This Woman is EVIL | Sitcom Lore

[@wismar3630]

You do realize that these are fictional characters, right? I forget sometimes too.

[@Insidejokesgamin]

such an old person comment to make

[@ESPLTD322]

Yes, I’m sure he’s aware. You’re allowed to comment on fiction and enter into its world for a moment lmao

[@eldritchbeauty]

What a strange, awkward comment to make.

[@Madfrog625]

Pin of shame

[@Zett76]

Counter question: Do you know anyone who doesn't? :)

[@heavysystemsinc.]

This has nothing to do with anything but I had a date cancel because she didn't want to miss Seinfeld. I looked in the TV guide for that week and it was a rerun.

[@232mumboy]

sorry kid ya got elained

[@johnbrewer62]

I am so sorry

[@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460]

It is possible that you eat your peas one at a time? 🤔🤗

[@stevenbatke2475]

That’s what we call a keeper ;)

[@ethansloan]

That's rough, buddy

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

Julia Louis-Dreyfus was pregnant one or two seasons and that could be why we didn't see her as much. She was left out of the serial killer episodes because she was pregnant.

[@B-MC]

Did we ever see the serial killer and Elaine in the same room at the same time? What if Elaine was the real serial killer?

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

@@B-MC Good point!

[@ryanmcguire9951]

True, but only partially. She was pregnant for many seasons. When she was showing, they'd always have her have large clothes that hide her bump.. multiple episodes spanned out over multiple seasons.

[@davidstevenson404]

@@ryanmcguire9951 WOWW!

[@travismiller4320]

@@B-MCI believe her alibi of being in Europe with her psychiatrist boyfriend and not in California would clear her

[@Sorenzo]

I noticed a big pattern where George, who clearly has no self-worth and is constantly looking for a girlfriend, often finds a girlfriend off-screen, but then has episodes revolving around him sabotaging the relationship unwillingly, whereas Jerry, who is egotistical and emotionally stunted, often runs into and gets dates with girls on-screen, but then often end up breaking up with them off-screen. It makes sense as a portrayal their individual character flaws, but it also means George is continually portrayed as unable to find a girlfriend when that isn't actually his problem. I realize I may be reading too much into this and the writers just needed George to find a girlfriend so he could be shown ruining the relationship for himself... But I feel like the character suffers because we never see how George actually charms these women - does he have a charming side when his low self-worth is not causing him to fear commitment? Or does he just plain lie to these girls to impress them?

[@infosuge]

George has moments personal growth and learns from his experiences but he always goes back to his old ways, I find the whole cast static in that regards and think that’s part of the sad clown humour

[@spookyariel1]

He lies to them and tells them he's an "architect," lol. He's a worm.

[@mr_rgp]

I think I read once that he had over 70 girlfriends throughout the duration of the series. Maybe that number is exaggerated but he certainly had a high body count for someone who got in his own way often.

[@samk522]

He has kavorka. The lure of the animal.

[@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460]

We DO see George get girlfriends occasionally, and we had a clear example of HOW he gets them with the 🎵 *Coooo Stanza!* 🎶episode of him leaving things behind so that the woman _has to see him again_ at which point he's under their skin. It was the episode where he left the exceptionally expensive Russian hat that Elaine let him use (she was working for Peterman then). It might be the same episode of the Kenny Roger's Rosters where Jerry and Kramer switched apartments and personalities. 😂🤣😅

[@shewow8612]

This was a great video. Elaine is my favorite character from Seinfeld, but mostly for the same reasons you pointed out. The other three started out the way they are, they didn't grow but they so didn't change and get worse, they started awful and stayed awful. Elaine was the only one who became increasingly corrupt, cynical and angry and that always made her more interesting to me. Plus, growing up as a girl in the 90s, I liked having a female character that wasn't some cardboard cutout female who was there to be a love interest or token woman. She had her own personality and was just as toxic as the others, which I appreciated in a weird way I couldn't articulate at the time. I was always deeply impacted by sexism in both real life and media, and Elaine stood out strongly to me as something different than the usual fare. I can't tell you how much I loved seeing a video that interpreted her this way instead of focusing on her as some quirky Manic Pixie Dream Girl with silly dance.

[@WillowMurdock]

...although the Elaine dance IS pretty epic!

[@bricaaron3978]

*"...instead of focusing on her as some quirky Manic Pixie Dream Girl with silly dance."* Do you acknowledge that your _perception_ of femininity is wrong, and that there is nothing wrong with femininity? More precisely: That Women and Men are Different? And That's O.K.?

[@shewow8612]

@bricaaron3978 Your interpretation of my comment was so bad that I don't know what to say. If you go into things looking to be offended, you will be offended. So, no, I won't, and you won't get what you are desperate for, you weird, miserable person lmao.

[@PotatoGunCamper]

Technically only Kramer was horrible from the start. if you watch season 1 and the old apartment episodes all other characters were a bit different. George has a decent job, wasn't as much of a loser scheming. I think it wasn't until season 2 that the character all started to harden.

[@TV-ob1if]

You loved seeing someone get more awful as a human being ….. hmmmm

[@humantacos9800]

All four of the main characters went from selfish amoral lives to grossly narcissistic immoral lives. It’s an obvious metaphor for spiritual death.

[@normanclatcher]

The show about *'nothing,'* hm? 😏

[@Bolt892]

no such thing as amoral

[@absolutevalue23]

that's too deep. if youre thinking anything on seinfeld is about spiritual anything-at-all, youre in the weeds.

[@A_Succelent_Chinese_Meal]

It's just cynicism as a result of constant relationship failure but much like another said in this thread, there's a bit of overthinking by the fans when it comes to this show. The story is driven by the comedy, not the other way around.

[@Lostmusicvideos]

I think George is the worst because his Fiance dies and he's happy because he doesn't have to break up with her.

[@thesecorridorsoftime]

Haha yeah that Episode was intense 😂

[@NewFalconerRecords]

Larry David's mother was mortified when she saw that episode and actually rang him to tell him off.

[@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460]

Elaine still wins. After George's *"restrained Glee"* is seen after the doctor tells him Susan is dead, and they all expressed unsure condolences, it is ELAINE who says, *"Welp, you wanna get some coffee?"* She is helpful in giving George an out on pretending to be upset, which is nice, but still kinda sicko bananapants. 😆😅🤣

[@Lostmusicvideos]

@@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460 restrained glee? after she dies he punches the air and says "It's the summer of George".

[@inkarn8915]

The way the whole group treated her death was brutal lol

[@Halbmond]

Elaine even gets fired by Mr Pitt because of Jerry, yet she doesn’t get angry at him - and he doesn’t care as always

[@abaofifsz]

She does not care either. It was not her fault but just bad coincidences and neurotic idiots.

[@Accountdeactivated_1986]

Remember the episode where Elaine finds a group of friends that resemble George, Jerry, and Kramer, but the nice version? But then they dump her because she’s a horrible person. I think that’s a turning point where she realizes where she belongs - with the horrible doppelgängers

[@miseendriste6337]

@@Accountdeactivated_1986 Yeah that's literally in the video lmao

[@yvonnesanders4308]

Her big job was finding socks for a super rich man

[@Madfrog625]

She wanted to leave anyway. That’s why she was trying to impress that woman by letting her borrow Mr. Pit’s expensive tennis racket. She only wanted to stay because she was in his will.

[@TheGreatDevlin]

Elaine squaring up with George's dad in a police station sends me to heaven every time.

[@MiloDC]

"Are you saying you want a piece of me??" 😂

[@TheGreatDevlin]

@@MiloDC YOU GOT IT!!!!

[@MiloDC]

@@TheGreatDevlin The bloopers version is even more hilarious. I know you've seen it. Jerry Stiller owned that scene. Pure brilliance. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXfTfKZqe6p8itEsi=Y4kuYTvTWHxrIguC

[@sfr2107]

🤭🤭🤭

[@CarynDPrescott]

"I will drop you like a bag of dirt"

[@Anon12077]

I think George is 100% more evil, he’s just more pathetic about it 😂

[@jadedandbitter]

The will is there, the competence is not.

[@fobbitoperator3620]

Negative. Kramer & Newman just HAD to be closet serial killers. There's no other explanation for their...awkwardness.

[@lebenstraum666]

That's why Jason is also the voice of Duckman.😂

[@theehardpill]

My favorite weasel 😂😂😂😂

[@skyonrye]

Yeah I agree. Just because he’s insecure doesn’t mean he’s any less terrible.

[@jonvia]

At least she didnt steal a marble rye from Happy Gilmore's granny

[@melanieparker]

She did eat a 20-something thousand dollar cake and all she got out of it was a stomach ach.

[@ktxed]

that old hag

[@wildcardartsent]

The old bag had it coming!

[@DrHDoofenshmirtzphd]

IIRC, the actual answer is that Julia asked for more stuff to do after the first few seasons and more interesting stories on Seinfeld equals a descent into craziness.

[@alicewright4322]

same story with Dee in always sunny.

[@notsocrates9529]

"LET ME KILL MY UNBORN BABY!" Oh, ha ha.

[@brinnyxtreme]

and thank God the both of them saw the utility in their characters and advocated for them. can't have been an easy thing, especially in the 90's.​@@alicewright4322

[@PassiveAgressive319]

The network made Larry David write a female character as they thought it needed a balance against the male characters . So it makes sense she was not given more to do in the first few seasons.

[@cookingwithsilence]

He loves that Elain loves him. Thats so real.

[@yellowblanka6058]

That's Jerry's narcissism. Real Jerry doesn't seem too far off, fortunately Julia Louis-Dreyfus seems incredibly sweet and gracious away from Seinfeld.

[@Ninja-Alinja]

They made that into an HIMYM episode (“hooked”), with people keeping each other on the hook.

[@JerryC25]

Best hot take I ever heard

[@Name-bn3vo]

​ Couldn't agree more, also all the people who liked that statement would be high on the scale

[@themaggattack]

​@@yellowblanka6058 I agree! In interviews, in his standup, in his life choices, and on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Jerry Seinfeld always presents himself EXACTLY like his Seinfeld show character. An elitist, entitled, arrogant, cold, selfish, lazy, petty, whiney, womanizing pr*ck. It honestly bothers me how disgustingly rich Jerry is and how smug he acts about it! I really can't understand why everyone worships that guy so much! I can't stand him!

[@ajplays-gamesandmusic4568]

The best Elaine anger moments, are when her inner monologue is screaming.

[@emmasheehan7923]

I internally scream on buses like Elaine whenever it's full and people bump into me.

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

Elaine's best anger moment was her eruption over the constant serving of cake at the office. "Isn't it enough that we're miserable? Do we have to be fat too?!"

[@JM-er2yl]

Favorite Elaine internal mental breakdown was when she was the "best man" at a lesbian wedding and got stuck on the crowded subway.

[@AYFKMRN]

*LIKE WHEN SHE FINALLY FIGURES OUT SHE IS A HORRIBLE DANCER!!* Gah I cannot believe he did not mention this even in passing!

[@HankMeyer]

I love that somebody finally did a deep character study of Elaine.

[@futurewario9591]

I thought George was the MEANEST. He literally celebrated his future wife being dead ☠️.

[@MyUserTubeAccount]

not true... he celebrated his impending nuptials being over. George isn't some psychopath.

[@rishaa682]

Yes he is

[@streq9199]

I think there's a distinction between sadism/meanness and apathy/cynicism. George is maybe the most apathetic out of the 4, though Jerry and Elaine are barely behind. But it is Elaine the one that more frequently goes out of her way solely to inflict harm.

[@Michiganbreadboyz_bt8919]

Totally agree

[@cellytron]

Restrained jubilation!

[@polrua]

When the series started, the four main cast members all had very distinctive personalities. George was the neurotic guy who would get himself all tied up in knots about stuff to a degree that it didn't deserve, Jerry was the curious observer who'd enable George's neuroses because he thought it was funny, Kramer was a the weirdo friend who always seemed to have his own stuff going on and would occasionally try and loop his friends in, and Elaine was the detached one who could stand back and think, "Boys are silly", while being simultaneously unaware of her own stuff. The longer the series went on, the more everyone turned into George... which is to say, Larry David, and the more that Larry David quality got turned up. I really enjoyed the series when it started. It suited Jerry's observational humour style to be able to watch the interactions between these four people as they tried to navigate ordinary situations with their different quirks and attitudes. But the longer it went on, the more it became about a codependent clutch of self-absorbed a-holes who were completely unable to navigate any form of social interaction without making their dysfunction everyone else's problem.

[@true_ai]

So you're saying it got funnier

[@TheStruggleStreamShow]

@@true_airight!😂

[@RedSntDK]

IRL echo chamber, broken by their own feedback loop.

[@nanabonsu2349]

@@true_ai Was literally about to say that. I only binged the series 2 years ago, and I thought the early seasons were quite boring, it started gearing up in S3 and then from S4 onwards I thought it was amazing and its probably because of everything that the original commenter described

[@williamtopping]

Agreed. I'm watching it for the first time. And I'm 2 seasons towards the end, and it's becoming a struggle.

[@afterdinnercreations936]

To me, Seinfeld is like a live-action Looney Tunes. Jerry is Bugs, George is Daffy, Kramer is the Coyote, Newman is Elmer Fudd, Frank Costanza is Yosemite Sam, etc. Elaine seems to be the outlier.

[@juicyparsons]

I see Elaine as Sylvester- just absolutely cynical but wacky AF Big-head-ass Mr. Pitt- Tweety David Puddy- Porky Pig Kenny Bania- Foghorn Leghorn Tim Whatley- PePe LePew, J.Peterman- Speedy Soup Nazi- Marvin 😂

[@ToyInsanity]

Elaine is Grandma

[@jamescasson9483]

Newman might be coyote...or at co-coyote. Kramer may not be as devious.

[@Mtv-get-off-thee-air]

@@jamescasson9483plus most of the time, Kramer’s schemes succeed at least for a bit

[@20xx-mm-dd]

​@@juicyparsonsthis is amazing

[@jozkempf4132]

IRL, Elaine is a sad case. As a character however, its freaking amazing.

[@akadoujima3927]

I seriously read Kramer as Autistic, and have always seen him through that lens. I have the impression he doesn’t totally understand social interactions and all the consequences.

[@dustywaynemusic6297]

He's a pod.

[@m808bscorpionmbt3]

​@@dustywaynemusic6297 pod?

[@Misty8097]

The whole "wished he would drop dead" and "strike" storylines support this

[@JockoV]

My Seinfeld theory is based on the question, "Why are New Yorkers so cynical, mean, and un-empathetic?". The series begins with all 4 characters with good hearts and good intentions. Then over the years of doing their best to be helpful members of society all of their good deeds always seem to backfire and have unintended consequences. This continues until all 4 characters eventually devolve into cynical, mean, and un-empathetic people like typical New Yorkers and that is how the question is answered.

[@oooh19]

It’s expensive in New York

[@turtleanton6539]

​@@oooh19it is

[@jleigh329]

I agree. Like with "The Dinner Party" episode. They all go out of their way to get wine and babka for these people because they feel socially obligated to. It backfires, but it's mostly due to other people (to some degree) and George wearing a puffy jacket/coat in a small liquor store. But still they mostly meant well. And then in "The Maestro" episode George cares about a security guard and wants him to have a chair to sit down. All these actions don't really seem like something psychopaths would do. Just saying.

[@twiceremoved7339]

It's most big cities. City folk are, on average, terrible people. The good ones, however, probably moved there after growing up in a small town.

[@radhiadeedou8286]

When did they have good hearts and intentions?

[@user36able]

Sitting and staring at the wall sounds like something a depressed person would do

[@HuntingViolets]

It does.

[@miseendriste6337]

We do it now too it's called bedrotting, it's all over depression tiktok

[@mollusckscramp4124]

@@miseendriste6337 That app sounds like a more and more insane place everytime I hear about it lol

[@CNYKnifeNut]

Does it still count if my phone is technically between me and the wall?

[@darius4405]

@@miseendriste6337hahaha

[@EmperorTigerstar]

I never thought you'd make a Seinfeld video but I am more than down for it.

[@roadrollerdio565]

Especially an Elaine video! There aren't enough video essays about my favourite girlfail!

[@Kyavata]

It's not anger, it's competition. She's originally a nice woman who tries to do what's right, but that's not the game being played by the men around her, and so she comes back to destroy them.

[@MrPopo-nn7kp]

Nope

[@sadiemiller1780]

Newman. I've looked into his eyes. He's pure evil.

[@Kyavata]

He's merry...

[@murrieta49]

You can see what an inspiration this was to Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia

[@dogsandyoga1743]

Sunny is turned up to eleventy-thousand tho 😂

[@murrieta49]

@@dogsandyoga1743 yes

[@miseendriste6337]

@@dogsandyoga1743 Sunny is seinfeld on crack

[@CNYKnifeNut]

​@@miseendriste6337 "Children, you're... crackheads"

[@hattedferret]

@@miseendriste6337 Awww did someone get addicted to crack?

[@ottomattix86]

Elaine definitely becomes more angry as the series went on. Wouldn't you in her case? Surrounded by knobs. Jerry is inherently way more evil from start to finish

[@redacted2275]

She could've just... left. In fact, she did replace her friends with their "bizarro" versions and turned out, she wasn't good enough for them. She came crawling back to Jerry and co.

[@HuntingViolets]

@@redacted2275 I think she could try again. She at least couldn't go to prison with these buys.

[@sfr2107]

Facts

[@nebulousy]

Nah Jerry is not evil. He can actually be quite altruistic.

[@sfr2107]

@@nebulousy I'm not sure why George isn't the front runner for "most evil," although I don't think any of them truly are

[@stephenpenrice1230]

Great video, but as the example of Elaine’s gullibility around Jerry I would have picked her believing that War and Peace was originally called War, What Is It Good For.

[@SpiritSoPoetic]

😂😂😂 Jerry is so stupid 😭

[@slimjen1000]

That's the first one that came to mind for me. I couldn't understand why she believed him🙄🤣

[@snehaphilip5481]

Great video 👍

[@wellesradio]

I’ve been looking for this character analysis for years. This is the best analysis of Seinfeld I’ve ever watched.

[@user-bm1zk9qj6p]

I think the best part about Seinfeld is exactly what you said at the beginning: We're slowly watching these characters become more and more terrible and it's the best fucking thing George starts out confident in the pilot episode, the whole signals thing, the man was on the top of his game, and we see him slowly become an anxious mess, it's amazing

[@de6212]

Jason Alexander said he didn't really get how to play George until several episodes in, and then he realized the character was based mostly on Larry David. I think he said it in a Stern interview.

[@MicahMicahel]

@@de6212 yeah.. he was doing a woody allen in the first episode! It sounds weird. Like it's almost George but not. Kramer is odd in his first appearance too.

[@JBoy62497]

I can't get over the delivery of "Ask your mother... you live with her now don't you?" at 20:32. God, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is incredible.

[@themaggattack]

She actually said "you SLEEP with her now..." which is so much funnier!

[@JBoy62497]

@@themaggattack no she didn't?

[@matturner6890]

@@themaggattack you need your ears cleaned out my man

[@TheFriendlyGod]

nah, that's what I heard too. "you sleep with her now, don't you?"

[@travismiller4320]

“Don’t forget to wash your hands before SUP-per” always seemed rude to me. But George was right it didn’t take her long to sabotage her relationship in that episode!!!!!!!

[@Paul_Wetor]

This is a brilliant analysis of why the show worked so well. Thanks for including the clips to prove your points. Recently I watched all the DVDs and the episode where Jerry expressed true feelings (asking Elaine to marry him) disturbed me. It left the selfish Seinfeld world and became a world with real emotion. It was jarring to peek behind the Seinfeld curtain and see how artificial it really was. At the end it was back to the usual, but maybe I really did want Elaine to end up with Jerry. But it wasn't the same Jerry, it was an ordinary bland Jerry. I also remember the episode where Jerry buys his parents a car and Elaine suddenly pays more attention to him because she realizes he's richer than she thought. She offers to drive him to the airport (or pick up, I forget). Maybe you've hit on the invisible threads that run through the series. Viewers see the show as episodes loosely connected, but underneath there is a common theme that is not related to the plot. The characters have evolved (or devolved) into the final episode where they can only function with each other. They are four pieces of the same square and nobody else can fit in. Not Puddy, not Susan.

[@michellecrocker2485]

The fact that everyone in that friend group is so self centered, put it on the fact they’re all only children. Since they have no apparent siblings, they obviously had nothing to teach them to think of other people

[@soniatibacov1700]

nonsense, being a single child doesn't automatically translate into self centeredness. Also i know plenty of ppl with multiple siblings who think they are the center of the universe. also some of the characters do mention siblings on the show but they never appear.

[@JerekBilbar]

No one can be more evil than Jerry

[@badbadgilead2552]

Hard agree

[@mobus1603]

100%

[@kwakigra]

I feel like Jerry's cheating though

[@ZenShroud1]

Hello, Newman.

[@paperbagman8913]

Yeah, the crime he committed to comedy was unforgivable

[@Aivottaja]

I would rank them 1. Elaine 2. Jerry 3. George 4. Kramer Kramer barely registers compared to the rest. I don't remember him being intentionally malicious, apart from that final episode.

[@michellecrocker2485]

I think Elaine was a unique character. Every sitcom group usually has a token female friend but Elaine was more than just the token female. She had the ability to keep up with the guys which you rarely saw in the 90s

[@foodeaterwaterdrinker]

@@atomdecaytake off your pants

[@hazardousjazzgasm129]

@@atomdecay as opposed to figuratively?

[@darthkek1953]

Yeah. No strong females in the 90s. Except Friends. X-Files. Buffy. 3rd Rock. Star Trek Deep Space 9. Star Trek Voyager. Married With Children. Farscape. My So-Called Life. Babylon 5. Futurama. Lois & Clark. Xena The Warrior Princess. Stargate SG1. Ellen. Ally McBeal. Roseanne. Northern Exposure. Sabrina. Sex and the City. Neverending Story. ER. Tracey Ullman Takes On. But I do grant you there wasn't a lot of minge in HBO's Oz.

[@Itsthatguy24]

@@darthkek1953 minge 😂😂 Reminds me of the South Park episode where there was a Snuke in Mrs Clinton’s Snizz. There’s a character in that episode that repeatedly uses that word 😂

[@darthkek1953]

@@Itsthatguy24 classic British wearing. Found a good use in Ricky Gervais' Extras. My g/f hadn't heard the word "gash" for the same thing. Thought I was making it up. Then she started to notice it everywhere, e.g. Sons of Anarchy.

[@joegibbskins]

I think Elaine was added to the show because NBC wanted them to have a woman character and Jerry and Larry didn’t know how to write a woman and so they spent a couple seasons writing her as the voice of reason, before realizing that if they gave Julia all of the same sociopathic tendencies George has it would be funny in a different way because she is an attractive woman. As the show goes on her lines become indistinguishable from lines George would have except for how she delivers them. It’s very much the same story with Dee on Always Sunny

[@travismiller4320]

Now that line from The Shoes makes sense…I never put two and two together

[@stellviahohenheim]

No, the execs wanted Elaine to be a romantic interest to Jerry. They planned for Elaine to marry Jerry because wedding episodes in sitcoms usually will smash the ratings

[@joegibbskins]

@@stellviahohenheim that doesn’t contradict anything I said though

[@davidmitchell6873]

The female character was originally supposed to be a waitress at the coffee shop.

[@MrPopo-nn7kp]

Not at all the same as dee.

[@Go7Suarez]

I think you may be the only man on the internet who understands Elaine. I rarely watch this type of video and didn't expect to last the whole 37 minutes. I'm really glad I gave it a shot because I loved it. Thank you

[@JoseMorales-lw5nt]

The stolen statue episode! Thank you for taking me down memory lane. I recall this episode had my favorite Kramer moment. He essentially goes into the home where Jerry's statue was at under the guise of a Detective. HE WAS A GOOD COP... A DAMN GOOD COP! That line delivered by Kramer gets me every time...❤

[@matthewx360]

Make love to the wall pervert!

[@NoirDetetive]

What I find most strange about George's character is that he began in the series reasonably well and Is it only in the second season that he starts to going down the hill. Kramer is the one who freaks me the most, like what the hell he does for a living? Borrow from Jerry and sneaking into his apartment to snatch some snacks could be enough for him not starve, but how does he pay rent and bills? The way he is always goofy and space out in some occasions make me theorize that he is a pot smoker and probably a weed dealer as well. Jerry is a cynic to the point of being a nihilist, to him life is a joke in the most fundamental meaning, and he acts as money can sort out everything. Your takes on Elaine are pretty solid: she is the most evil of the bunch. Much was written about Seinfeld, never other TV series apart from The Twilight Zone in the sixties embody so well the zeitgeist of its days. Like, the anti-hero trope of the 2000s is really Seinfeld's nihilism and cynic outlook taken to the other extreme and there you have Tony Soprano and Don Draper. Anyway, awesome video.

[@NickRoman]

Don't you remember the comment that Jerry once made about Kramer? He has sex without dating. Doesn't have a job, but falls ass-backward into money...

[@dhalden93]

I'm so confused. Everyone's posting videos on april fool's day, and everything seems to be genuine.

[@BarackLesnar]

Double unfooled

[@serenitymoon825]

I think everyone is sick of April fools day, lol

[@kumaranvij]

Anyone who spends more than 15 minutes on an April Fools joke better make sure it's actually funny and not just dumb or mean. But they're usually just dumb or mean, which mean's the joke's really on them.

[@SineN0mine3]

​@@serenitymoon825I don't mind a prank or a joke but I'm sure glad we're collectively not doing fake news articles every April 1 anymore. It's pretty rare that you read or watch things on the day they come out unless you're waiting for it. It was funny a few times, like the BBC telling people that spaghetti grows on trees, that's pretty flawless for a joke. Your favourite brand pretending to release an impossibly cool product only to call you an idiot is less fun. There's an element of Poe's Law at play, eventually reality becomes so absurd that nobody knows whether or not it's a joke. As far as actual news outlets go, if a 7 year old can't figure it out for a joke 10/10 times it's probably not going to get the reaction you want. If the joke is that obvious, hardly anyone will find it funny. April fools day should mostly be about kids hiding woopie cushions and fake dog poo, not disrupting major news services for a whole day.

[@iandoucett4599]

Seinfeld has antisocial personality disorder and Larry/George textbook narcissistic personality disorder. They broke her.

[@TomMinnow]

I always thought of Kramer as being hypomanic not narcissistic

[@peachy_lili]

@@TomMinnow they didn't say Kramer was narcissistic. I would say he's got ADHD but that's about it lol

[@MacNuada]

Because she is a she? Ah as usual, not holding women accountable even in fiction, has to be the man's fault eh? Really tired of this but sure sure.

[@wockhardt69]

@@TomMinnowkramers name is cosmo

[@murrieta49]

Nihilists with sociopathic tendencies

[@kittyythecat]

I never saw Elain as a "pick me" because I remember the writers were supposed to write her as a "man" in show. It made me think that they wrote Elain like that guy who has a "bro-crush" to the point where it becomes a "romance"

[@themaggattack]

But it wasn't a bromance. As soon as they made her character be a women... and his ex... Who still loved him- That changed EVERYTHING. She was definitely a pick-me. Smart, but unfortunately not emotionally intelligent.

[@SineN0mine3]

Pretty weird that wanting to be liked is seen as an inherent character flaw despite being basically a universal constant in non psychopathic humans. People who don't want to be liked by you probably don't care about you at all, or worse they dislike you. I know that it can come off as needy or overly attached but I don't really understand why being a "pick-me" is such a problem that it deserves a special name. Like does anybody actually prefer people who are detached and aloof? Maybe as fictional characters but in real life being detached and aloof can be worse than annoying, it can be genuinely hurtful.

[@escarlit]

@@SineN0mine3 you're conflating the general desire for social acceptance with something else entirely.

[@yukarilolz]

​@SineN0mine3 I mean it becomes a character flaw depending with what you do with it, like say throw your friends (who already like you) under the bus, to get people (who might like you) to fully like you. I'm not sure if thats what Elaine does, but that's what pick mes do a lot.

[@vomitgiirl]

i think she’s a closeted lesbian, trying so hard to be straight it makes her into a pick me

[@pensacolian211]

"People with no empathy who never grow or learn anything." You mean like 90% of the human population? I still say the characters on Seinfeld are some of the most realistic characters ever delicted in media.

[@susanrichardson631]

Weird theory.... I don't think it's that Jerry doesn't care for Elaine I think Jerry considers Elaine to be an extension of him or part of him.... She is his female doppelganger

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

This is what a sponge shortage will do to a potentially pregnant person.

[@melanieparker]

That explains Doug Emhoff's nanny. lol.

[@Howitchewstofeel5gum]

I love how she seriously contemplates killing the dog without even considering earplugs lol

[@Icypenguigo]

This is probably one of the best Seinfeld-related videos I've seen on KZbin. Thanks!

[@zerorusher]

I may be completely wrong. But I kinda see some parallels between Elaine & Jerry and Kim & Saul Goodman. They way Jerry slowly brings out the worst side of Elaine vs the way Saul slowly corrupts Kim

[@T1J]

ive never seen that show but this seems to be a common sentiment

[@austinmccormick8952]

00:23 I wasn't shouting, but when I watched endgame in theaters. That's how I felt while watching Natasha and Clint fight to be the sacrifice

[@rtcommodore9354]

One of the reasons Seinfeld is funny is that it shows how various psychopathies boomerang on the emotionally disordered. In popular culture, psychos are usually portrayed as getting the better of everyone else. On Seinfeld, the psychologically disordered (which is all the main characters) all get into embarrassing situations as they pursue their schemes.

[@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460]

In that regard, what I loved most about Seinfeld is that, indirectly, their individual psychosis usually ended up hurting each other by the end. No matter what their individual story lines were, they would often converge to screw the others in some way. That's why I'm one of the few people who LOVED the finale episode because the way it ended screwed US, the viewers, which officially made us part of the group! 😆😁🤣

[@RoninX33]

@@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460 Very true!

[@HuntingViolets]

@@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460 Psychosis and psychopathy are different things. Although it is possible to have both -- do you think this group qualifies?

[@katelynrushe9025]

Now that you’ve detailed Elaine’s downfall like this, the series finale actually feels kind of hopeful, at least for her. Something bad did happen to Jerry like she hoped it would some day (getting jail time, losing out on another chance with NBC), and while Elaine got taken down with him in the process, it resulted in her finally being forced apart from him, George, and Kramer. She’s not in the end credits scene of the last episode with them, presumably because she went to a women’s prison, so maybe her year of separation from them will be what she needs to get over Jerry and move on.

[@503.00]

seinfeld reboot time

[@deljs6]

GET. OUT!!!! 😂😂😂 I think Elaine, in some ways just ended up doing and saying the things that many of us women would like to say and do lol😂

[@activatedcharcoal]

Lol, my only issue with this vid is that you can't lump stealing the medical file in with her more evil actions- she was in the right!

[@MarsMellow84]

This is why women should never try and be one of the boys. I loooooove Elaine! ❤ She doesn't take any crap.

[@jiggycalzone8585]

Thats whats so great about the show and about Dreyfuss herself. She did in 1 what took 3 male characters to cover for the guys

[@TimL-nr4hr]

I love when she ends up with the bizarro crew and they kick her out beause she's too mean.

[@paulw5039]

Julia Louis-Dreyfus said that Elaine ”should have her tubes tied,” and that ”She’s a miserable, decrepit old wretch.” So maybe not all women aspire to be like her?

[@Coolcoolcoolcoo]

I dont think its a bad thing to say she wanted Jerry's approval. Trying to impress and gain the approval of a person you're romantically interested in is one of the most basic human behaviors. Alot of the stuff we all do everyday is to that end. I think its worse to treat women like they should be held to some superhuman standard of aromantic motivation. Once we're fed and sheltered, most of our motivation is "romantic".

[@GabeBroDudeMan]

The point of the video is that its bad to want someone's approval so bad that you corrupt and change who you are because as its clearly pointed out, by the end of the show she didn't even recognize or like herself. This is not explicit to women. I hope you can see that someday.

[@sociallyinadequate8598]

I like how the only thing they have in common is that they're all Jerry's friend

[@nebulousy]

Saying these characters are completely selfish & without empathy is simply false. Jerry constantly shares with Kramer, he’s very good to his parents buying his Dad a Cadillac, he tries to help Baboo improve his business. He does favors for his friends all the time. He tries to cheer up his friend in the hospital. Kramer is extremely altruistic, he wants everyone in the building to get to know each other’s names & be more neighborly, he volunteers at charity events, he helps Loyd Brawn through his mental health crisis, he helps his friends a lot & reaches out. George feels terrible for breaking up a friend’s marriage, he does favors for his friends sometimes without expecting a reward, and he feels bad that a security guard has to stand all day & goes out of his way to get him a chair to sit in. Elaine helps her sick friend by babysitting her kid & takes the abuse from the child without lashing out at him. She tries to reconcile with an old nemesis at her wedding. They all help an alcoholic friend get sober. They are all extremely flawed people which helps make them funny & (at times) relatable, and that’s why it’s funny. People wouldn’t connect with the characters if they were complete sociopaths, despite how terrible they can be (like us) they are still a mixed bag.

[@Georghiou2D]

genuinely want to know how this meme started. the characters in seinfeld are normal people. yes theyre flawed like everyone else, but saying they're anti-social, or *evil* strikes me as kind of arrogant

[@christopher9152]

They are immature and self-centered, but that doesn't equate to "evil" by a long shot.

[@matthewroman6166]

I agree. Never understood the "they're all terrible people!" bit. I always saw them as the "normal" people who try to handle (albeit with serious flaws) the craziness of the world around them, social interaction, etc,.

[@Georghiou2D]

@@matthewroman6166 Another thing is that Jerry got a reputation for dumping women over trivial things. That's fair, but when you consider the types of things Jerry and George get dumped for (nose picking, etc) it kinda begs the question why those other characters don't receive the same level of scrutiny as the main 4

[@matthewroman6166]

@Georghiou2D Yup. The characters of Seinfield were up against petty and simple thinking people. They were always on the losing end of social misunderstanding. They weren't "evil", they were the normal ones, they were misunderstood. I think when it originally aired, this was well understood.

[@Bendilin]

I never felt like she was a more cheerful and happy character during the first few seasons, but being fake. Her niceness always felt like a front and over time she gradually dropped the mask. It is extremely unusual for an ex-relationship to have such casual influence and presence in somebody's life the way Elaine does. But the cast of Seinfeld are not meant to be seen as good people. They're all vindictive, petty individuals who are entertained by one another's presence and self-inflicted turmoils. Misery loves company, and Elaine is very miserable. Not cheerful.

[@thekat4493]

Seinfeld, Roseanne, and My So Called Life were the only shows whose characters seemed realistic to me back then.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes😮

[@juicyparsons]

Shoutout to George! Elaine and George are the sociopaths that make the show *HILARIOUS*

[@490Believer]

They are not stupid. They simply lack good character. Lack of good character leads to selfishness, self-centeredness, lack of caring of other people, and the inability to actually experience true love. They’re actually sociopathic and obsessed with self.

[@thespeedracer5772]

This is legit the best analysis of this wildly under appreciated show... In terms of the interesting individual character and collective group dynamics, as you've covered here.

[@Bedrockbrendan]

One of the most interesting aspects of watching the series again from beginning to end last year with my wife was realizing how evil Elaine becomes by the last seasons. She is a great character and Julia Louis-Dreyfus performance brings it to a whole other level

[@sethiddings7293]

I could see why you would pick Elaine by the end of the series but i think it's actually Jerry. "What's the deal with airplane peanuts?" Straight evil.

[@michellecrocker2485]

I think Jerry intentionally sabotages his relationships because he regrets still not being with Elaine whose the only woman who can take his BS

[@johnLennon255]

How? He's made it beyond clear that he wasn't interested

[@cartervision274]

Never knew Seinfeld had such a tragic character arc in it.

[@Arock-pu9zv]

This was great. I love how you basically read between the lines and connected everything. Pretty spot on, too.

[@johncouch2115]

This is the best video on Seinfeld I’ve seen. These are all things my brother and I have talked about. We think one could view the show where Jerry is the one who corrupts everyone else. Out of all 4 characters he’s the one without any empathy or remorse. 😂

[@themaggattack]

Yes! Jerry was the ringleader. The silent puppet master. Acting innocent- but so cold, entitled, and arrogant!

[@user-si3gu8pm6j]

Well...according to Puddy she is going to hell

[@FriedAudio]

Nice... 👍🏻

[@tapset]

It'll only feel like an eternity

[@NecromancyLabz]

My God the heat!

[@ingridgallagher1029]

It's gonna be rough.

[@CarlosRodela]

i was totally captured by this idea and your delivery from the very start, awesome edit job (I know how long this took!) and now I just want more of these retrospectives! awesome job

[@dirkantoine1]

This was actually pretty darn good, I'll be honest, when this video started I was expecting drivel... instead I got gold...

[@cherrybanana8534]

Seinfeld is absolutely the blueprint for Always Sunny, Sweet Dee is SO Elaine coded.

[@stevepensando2593]

Sweet Dee is crackhead Elaine

[@michellecrocker2485]

That makes sense. You can be friends with someone who you don’t completely respect

[@Scorch1028]

In the _Seinfeld Series Finale_ we see Elaine at her most evil when she ridicules an obese man who is being mugged.

[@think2086]

It's pretty crazy how the show's finale goes: they are all outed as psychopaths and go to prison for it. Hilarious concept actually, as depressing as the finale felt.

[@RobVanDelay_WholeFnContest]

Thanks for catching all this i never even thought that Elaine had a story arch throughout the series. This is Breaking Bad levels😂

[@LetsCrashThisParade]

Really felt your enthusiasm in this one mate, and the editing is super well done and clearly extensive work was done here, plus what an inspired topic that nobody was specifically asking for but we didn't know we needed! Love it

[@joelRmontfort]

Lmao Jerry was too busy with a 16 year old IRL to date Elaine

[@airyanawaejah2323]

17

[@joelRmontfort]

@@airyanawaejah2323 thank you that's so much better lol

[@metube3489]

​@@airyanawaejah2323 Glad we cleared that up

[@airyanawaejah2323]

@@joelRmontfort glad to help

[@CNYKnifeNut]

​@@joelRmontfort It makes a huge difference in NY

[@alfalfa2155]

What a delight to see a Seinfeld analysis! I watched a lot of Seinfeld in the 2000s when it was all reruns in jumbled order, so I never really got to see the progression of the show and characters over time. I really enjoyed this!

[@davidrossi1486]

Elaine loves Jerry but can’t stand him. Jerry likes Elaine. but doesn’t want a love commitment. Classic male female dichotomy.

[@johnnymurray6275]

George Costanza, " its not a lie If YOU believe it" and are you technically eating out of the trash if the item is sitting on top and just got thrown away. Lol😅😊😂

[@matheuscirne273]

So Seinfeld is, from Elaine's pov, basically Breaking Bad...?

[@JohnMoseley]

OK, but to be fair, all this allowed her to honestly call out The English Patient.

[@d.johnson1109]

Julia Louis Dreyfus was on maternity leave in season 4, which is why she was missing from the season.

[@kellyoneilfreelance]

It's funny that i had the exact opposite view. I remember during the finale thinking that Elaine didn't cross the line as much as the rest. But the dog-napping was bad. George takes the "meanest" crown for me after pushing old ladies and kids out of the way when there was a house fire. Or being relieved more than anything when his cheapness killed his fiance. Great video!

[@harveytherobot]

Dude, this is so insightful and well done. I had always noticed that Elaine changed and had a sense of why, but you summed it up so well!

[@SerWhiskeyfeet]

I used to do the Elaine dance for my coworkers in the electronics department when I worked at Target. There’s a level of anti-rhythm there that’s nothing if not diabolical

[@hnybee113]

This was one of the most entertaining and authentic of a character we all felt some how connected too. The crappy bitter adult we NEVER wanted to be. Especially a teen growing into young adult years while this masterpiece was actually on my TV in real time.

[@magicman763]

if you make more videos for each member of the group (especially George) i am seated

[@steveburke7675]

There is a lot of analysis of Seinfeld and it's characters here on YT. This one is the best by far. Cheers.

[@linuxdeveloperuy]

I have never seen such a deep analisys into... Seinfeld. Awesome job here man. You changed my perspective of the series. Subscribed.

[@CaptPeon]

What a depressing character arch! I watched the first few seasons but eventually got my own life... okay, i was homeless, and lost track of the show. I feel sorry for Elaine, the disfunction consumed her

[@MrisaVigil]

I don't know if this means anything to you but I was also homeless, and a lot more people are or have been that don't feel comfortable saying it and I just think it is like good for society for people to be honest about that since it's such a common thing. Glad youre better now, I assume!

[@CaptPeon]

@@MrisaVigil I, respectfully, agree! Honestly talking about our truth is the best first step in making the world a better place. In my opinion, the most toxic people are the ones that (even violently) defend the lie that their lives are perfect. We're all a little broken and, if we just admit it, then we'll all be better off! Honestly, my life's a bit of a tragedy but that doesn't mean that life's not also a wonderful journey full of loving, kind, and beautiful people. Honesty is the key to healthy and supportive communities. Be well!

[@HalasterBlackCloak-u2w]

Me too and i hate my family and society and the system and civilization for doing it to me.

[@Skibbityboo0580]

Thanks for digging up this old show for us 90's folks! Great analysis. I never put a critical eye on Seinfeld so this was awesome, thanks!

[@davidfl4]

This was an excellent video. So insightful, it really made me think about this series in a totally different way after seeing it a dozen times. You really made think “huh maybe there is something of an arc there.” Well done! 🙏

[@T1J]

Whenever I do these kinds of videos, I always think I might have to take some logical leaps, but usually these arcs flow together pretty seamlessly, and makes me think these writers knew what they were doing.

[@AnotherTaco.YesPlease]

I was away living overseas for ten years, come back to the states & every re-run I see I still laugh at. Well written & performed :)

[@TnT_F0X]

As a Germophobe I will let other people I know try my food... cause I know they're clean freaks too. Not like... a bite of my burger, I'd cut a triangle off, but utensils and the person being at least 90% as cautious as me is passing germ security. Also as someone who couldn't name any sportsball player I'd definitely say yes to a Nick V Bulls game in a Limo and sportsball box... The Bulls are the Hockey team with the upside down robot reading a bible right?

[@rebeccalaff853]

I enjoyed this so much I've watched it 3x! I love how you caught all the little things. Love love love it *chef's kiss*

[@NUFAN1313]

Why am I just now discovering your channel?! BRB, gonna binge the rest of your content.

[@CNYKnifeNut]

Literally me a few weeks ago

[@jackspielman5488]

This is great because jerry and george also have a fair claim to being the most evil haha

[@CJWass09]

Jerry's the dude you want to hang with, but he doesn't like new friends 😂

[@think2086]

Elaine would become emperor. Jerry, the Jester, Cramer the village fool, and George the incompetent bureaucrat who gets his head chopped off by the emperor.