a self-deprecating, tongue-in-cheek way by the show's writers). The line has been seized on over the years by the media as catchy hook/tagline in practically every presentation - print, video and otherwise - done on the show. Even upon a single, random viewing, however, Any observer can easily see that the show not only Isn't about Nothing - and never was - but that it's almost always about a Whole Bunch of things, as one of Seinfeld's hallmarks was to have multiple storylines (often a separate one for each of the four main characters) running parallel within an overarching main plot in each episode, with each storyline carefully designed to converge with one or all of the others at the episode's climax or conclusion. The show's writers have further explained that they would not even Start writing an episode until they had Four good ideas to use as the bases for an episode's main bits or threads. Rather than a "show about nothing," Seinfeld instead was a show About A Lot (some might even say About Too Much at times' esp. in later seasons).

[@NintenDobs]

Here's an easter egg for the percentage of your viewers that haven't watched the show should still appreciate: the clip used showing George push those kids out of his way also shows him pushing a clown, that clown was played by Jon Favreau 😀

[@bigmoneyben08]

that's cool. I always thought the clown was familiar

[@gunjaneighteen]

You're struck on a clown from the 60s man!

[@IHaveArrived]

Eric the Clown never heard of Bozo.

[@justlooking1593]

oh i love that

[@scottvincent184]

You're living in the past man, your all obsessed with some clown from the 60s!

[@HandOfGodGR]

They're not horrible people. They're neurotic and marginalized but at the same time hillarious! Brilliant

[@kev3d]

No, they're horrible. Theft, fraud, criminal negligeance, impersonating a lawyer, impersonating a police officer, impersonating a doctor, the list goes on and on.

[@llornkcor8880]

George pushing the kids, the clown and even a grandma out of the way while yelling "Fire!" is one of my favorite moments of the series. Still makes me audibly laugh every time I see it or even think about it. And I enjoyed the finale. It couldn't be just another episode and then nothing. There had to be a line in the sand. All of the characters over the years is what really made the show greater than it otherwise would've been. Most shows start doing that in their fourth or fifth season because they've run out of ideas. They did it almost right out of the gate so it never had that staleness that every show gets eventually. Plus there wasn't constant reruns on or on-demand streaming back then so it was cool to have a review of all the great moments through the years. Best show ever.

[@kroneland]

I'm a HUGE HUGE Seinfeld fan and have been my whole life. I grew up watching it and I still watch it today. I want to thank you for this video. I've never liked the popular take that they're all awful because they're no worse than anyone else in the city.

[@vikker8274]

This

[@Mystipaoniz]

I think i will never stop watching Seinfeld. It's one of these i watch in a loop, waiting for another stuff to watch xD Seinfeld, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Tales from the Crypt... They're in the loop haha

[@willie9797]

Jason Alexander said in an interview that it was The Contest episode that "changed everything"

[@henrybelman7424]

I've always thought that the problems with the finale are kinda twofold. First of all, it kinda shames the audience for like the main cast. Despite how terrible they are, they are also super relatable and likable. Second, its a two part clipshow which is just lazy and it doesn't make much sense for a show with a structure like Seinfeld to have a definitive ending. I enjoy parts of the ending, but seriously, as you said, they are not much worse then the society they inhabit. There are actually a ton of episodes that show that the society at large is pretty much the same as them.

[@mikeschliker5176]

the real reason is everyone wanted Jerry and Elaine to confess their love to one another

[@henrybelman7424]

@@mikeschliker5176 Did they? My dad is the biggest Seinfeld fan I know and he didn't want that. While I watched long after the fact due to being a mere 23 years old at the time of writing this, I didn't want that either.

[@joermnyc]

The last episode brought back Larry David to write it, the episode prior, “The Puerto Rican Day” was written by all the writers on the show that were still there after Larry left.

[@mikeschliker5176]

@@henrybelman7424 idk man of course literally maybe not "everyone" im sure theyre were a few oddballs yourself included that may not of wanted that but i do remember lots of people were wondering if this would happen ;)

[@GObama2k8]

I’ve definitely got to second this. Being old enough to watch the show during its original run there was huge anticipation going into this finale, and universal dislike didn’t have to do with a message about the characters: it was that the finale was a big letdown. It amounted to a clip show when the audience was anticipating the ultimate Seinfeld episode. Larry David is no slouch, so I think it’s every bit as clever as this video and others have suggested, but most of these things are judged relative to the expectations of the moment (The Phantom Menace?), and people thought it was lazy and a letdown.

[@Mrbeahz1]

Prople tend to forget the first part of the finale'. The 4 are in a private jet flying to Pari, when it goes into a nose dive. After a couple of minutes of terror and confessions to each other, the plane pulls up and makes an emergency landing in New England. No it didn't - it crashed. The trial is their Last Judgement, and the jail cell is their own private Hell, a Sartre-esque place of pointless conversation. "Hell is other people".

[@themonsterunderyourbed9408]

If it's hell. They aren't together and Jerry is still enjoying himself doing his act. It's not a very unpleasant hell. I think your theory is complete BS, especially since they had a reunion show on Curb.

[@bossfan49]

And it was only a 1 yr sentence.

[@joshuasteward6097]

I like your analysis! Too bad jail did not change their mundane self-absorption though. I wander what a proper hell that punished each of them would look like?

[@tim.martin]

ITT: people fail at recognizing a metaphor. "but they had a reunion show on Curb" LOL

[@jpp7015]

I think that's a very plausible explanation.... the one-year jail sentence I believe was just to leave the door slightly open in the event they wanted to return the show

[@Father_Daniel]

I actually really like the finale. Its the perfect opportunity to see all the old reoccurring characters and gives us a look back at some of the craziest stuff they've done. They're definitely self-centered but they're sarcasm and hilarious criticisms off every day circumstances are what make them such great characters and even relatable

[@jeromelbbs9592]

Same here. I'm not from the US so when the finale aired, it was released months after it aired in the US. Social media wasn't a thing then so there's no real hype in my country and no high expectations. I only got to see it on DVD years after.

[@el_duderino_man]

I liked it. I watched it when it aired. People were just sad it was over and could not really make an argument for a better ending. Watching the show in Highschool and quoting the show the next day at school with friends always was a blast. Made for great banter.

[@vikker8274]

Newman and Babu had their best days, EVER. Loved the finale!

[@peterosy]

Perhaps they could of made a better ending episode without including all the previous iconic characters. But they did include them in a court room scene, which many years later I do appreciate more than at the initial airings:)

[@sir_fabulou571]

God I love this series, it has aged better over time. Glad to see you covering it.

[@djcruiselover3827]

I’m a huge Seinfeld fan and that is a very interesting take. I never thought about that episode like that. And I never minded the finale I thought it was funny.

[@PillarofGarbage]

I’m hoping to return to Seinfeld sometime soonish with a bigger, more ambitious video essay :)

[@djcruiselover3827]

@@PillarofGarbage I look forward to seeing it

[@themonsterunderyourbed9408]

The finale was just dumb and made zero sense. It was a very lame ending to the show.

[@falkorornothing261]

I thought the final episode was perfect. Sure, it was mainly a clip episode, but I don't see how it could have been done better.

[@falkorornothing261]

​@themonsterunderyourbed9408 made zero sense? What are you struggling with? The ridiculous Canadian law? Maybe a better question is, "How does someone make a final for a sitcom like this?"

[@CR3271]

Over the years I've come to really appreciate the finale. Whether or not you think the main cast were horrible people that needed a year in jail, at the very least it was a great way to get one last look at all the secondary characters that had become iconic themselves.

[@MykeLewisMusic]

The secondary characters are the best part of the show. As great as the main cast is, the casting director did an amazing job finding memorable actors to be in one episode here or there.

[@rickmcdonald1557]

Exactly Right~!

[@ProudPapaJD]

We got to see Teri Hatcher again, that made the finale worth it! 😂😂

[@cjeelde]

The finale: "they're real - and - they're SPECTACULAR" 🥺👉🏼👈🏼

[@ksharpe10]

The SOUP NASTI

[@ReturnofTheBunny]

Earlier today I was actually thinking about how the characters on Seinfeld are awful people, yes, but they also do a lot of pointing out and questioning of societal rules/niceties that are rather arbitrary, so they are relatable a lot of the time to the point that some their awful actions (where they go from questioning the niceties to rejecting them in the worst way) probably felt like wish fulfillment. Which is why people hated the finale. Then I watch this video and it comes to pretty much the same conclusion. A sucky society creates sucky people. Good video. 👍

[@John-ct9zs]

Yeah it was clear the finale was Jerry Seinfeld's way of nixing any future reunion possibilities, because everyone is locked up in jail.

[@perry-1572]

I’m actually watching Seinfeld at the moment, so it was refreshing to see someone give their thoughts on it in a format I thought reserved for things “with more to talk about”. Would love to see that other video that you have planned!

[@writeralbertlanier3434]

Interesting analysis . In my analysis , Seinfeld was always about 4 self involved and self absorbed individuals who looked out first and foremost about their self Interest. This is why the finale worked rather perfectly : These self interested people who would do things often. at the expense of others paid the ultimate penalty by being prosecuted in a small community under a good samaritan law. It was poetic comic justice for the characters .

[@justinlovelace8276]

I would really enjoy another Seinfeld video essay. What a great series

[@chadcognac5626]

The show is about 4 jerks that don’t know they’re jerks bc they always get away with it . . . until the last episode. I think that’s what rubbed viewers the wrong way, they’re beloved characters being held accountable, not just for the silly crime but with the emphasis of jail time, all the things they’ve done. While this episode did highlight that they are not the only bad people in NYC, this is late in season 5. I don’t think it changed the meaning of the show. They were bound to come across their own kind eventually. Nice video.

[@pinverarity]

The big discovery is that *everybody* is annoying? You think this is an insight? Sorry to burst your bubble, but every person who watched more than 3 episodes of the show contemporaneously understood that. The Bubble Boy was annoying; Newman was annoying; Puddy, Peterman, George’s parents, Jerry’s dates, the Soup Nazi, George’s fiancé & her parents, Banya, Poppy, the rental car clerk, the maitre’d at the Chinese restaurant…all of them.

[@TL8706]

One often forgotten piece of context is that nbc aired a clip show 30 minutes before the finale which is its own clip show

[@ktkclipper]

Me and my husband love love love Seinfeld especially the finale. We watched the show during its original run and also happily streamed it more recently. The highlight is that they remained exactly who they were, with little change if any at all. Also, that courtroom could have been filled with double the amount of people that were adversely affected by the cast. The writers trusted the fans to get it and thankfully didn’t mollycoddle us with forced personality changes. The finale was pure genius.

[@joebarr725]

Larry and Jerry have both said that their goal was "no hugging, no learning, just laughs".

[@ktkclipper]

@joebarr725 mission accomplished 😌

[@AATGClan]

Just got recommended this video. Seinfeld has been my favorite TV comedy since I was in high school. This video is incredible and you bring up a lot of unique points I've never thought of. Great work and it's sad that I've only gotten recommended this A YEAR after it was uploaded

[@TheSimCaptain]

The fans wanted a happy funny ending to the show. They wanted to believe that Seinfeld and his buddies were carrying on together as normal even though they don't get to see it.

[@John-ct9zs]

Yeah it was clear the finale was Jerry Seinfeld's way of nixing any future reunion possibilities, because everyone is locked up in jail.

[@mattroper7214]

​@@John-ct9zseven though they did eventually have a reunion 😂

[@I_like_turtles_67]

​@@mattroper7214 They did? I don't even remember that. 😂

[@ChicCanyon]

I dont remember wanting that

[@TheSimCaptain]

@ChicCanyon I'm pretty sure most Seinfeld fans wanted it. Remember that the show was "about nothing." It was based on ordinary everyday problems that were exaggerated, but we always got back to the starting point again in time for the next episode. The finale was a life-changing experience with the main characters ending up in prison, which didn't fit with the premise of the show. I know it was done to make sure that no one could ask Jerry to make another season of Seinfeld in the future, but it left a bad taste for most fans who loved the show and the main characters.

[@haytguugle8656]

I was as avid a viewer as anyone during the shows run. As for the finally, it wasn't what I would have expected; and that's what made it so enjoyable for me. It simply elaborated, and, in way, codified just how hysterically shallow these people were, which is what we loved about them in the first place. I was surprised and confused by how stridently people were bashing the finale in the days and weeks to follow its airing. But I quickly surmised that it was due to them, individually and collectively, building up such huge expectations combined with the inner sense of loss knowing the end of something dear to them was, in essence, being taken away from them. It wasn't so much a loss as it was more akin to a kidnapping/murder of a dear friend. (Extreme, yes. But so as to make a point.) I am convinced that it was likely impossible that the team could have come up with ANY ending that would have satisfied the majority of fans simply because they didn't want an ending to the show - ANY ending.

[@falkorornothing261]

Perfectly said. I can't even imagine a better ending. I doubt anyone else can either. Character assassination in court was the best way to go.

[@CastorWarlock]

Why does it take you 9 and a half minutes to make an obvious observation that is evident in every episode, and why present it as this game changing epiphany?

[@JohnSlickner]

He is British slow and they’re boring

[@TLoumena]

Well, he does call his channel "Pillar of Garbage, so he is just living up to its name

[@alexjones9674]

Yeah. Weak content

[@Dafoodmaster]

there's alot of seinfeld episodes i feel like, where the world is unjust.

[@dannyspelman1468]

I have to agree. The first time I saw The Finale, I thought it was a little bleak for those very same reasons. The cast are not the nicest people on earth but some of the characters they have to deal with kind of justify their jaded morals. So I didn't think it was entirely fair. Also, I felt for Elaine, moving to a separate prison. Now I like the finale. It bothers me less with time. They probably got out early on good behaviour and their lives outside prison was never actually Heaven to begin with.

[@nemomarcus5784]

I agree. Poor Elaine is pushed aside with no contact with her friends.

[@thecastiel69]

That wasn't awful impression, that was almost accurate impression

[@denmarkluceriaga994]

Towards the end of the finale episode as the jury returns to the courtroom, Kramer leans over to Jerry and says, “I think we’re gonna be okay. That woman just smiled at me!” Then Jerry replies, “Maybe it’s because she knows you’re going to jail.” And from what I saw in Kramer’s perplexed reaction at that point, his child-like innocence and optimistic perspective of other people was shattered. The world is just as bad if not worse than this group of friends, and everyone is looking to make someone else pay for their terribleness. Seinfeld was the king of taking serious themes and joking about it

[@edscott4729]

The episode that changed Seinfeld was the one where they reference solo satisfaction.

[@damnrapunzel8130]

I've never properly watched Seinfeld but I keep considering it recently. I saw a few reruns on TV as a kid and could never really get into it, but I do want to try again as an adult

[@PillarofGarbage]

I think it’s certainly a show which is funnier to watch as an adult, so it may be worth a shot!

[@keithbannister9271]

​@@PillarofGarbageAGREED!! 💯 Clearly the funniest sitcom to ever appear on American television!!! 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮

[@keithbannister9271]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@rathelmmc3194]

I was one of the rare people that loved the last episode. I remember watching it when it aired. The call backs were great, and later when I started buying the DVDs of the show, realizing that the final conversation was the same as the first conversation was absolutely perfect. It really showed that we've seen everything we can possibly see of these people.

[@rainmancw9022]

This show was our future to come as we live in it now

[@joermnyc]

The prosecution in the finale could also be seen as another example of this, since he’s needlessly parading in character witnesses to get a win in court because he’s worried Jackie Chiles will beat him (guess he didn’t double check Jackie’s record with the cast.)

[@kronosbach5263]

Id love to see more Seinfeld or 90s tv show content

[@rikkidelavega]

A friend of mine, who is a huge fan of the show, likes to describe it as "a postmodern comedy of manners"

[@1mihayes]

This is a good take on Seinfeld and it made me think about the “failure” of the last episode. To me the main problem with that episode is the reason why they were arrested and tried in the first place - their reaction (or lack thereof) to the man getting robbed. I.e. to me their indifference to the robbery just wasn’t typical of their normal reaction. Usually, they would cower or be afraid to intervene even tho they know they should. That’s typical Seinfeld. Or at least contemplate what to do. But instead, the writer made them all indifferent at the same time to the same situation, which never made any sense to me. They always reacted to situations with some form of over acting or over emotion. The indifference and subsequent laughing was too much for me to swallow and therefore cancelled out the rest of the episode. At the very least each member should have reacted differently to the robbery, argued amongst each other, and forced them to do different things, and somehow they all end up in the same place despite their differences. That would have been more in line with the entirety of the series. Just my humble opinion.

[@Retro_Impulse]

The Good Samaritan law does seem indicitive of an unfair and cruel world, just like the cast. I never thought of it that way.

[@terrydillon9323]

It was a great show. One of my favorites of all time, hilarious. Thank you actors and writers from that show for making me laugh.

[@ianohlander]

As far as needlessly cruel, arbitrary or petty people, Seinfeld had plenty. The dump operators who wouldn't let Kramer dump his trash, the woman who sideswiped a car and drove off, Rava, the assistant to miss Landis who wouldn't let Elayne get her racket, the dry cleaners wearing customers clothes, the umbrella sellers, etc....I think Larry David enjoyed showing needlessly petty people in that world.

[@BLipp17]

(I like the finale. It's them getting their comeuppance from a pretty minor event, and even in getting that comeuppance they still barely learn anything and just go back to complaining about minutiae)

[@moncorp1]

Elaine was the shallowest. Kramer, while often ignorant, was the most honest, often to the detriment of others.

[@grantorino2325]

What about the time when he put concrete mix into those washing machines so as to harden it into solid blocks?

[@richheardthis8018]

It's a good observation but to be fair, I think a lot of episodes even in the beginning of the show demonstrated the world to be imperfect and the cause of their neuroticism. The Chinese Restaurant for example which made them wait for food even though they were ahead of people. The movie episode where an incompetent worker although just trying to do his job asks George for a stub he loses twice. Even the episode where George tries to take revenge on an ex by displaying a cake-stained shirt to remind her of a bad dating incident is understandable to me since he felt he was treated unfairly and unkindly. I mostly never had trouble with the characters' actions other than Kramer who I thought was delightfully reckless and impulsive. I liked that they admitted their selfishness, insecurities and depending whether one identifies with such traits and behavioral impulses, you will either excuse them because you excuse yourself or accuse them of not being better than they are.

[@lafelong]

I agree... I think the "horrible people" trope sort of came about later. Certainly after the first run of the series, and probly for some people, only after the finale. Watching it broadcast for the first time, I think more people related to the main characters having to deal with the annoyances of everyone else around them (including some horrible people) - which, after all, WAS the basis of Jerry's successful stand-up.

[@haliegh134679]

i love seinfeld! so glad to see a video of yours on it, i personally love this episode but could never put my finger on that slight tonal shift. thanks for ur efforts !

[@CallsignEskimo-l3o]

A better ending would have been cutting to black after Elaine comes out of the bathroom while an 80s power ballad plays.

[@markuscriticus8278]

Seen it someone summed up, the Seinfeld gang are jerks, but the comedy (of Larry David's work in general) doesn't just come from their awfullness, but with the way regular people will fuck you over and expect to keep on smiling and their rejection of that.

[@nikeyboy5371]

Don’t worry about KZbin wrongly targeting this video, I watch mostly Seinfeld clips on here and it got recommended to me!

[@echtblikbonen]

No that was actually a great Seinfeld impression

[@genemilener8006]

For me, the Seinfeld final episode suffered by it seeming to be too much of a Repeatof a mere Clips episode they had run a couple years earlier. In the finale, revisiting the transient guest characters seemed too redundant at the time.

[@grahamblack1961]

It's weird to me the way they became considered such awful people, I remember first seeing it on TV in the early 90s before it was famous and actually thought the characters were likable people. They do dumb stuff, they can be self involved and selfish but they clearly care about each other.

[@mikeretzer6652]

I agree.

[@r3mdh]

“Moral equilibrium” - you are a poet, my friend. That phrase really resonated with me. You earned a new sub! 👍🏻

[@BruceMargolis-hh3it]

I loved the series finale, because it flipped on the seinfeld viewers, and said to them, “you have thoroughly enjoyed the destructive, petty antics of these jerks for almost 10 years. What does that make you?“ I don’t think it was ever about a high ground. It was always about the mundane crappiness of humanity. We became so enamored with the characters, the situation‘s and the writing, that we overlooked it. In the end, they shove it back in our face. Brilliant!

[@waynedurning8717]

Lol you’re nuts.

[@gwen6622]

that's not why the finale is like that. did you really not pick up on how petty and stuff they are until that moment? that's insane of you

[@gatesurfer]

There was never a high ground. By himself, George never allowed it. Jerry once said, “ in most shows, they make something out of nothing. And our show we made something out of EVERYTHING.” Hence you had Jerry obsessing over things like the size of a woman’s hands, or another woman wearing the same dress every day. Or George making up a home in the Hamptons, and then going to extremes to prove it. Or Elaine trying to determine whether a man was sponge worthy, or Black. Yes, It was about the mundane crappiness of humanity, that was obvious. What was interesting was how we liked, even loved the show, even though none of the characters were particularly likable. Jerry was a smart ass. George was clearly unbalanced. Kramer was completely self focused. Elaine was a flake. and they were also completely confident, completely comfortable in their flaws. In the end they’re sitting there in jail completely confused about what’s happened to them because in their mind, they’ve never been wrong about anything. That was the other thing that Seinfeld said. “ nobody changes. Nobody learns.”

[@amber6329]

I would love to see your take on what Seinfeld was really about;) New subscriber!

[@PillarofGarbage]

Thank you! Hopefully I’ll get to it soon, although there’s a shorter Seinfeld video I might do first :)

[@pabloapostar7275]

The Seinfeld two-part finale sucked NOT because they leaned into "the main characters are the worse". The episodes were badly badly written. There was no lunacy or ridicule in it. The setup (they witness a crime and do nothing) wasn't acted well and the characters weren't given conflicting reactions that would have led to comedy. The main characters are basically doormats throughout the whole thing. Notable characters were brought back to do the most memorable bits from the episodes in which they featured, but the bits were not set up. The performers just did the bit out of context. It was literally a parade of "hey, remember this? So do we. That's all. We aren't doing anything fun with it." The best episode* that leaned into "they are the worst" (season 7 ep 1) is at the end where Elaine, Newman and Kramer are arrested, are being driven to jail, and Elaine's voice over does the critique. Giving the critique to Elaine after an episode long set up was fun. The series finale sucked because it was badly badly written. * The second best is the book detective; if anything, they should have brought back that character in the finale to do crazily-formed critiques OF each character TO each character with "I found a witness to your m.o.: does -tag line- ring a bell with you" being the means to bring back memorable scenes AND THEN riff on them for comedy. The book detective would have made a great foil for comedy in the series finale.

[@viewindertv]

Looking forward to that longer Seinfeld deep-dive! I've been subscribed for a while, don't know why i didn't catch this one til now - glad I did, I think your theory's solid (although i have a theory of my own about why the finale, and indeed the last couple of seasons, left the show's fans with that bitter aftertaste...). Anyways: nice work yet again!

[@robertzenniful]

I love the storyline of George and Tony the way, George is in love with Tony is one of the best part of the episode

[@michaelschmichael3973]

You ( creator ) and commenters are all missing the real point of their character arc’s progression from regular modern people to modern pariahs. If you named a sitcom after yourself and played yourself and then suddenly became as famous as Seinfeld was and still is, wouldn’t you also want to bend that arc away from being based on your actual real life and reputation? Because, initially Seinfeld’s sitcom character is only a moderately successful stand up comic, and this is where the writers purposely crafted the fictional arc in a way that counters Seinfeld’s catapult to mega success and stardom. -The more Seinfeld ‘the show’ grows in popularity, the more the career of TV Seinfeld starts to nosedive. He loses the pilot, and his stand up routine becomes regularly derided by all the characters. A woman he is dating also dumps him after seeing his act. It’s like with Seinfeld’s Superman obsession; TV Seinfeld is the ‘bizarro world’ version of real life Seinfeld. After all imagine if the shows arc reflected Seinfeld’s runaway success and outrageous fortune, that would have been a worse ending than the one we got. Does it not make sense?

[@raddastronaut]

I loved the finale. I didn’t watch Seinfeld while it was on but for some reason my parents had it on that night. I didn’t get it. But a year later in college I started watching and it made sense. I love the ending. I also love Jane and Sidra. Best girlfriends Jerry could have had.

[@JB19504]

Fun Fact. Jamie Gertz is the wealthiest actor in the world (2024) worth almost 8 Billion dollars. How is this possible you say? Well she married a multi billionaire. They've been married for 15 years or more and have 3 kids together. Google richest actors in the world and her name comes out on top.

[@sammartina8574]

I think this sort of thing happened all the time in Seinfeld. In fact I think it happened earlier in this very episode. Jerry's girlfriend not being willing to give Elaine one square of toilet paper pissed me right off. I don't blame Elaine for being angry. Other episodes make the world look cruel too, like when Elaine had to take off a baseball hat at a baseball game, and in the Pilot Jerry being unable to figure out if a woman likes him because social standards are so tricky to read is portrayed sympathetically. So yeh, I think you're right on the money. That is what feels wrong about the finale.

[@leogeee1]

Funny as each episode was and popular, each character was a total narcissist and their dismissive and selfish attitude have consequences. I sure loved the enormous reunion of various characters the finale brought forth.

[@RARenfield]

The Newhart Show finale was the gold standard, mic drop moment of all series endings. I was expecting more of Jerry and Co. Now how about explaining that Friends was all based on a drugged out street person named Phoebe who dreamed the entire show. Seeing random people in a coffee shop and imagining being their friend. Seeing her own reflection in a full length mirror at a second hand store called "Ursula's Place." Twin sister? Think about it. Each and every show revolved around Phoebe. Her only real companion in life was a smelly dead cat in her stolen shopping cart.

[@grapefrukt7767]

I love Seinfeld and I love your unique viewpoints! Thanks for the amazing videos and analyses. Please keep making more!

[@hectormaysonet4939]

Great impression tbh

[@Push_Start_Nova]

Do it! I’d watch more Seinfeld breakdowns!!!

[@crashmanly6281]

I loved the finale because we got to see all those characters we loved one more time. Now that I'm watching Seinfeld again (and again) on Netflix, I realize that in the 90's these characters were pretty bad but in this decade they look like saints compared to what I see every day. I'm thankful for the time travel back to a simpler time.

[@TheJeremyKentBGross]

Tbh I didn't *generally* see them as bad, more like morally and socially incompetent.

[@clairekirsch9523]

This fought through the noise on KZbin. I would love to see more videos on Seinfeld from you!

[@daraghmorrissey]

I loved them as they were. Every other program on tv had people who were nice and somehow were better people at the end of the program. There was no growth with these characters and they were perfect!😊

[@live2thefullest617]

They are not awful people what made the show so great is how relatable they are in their self-absorbed self-centeredness, which is a reflection of all of us. I think especially if you are a native new yorker you really get it.

[@juanpedro_mov7372]

I watched this show about a year ago, for the first time, I just was bored one day and saw Seinfeld in Netflix but decided to try to watch it because a couple weeks ago my dad and my brother were talking about it and how it was a classic sitcom and really good one and so I started watching and yeah the very first episode wasn't impressive but i'm use to follow a story when I watch a show so when Jerry was a with a girl which he picked up at the airport and she was sleeping on his apartment somehow, I thought she was going to appear the next episode or something but it just ended and the other episode was another story, completely new. It was off for me but I started watching it and wow, what a great and funny show it was. Honestly the first season wasn't all that but it was fun. It was too short too but the 2nd season it's where it's at. I remember I stopped watching it after the first season and didn't continue it until a few months later and I'm glad I did, I binge watched it until Season 4 and later finishing the entire show. I loved that show. My favorite episode is "The Deal". A fun episode but also engaging since the beginning, that was the response from the show about Jerry and Elaine being together. It didn't work but it was a great episode specially the very first scene. I laughed terribly I remember and again I thought they would continue it but no, the next episode they weren't together. I kept watching the show hoping for some time for those 2 to be together and I'll be honest that was one of the reasons I kept watching but not the only one, the other one was Kramer. I love that guy! He's honestly my favorite character, such comedy master, physical comedy specially. At first I was like "who is this guy barging into Jerry's house, is he crazy?" "he's annoying uhh" but it slowly turned into "Hey that's Kramer, such a funny guy hahaha" "Hahahaha I love Kramer" "Giddy up" lol he's the best. Anyway about the finale I think it was fitting now thinking about it, I remember when I watched it, it was...anticlimactic, I even thought the last episode wasn't on Netflix or another season was mission Idk but I didn't like it, then after thinking and digesting all of it, it seems fitting for the type of people they were, they were assholes and we love them. The thing is I think it's hard to hate someone when they keep making you laugh and it was a sitcom, it was silly, clumsy, funny so we thought or at least I did all those bad doings were just to make us laugh but nope eventually consequences were met and they went to jail for it. Btw I love how there's even a scene of Jerry telling jokes inside prison, ohh I wish we've got extended version of that hahahaha Honestly I would like to see more videos of this show, hearing that you have finally understood the show, I wonder what it could be, I don't think it's more than just being a sitcom but I'd like to hear your side, it will be interesting but yeah in my experience everything was fun and games up until the point Susan died, I never thought I would despise protagonists from a sitcom ever up until that point, they were laughing and celebrating Susan's death, that was dark. I mean I stopped watching for awhile because of that and I've never done that. I think it was mostly because they were protagonists from a sitcom, in a drama or suspense show I can understand because there are tones that can be percieved but in a sitcom where it's all bright and beautiful and funny, that shit was dark. I still love the characters because they are iconic but wow hated George at that moment, Kramer was the one that least laughed and celebrated but George, Elaine and Jerry were assholes. Great series either way, a lot of funny moments and great characters.

[@ZenShroud1]

I think the fact that the first and last lines spoken in the show are the same(about the second button from the top on a shirt) says all that needs to be said: In nine years, these guys didn't learn a thing lol.

[@stevenpike7857]

The ending was terrible, because it was dumb to throw people in jail for not helping someone. The premise is completely ridiculous, too ridiculous even for Seinfeld.

[@mikeyh0]

But there were such laws proposed. In fact, there are laws to protect those who try to help but cause injury so they are not accountable.

[@Tek195]

Seinfeld also was & still is monstrously huge in Australia there has never been a time since it ended that there wasn’t reruns almost everyday The last episode was bad & I think the big thing was it tried to make a show about nothing about something & it was so ridiculous n stupid innocent bystanders arrested beauty of Seinfeld is people could always relate to certain things or nothing situations

[@facetiouslyinsolent8313]

You get an award for blowing this so far out of proportion. The characters and the way they act (horrible) are the show: the finale put a bow on that fact.

[@truegreenbeard7874]

I loved the series finale.

[@latenightlogic]

I fast forwarded a lot and tuned out at the 'disappointing last episode' part.

[@TheSimCaptain]

It wasn't that the characters were bad people. It was that their real personalities were exposed, and today's PC society cannot accept that kind of honesty.

[@georgebats9796]

No, it's not about the "PC" society, in all societies they would have been deemed as horrible people. Nice projection btw

[@TheSimCaptain]

@georgebats9796 Actually, they were quite PC in Seinfeld. Elaine was very woke. Kramer did a gay pride walk. And I remember the phrase "Not that there's anything wrong with that," when Jerry and George mentioned homosexuality. I suppose I should have said the hypocritical world we live in today. They were well loved characters with normal human imperfections. They were promiscuous, and they were not always a hundred percent honest, just like many people today, but I wouldn't call them horrible. In fact, it was their flaws that set up the hilarious situations. In fact, the maker of this video concludes by agreeing with me.

[@thebigd6249]

I watched this show when it was in its prime and now 20+ years later, I watch it over and over on Netflix. It was hilarious then and is super hilarious now. Especially season 9. Anyway, I think the finale really speaks to how things are today. How everything is so backwards today. Good is bad and bad is good. It’s almost as if they were trying to tell us something from the future. 🤔

[@Ofthegirl09]

Jamie Gertz was one of my favorite actresses, she could play anything, comedy or drama and be convincing. Seinfeld was a great show because of the characters and the acting. They were all such pros, you don't see that kind of chemistry anymore.

[@cowebc]

Cool video. It made it's way to me!. Been a Seinfeld fan 25+ years and you make a good point. I suppose my description of the show is a small group of people in the world, neither really good or bad, trying to get through life while confronting the crap that comes there way and how the deal with it just to get on with it. It's an absolute classic and yes I loved when an episode finale wrapped up all the storylines in a nice neat bow. So classy 👍

[@johnb1150]

The popular label the characters get is that they're sociopaths which is probably what engineered the plot of the finale but that's why it failed because as selfish as the characters could be, the notion that they would simply stand around laughing at a person being mugged was too preposterous to believe and contradicted 9 years of many times where they did show great concern for the well being of others and were not sociopathic at all.

[@mikey52034]

Hate to break it to the video creator but this "moment" has happened way before season 5 lol. Never the less you made a great video still.

[@ben.patrick]

I want to hear your longer video essay on Seinfeld. I would enjoy your take very much.

[@cwugrad396]

nah. nobody thought they were evil but then after 5 and a half episodes they were just like us

[@TheLadsBandLive]

The Seinfeld finale is a hack script and story. They may as well have had the judge in that awful courtroom sequence just hand the four main cast members the punishment of being butlers to the mugging victim.

[@LeeBoonesYouTube]

I think it’s pretty clear from season one what kind of world this show is taking place in, but I do appreciate the way you reframe the conclusion of the final episode.

[@Cyril29a]

I never really though tthe cast of Seinfeld were bad people more just slightly selfish and intollerant of discomfort. This episode didn't break any of that for me as I usually agreed with their takes on the weirdos around them. Even the marble rhy lady... he made it clear how important it was and she refused. He made a choice to steal it... not great but I kind of understand

[@xjcrossx]

This was a great video. I thought you were going to talk about the dovetailing of the storylines, but I was actually impressed to hear about the episode that changed the extra characters to be such awful people. Jerry said it himself how towards the end they loved having people who were mean and rude for no reason. So many of them when you think about it. The parking lot attendant and the homeless shelter worker come to mind. lol And Kramer should have said something like "I have to find someone to look after my dog." or something to that effect when they are in the jail cell ..since we never saw it after the first episode but like he still had it all this time lol