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My Top 10 Favourite Seinfeld Episodes - Part 3 · Death by Multimedia

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This is thoughts from the Metal Cabin, where only one opinion
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matters and it's not yours. G'day there and welcome to.
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Today's episode of. Thoughts from The Metal Cabin
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And today is the third. And I do promise this time the
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final. Part.
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Of my favorite top 10. Episodes of Seinfeld, I know, I
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said. That last episode, but it just
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went a little bit longer than I thought it was going to.
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So I thought, well, we'll just ease up and we'll make a third.
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Episode that gives me an extra week off or I don't have to
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think of a subject to come up with and we go forward.
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From there, listen. Thanks to everyone who's
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listened to the episode so far. Apparently the first episode was
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well received, except I got lots of comments back from my mother,
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who chose not to say that she enjoyed the episode or thought
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it was worthwhile listening to, but instead.
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Listed all of the things that I had actually gotten wrong.
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In that episode, so no. Praise for a well thought
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episode. Just things like it was Master
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of the house. From Les Miserables that George
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is. Whistling and not the.
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From the man of Lamantra. Which I think I.
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Said in that episode, and I think there was something else I
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said as well that she then said that I'd mistakenly.
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Said so, it's always nice to have your errors pointed out.
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Sometimes it would be nice if you got the you know perhaps
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well and again. Maybe my mother didn't.
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Enjoy the episode SO. Perhaps that's why she didn't.
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Say it so. Today we move forward and we
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have the final three series of Seinfeld.
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Series 7-8 and 9:00 to. Get through today, and of
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course, we still have two episodes to reveal in my top 10.
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Seinfeld episodes ever. So enough of me lollygagging.
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And gas. Bagging and all those kind of
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words that make no sense. And probably not part of the
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English language. Let's get stuck into today's
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episode of the Top Ten Seinfeld Episodes Ever, right here on
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Thoughts from The Metal Cabin. So we start today at the start
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of season seven, and season seven is all about George and
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Susan's engagement. And this runs through from the
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first episode. To the final episode, and it
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really does make. For a lot.
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Of hilarity along the way. So of course we start off with
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season one episodes. Which is the engagement, And
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this really did come close to making this list of top.
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Season seven, Sorry episode. 10 episodes, obviously.
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Jerry and George are sitting there in the in the coffee shop
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and decide that life's just not. Working and that they need.
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To make a change to their. Of course, Kramer then talks
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Jerry out of it. It's it's a it's a prison.
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A man made prison. But George, of course, has gone
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ahead with what he's decided to do.
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And he's. Gone and asked.
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Susan to marry him. So they get engaged and of
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course George then finds out that he's backed out of it.
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And, of course comes the line. We had a pact.
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We shook on it. We shook.
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Hands, and that comes up pretty much a dozen times during the
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season. Also, that episode, which is why
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it was so good, was. Elaine and the dog that.
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Would stop barking. And Kramer said.
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Do you? Want to get rid of?
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This dog I know a person. Of course, it turns out to be
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Newman who? Obviously hates dogs.
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Because he's a postman. Terrific episode.
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And lots. Of fun all the way through,
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which is followed by episode 2, the postponement where George of
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course can't, cannot commit to being getting married so soon
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and the only way he finds to. Change that is to start.
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Crying like a little girl. So that's what he does.
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It's also the episode where Jerry finally gets to see.
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Plan 9 from Outer Space. On the big screen.
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Now remember in our. First best episode.
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The Chinese restaurant. That was where the through then
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we're going to go to that guy. Seen plan 9 from outer.
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Space on the big screen of. Course that didn't work.
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It happens here again, but this time he goes with Kramer.
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And if you remember. Kramer actually buys a coffee
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and takes it in with him. Which is an outside coffee.
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And of course, he weren't allowed to do that.
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Kind of stuff in the. Movies, as we all know.
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And of course, Kramer spills on himself.
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Jerry gives. Him up.
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But Kramer says he's found a He's.
5:18
Found a lawyer who reckons he can get millions of dollars in
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compensation because the coffee was too hot.
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And of course, Jerry says. Coffee's supposed to be hot.
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And Kramer goes not that hot. Just beautiful.
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Which leads us into episode 3, which is the maestro.
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And. It does involve Jackie Charles
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coming in. It's Kramer's lawyer and his
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attorney who's going to get him all his money.
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The Maestro. Of course, insists on being.
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Called the Maestro. Even though that's not his.
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Name Bob. Bob's his name.
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Bob Cobb, in fact, and. He actually gives.
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Kramer A bomb? That he ends up using on his
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burn, so the the burn guys and Jackie, Charles says.
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What about the Barb? What is it about?
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I didn't tell you. Who's the Barb?
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Who's the Barb? The maestro.
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Who's this guy? And of course then they go into
6:14
the hearing and the coffee place sort of said we are willing to
6:20
offer you free coffee in the area.
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It's full life. And and of course, Kremer says
6:25
Deal and Jackie Chan's. I wouldn't hear what came.
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After that, at the end, what was that other pit?
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But of course it. Didn't matter.
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Kramer now has signed off, and he gets free coffee for life.
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You know as many coffee as I like.
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I get the middle 11. And the other part of the
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episode, of course, is that the maestro, of course, says that
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he's going to go. To Tuscany and he'll take a lane
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to Tuscany and Jerry says, ah, Tuscany, that's cross and he
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said. You don't think you're going
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because there's no room. There, there's no there's.
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Nothing, Nothing here to rent in Tuscany.
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Of course, which Jerry gets around and finds a place.
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And at the end of the episode. Ends up turning up exactly where
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Bob, Carb and Elaine. Are staying in Tuscany.
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Fantastic. And then we go to.
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Episode 5 We'll jump one the hot tub.
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How good was this with Jean Paul?
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Jean Paul, the marathon runner who had missed the start of the
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Olympic race because he had slept.
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In and said no, no it wasn't, it was.
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Not the snooze, AM, PM, you know.
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And the snooze. Button and all that stuff.
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And so of course, Jerry takes it on board.
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To say that he's going to make sure that Jean.
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Paul Jean Paul gets. To the race on time.
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Craver, of course, gets the big hot tub.
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In he ends up falling. Asleep in it.
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And of course the. The the electricity goes out, or
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actually his hot tub. Blows the electricity.
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He's in there and freezing cold water, so of course he gets a.
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Cold and so then he gets a big Power Pack for the.
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Hot tub and then the power outage of course stops all the
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clocks. In Jerry's place, so of.
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Course Jean Paul. Jean Paul is going to turn up
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lights. But he doesn't.
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He gets there and he's running and he's out there in front and
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he's going really well and he grabs Kramer's coffee instead.
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Of the cold drink and that puts him out of the race.
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So what a great opening to the season.
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Overall, the 1st as first episodes are every.
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Single One of them is terrific in its own way.
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Each character has their own way of getting into the storyline
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and it's brilliant and. It leads us to my next Terrific.
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Episode Favorite all time episode?
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Season seven Episode 6. The Soup Nazi.
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Medium Turkey chili. Medium crab bisque.
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I didn't get any bread. Just forget it.
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Let it go. Excuse me, I think you forgot my
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bread. Bread $2.00 extra. $2.00 but
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everyone in front of me got free bread.
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You want bread? Yes, please, $3 Nothing for you.
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This is a classic. Episode and obviously Elaine
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stars in this episode. She's absolutely fantastic.
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Julia Louis Dreyfus does the magnificent job in this episode.
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So much so that. The rest of the episode, which
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is still all intertwined, sort of takes a back.
9:39
Seat, obviously, the Soup Nazi is a.
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New place that Jerry has discovered with Kramer.
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Where you have. To go into the soup.
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Shop and you have to have that. Line up a certain way.
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Always go in, then go to the right, then two steps forward.
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Put your money on the table. Ask for what you want.
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Two things to the left. Get your change.
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Get your soup. Walk out.
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And if you don't do it that way, then the Soup Nazi is going to
10:07
take you apart. And all of that is beautifully
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done with each different people that come in, of course, George
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the First. Time he goes in, he stuffs it up
10:17
because he didn't get any bread in the ass for bread and he says
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that's it. No soup for you.
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On your way and Jerry's telling me how fantastic the soup is,
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and. So of course George has.
10:28
To go back down again and he does so and.
10:30
It gets bread. It's bread.
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Thank you. You're pushing.
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Your luck, little man. But.
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Elaine doesn't go the first time because she sees this armoire on
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the side of the road that's being sold.
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So she buys it and wants to get it delivered to her apartment,
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but they can't do it because it's a Sunday.
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So Kramer, of course, decides he's going to.
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You only do it on a. Stay out and look after the
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armoire. For 24 hours.
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But of course he gets. Robbed and held up and he gets
11:01
taken away and that's the end of that.
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Meanwhile, Elaine has. Gone down to the suit and arts
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and being Elaine, she just says I don't have to do the way
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you're supposed to do it and carries on as she does.
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And then she gets told that's it.
11:14
No suit for you? Come back one year.
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And she can't believe it and can't.
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Believe that he's allowed to do this.
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Kind of thing. So all of this is.
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Going on, it's just fantastic. Meanwhile, Jerry's girlfriend.
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They have a lot of affection. It's very.
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Schmoopy, I think is the word they use schmoopy.
11:34
Oh, you're schmoopy. And of course, George and Elaine
11:37
hate that and tell him how awful it is.
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So much so that when they go to the Soup Nazi and she's doing
11:47
this to Jerry and Lyne and the Soup Nazis.
11:50
What's going on in my line? And his girlfriend tells him,
11:53
Mom, we're going. To leave, we're leaving.
11:55
Jerry and Jesus. Do I know you as?
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George then says So you spurned a girlfriend for soup?
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And eventually they make up in the coffee shop and that's when
12:08
Susan and George turn up. And then?
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Because George hates. It so much and they're back
12:14
together. Again, he decides to start doing
12:16
the same to Susan. To show Jerry how.
12:18
Awful it is. But all it does is that Susan
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loves it and expects George to do it all the time.
12:24
And George is now trapped in having to show that affection
12:27
out in public all the time. And of course.
12:30
Jerry then breaks up with his girlfriend again.
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He just said we just weren't there.
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But you too, you're there. And that's great to see.
12:37
So George once again gets the old screw job.
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We end up, of course, Cramer tells the Soup Nazi.
12:46
That his friend. Has had this arm wire but it got
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stolen and he said look. Crammy, You've been so good.
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To me, there's an armor in my basement.
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You can have it. And so he did.
12:56
Cramer takes it, delivers it to Elaine's place.
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Elaine goes down to thank. The Soup Nazi.
13:00
And of course, he then says, if I knew it for you, I would have
13:03
smashed it to pieces. It's.
13:05
She walks out. And of course, in the armoire is
13:10
all of the soup Nazis recipes. And so she goes back for that
13:14
last. Beautifully marvelous scene
13:17
where. She confronts the Soup Nazi with
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his recipes and it's just a fantastic finish to the episode.
13:24
Of course the Soup Nazi then goes out of business and says
13:26
that's it, I'm done. And we see at the end Newman and
13:30
Jerry trying to get pots and because he's giving away all the
13:32
soup. Fantastic.
13:35
Just so good, wonderful episode. And like I said.
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Elaine's monologue at the end is.
13:41
Just absolutely fantastic and. Easily, quite easily.
13:52
Go on, leave, get out. One of the top ten episodes of
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the Seinfeld. But I didn't do.
13:55
Anything. Next Hello, You.
14:05
You think you can get soup? Please.
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You're wasting everyone's time. I don't want soup.
14:12
I can make my own soup. Five cups chopped porcini
14:17
mushrooms, half a cup of olive oil, £3.00 celery.
14:22
That is my. Recipe for Wild mushroom.
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Yeah, that's right. I got them all.
14:28
Cold cucumber, corn and crab chowder.
14:31
Malagatani. You threw soup Nazi.
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No more soup for you. So the reminder of season seven
14:51
is also. Just bringing the very next
14:53
episode. In fact, episode 7 is.
14:56
The secret? Code and we all know.
14:58
George's secret code for his. ATM card is Bosco and the story
15:05
that he told J Peterman's mother.
15:08
Told her the guy and he finally felt so good that he told
15:11
someone. And of course.
15:12
Then she died crying out Bosco and then the fire, and the only
15:16
way he could get the person out of the ATM vestibule was by
15:19
giving his card and then the code.
15:22
All of that is just brilliant and George once again.
15:25
Gets brought undone by his own. Foibles Fantastic.
15:30
And then episode 8 is the pool guy where Elaine actually.
15:35
Invites Susan out because she doesn't.
15:37
Have any other girlfriends to go out with?
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And this is absolutely brilliant.
15:44
The The George's greatest monologue all about the world's
15:48
colliding. And and and then Kramer having
15:53
to explain it to Jerry about what world's colliding was all
15:55
about that if Susan comes into the thing and look.
16:00
It's brilliant. And rather than.
16:02
I mean, I could get the copy of it and play it here again, but.
16:06
Just the words which I've written down which is.
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You have no idea of the magnitude of this thing.
16:13
If she's allowed to infiltrate this world, then George
16:17
Costanza, as you know him, ceases to exist.
16:21
You see right now, I have relationship, George, but there
16:25
is also independent George. That's the George you know.
16:30
George, you grew up with Movie George, Coffee Shop George, Liar
16:34
George. 40 George and George and Jerry goes.
16:38
I love that George. Me too.
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And he's dying, Jerry. If relationship George walks
16:45
through this door, he will kill independent George.
16:49
A George divided against itself cannot stand.
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It is just a fantastic piece of television.
16:58
All of that, that episode, and George's comments about Yes,
17:01
World's colliding and all that stuff, fantastic.
17:05
And of course at the end it sort of works out.
17:09
For him. So it's OK, but just absolutely
17:12
brilliant. And that episode is fantastic
17:15
just for that. Beyond that, what other episodes
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are the sponge? When you know Elaine.
17:22
Has to decide whether who's. Someone is sponge worthy or not
17:26
as to whether she's going to. Use the contraceptive to
17:30
actually. And then, of course she does at
17:32
the end with her. Current boyfriend.
17:34
And then he decides to try his luck.
17:35
Again in the morning and she goes, no, no, I don't, I can't
17:40
I. Can't do that.
17:43
The bottle deposit where Elaine buys Jfk's golf clubs for J.
17:48
Peterman and. Lose.
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They're left in Jerry's car. Jerry's car gets stolen.
17:54
And then, as it turns out. Kramer and Newman are taking all
17:58
their bottles into state to get the deposit back.
18:01
And they end up behind. This car and they chase him and
18:03
he starts. Throwing the golf clubs out.
18:05
At them and of course at the end of the.
18:08
Episode Elaine gets. All the clubs back and gives
18:10
them the JP and of course they're.
18:12
Broke and whatever. And he just goes, oh, I knew we
18:14
had a temper, but I didn't imagine this.
18:18
Then we have obviously episode 20.
18:22
The last episode. Of the series which is.
18:24
Titled The Invitations and as it turns out, Jerry.
18:28
Starts dating a girl who's just like him.
18:31
And does has all the. Same sort of mannerisms.
18:35
The same sort of quotes and. Snarkiness, I guess a little
18:41
way. So of course they get engaged.
18:43
They decide to get engaged. And.
18:47
It's all about buying the. And of course George is
18:49
scrimping on everything, so the invitations, he gets the
18:52
cheapest ones. Susan, of course, doing it the
18:55
invitations and licking the gum. Off the back of the envelopes.
18:58
Which is then poisoned and. Kills her so.
19:04
And they go to the hospital where Susan's been taken and of
19:07
course they say. She's dead.
19:09
And I'm, you know, very. Sorry And then.
19:13
The four of them are standing there and Jerry's now saying,
19:15
oh. Well, I'm getting married and
19:17
George says what are you going to do?
19:19
And Jerry says we had a pact. And George basically just says,
19:22
well, want to get some coffee? And they walk with no.
19:27
Kids in the world. At all.
19:31
Just and again, that was just a fantastic.
19:34
Finish of the. Episode and the season.
19:37
There's no way George could possibly get married, and they
19:39
didn't push it beyond the boundaries.
19:41
That it needed to be. One season was perfect and if
19:46
they'd gone on to Season 8 where that's still going on, then you
19:49
just. Lose the whole momentum of
19:51
everything and now. George could go back to being
19:53
exactly the awful person. That he is.
19:56
And use utilize the fact that he's his future wife had died.
20:03
And that he now. Didn't have a fiance and he
20:06
could just get on with his life. It was just fantastic.
20:11
So I'm gonna have a quick run through Season 8 because believe
20:13
it or not, none of my top ten episodes are from Season 8 at
20:18
all and that. Again, it's interesting that
20:21
like season seven was, there was only one episode from season
20:27
seven that is in my top 10. But familiar?
20:31
I still think season seven was perhaps the second best series
20:35
of Seinfeld up after season five, which I still think was my
20:38
favorite. It's just that all the episodes
20:41
were so good across the board, and only the one that really
20:45
sort of, I guess, jumps out. And maybe that's part of it,
20:47
that other series maybe aren't so good, but they had.
20:50
Real gems in amongst it which have sort of jumped out at me
20:54
so. But season eight?
20:57
It's not bad. It's just there are no standouts
21:00
that make this list. Some good episodes, but none
21:03
that are terrifically, amazingly hilarious or must sees.
21:07
Probably the best of them. Would be episode 3, which is the
21:11
Bizarro Jerry. You might remember that that.
21:15
This is the one where Jerry was dating the woman with man.
21:19
And so that was the running gag for Jerry through that episode.
21:23
George uses a photo of a hot. Woman to date other women and
21:27
then use his story of his fiancee dying.
21:30
And he got into this exclusive nightclub and was dating, you
21:33
know, looking at models and dating models.
21:35
And of course, then the photo died and he couldn't find them
21:38
again. And of course there was the
21:40
other group, which is the title. The Bizarro Jerry Elaine had
21:44
another friend group with the Bizarro Jerry the Bizarro George
21:48
the Bizarro Kramer. All not completely opposite from
21:53
those other three, but much less crazy.
21:57
And of course, Elaine then becomes the out on the outer of
22:01
that group. Episode 8 is the Chicken
22:04
Roaster, which was the Kenny Rogers.
22:06
Chicken shop that was across the road and the light was coming
22:11
into Kramer's room and he couldn't sleep and he couldn't
22:14
get out and he didn't. He wanted to get rid of it
22:16
initially, but then he. Realized that he loved the
22:18
chicken, so he. Didn't want to get rid of.
22:20
It and Jerry started sleeping in Kramer's unit.
22:24
And of course, there's the scene where Jerry comes in exactly
22:27
like Kramer is. He's on.
22:29
No, I'm on no sleep. No sleep at all.
22:34
And then episode 16 is the pothole.
22:39
That's where Jerry's dating the girlfriend.
22:41
Who he knocks her toothbrush into the toilet and.
22:44
Before he can retrieve it and throw it away, she's using it to
22:47
brush. Her teeth, which he eventually
22:50
tells. Her about and then of course.
22:51
She then says something of yours has just gone into the toilet
22:55
and you'll never know what it is.
22:56
Of course he cleans out his whole house.
23:00
And of course, the running gag at the.
23:01
End when she finally tells him is that it was the toilet brush
23:03
and he goes, ah all right, I can replace that.
23:08
And that's where Kramer adopts the highway.
23:10
He's got the the mile of the the highway and he turns it into.
23:16
Is it 3 lanes instead of two, or two lanes instead of 1?
23:19
Whichever one it is, to make it really good for everybody.
23:22
But of course, then there's the bottleneck when they go back and
23:24
do it, and that creates problems at the end of the episode.
23:27
Episode 17 is The English Patient.
23:30
That's where Elaine. Goes to see The English Patient
23:34
and thinks it's awful when everybody else who's seen it
23:37
just says isn't it just wonderful and terrific?
23:39
And she just says no, it's crap. And I bought Elaine is
23:42
completely, 100% correct in this.
23:45
It is an awful movie and there is nothing good about it.
23:50
And then of course she has to go see it with J Peterman again.
23:53
And yes, that causes her problems at the end of that
23:57
episode. And Jerry, of course, is having
24:00
the problem with the metal bombs, which was a fantastic
24:04
episode where. Lloyd Bridges came in and I
24:09
don't know what age he was in his mid 80s or whatever, and of
24:11
course he was saying he was going to.
24:13
Train Jerry and he's saying you think you're better than me.
24:16
You think you're better than me? Of course.
24:17
Then he did his back and he. Was in hospital and then his son
24:20
came in and said the same thing, Jerry, he said.
24:22
So they ended up all in hospital.
24:26
His son and then his father and his grandfather.
24:29
I don't know. Just I thought that was really
24:32
good and Lloyd Bridges just was fantastic in one of his last
24:34
roles and. The last episode of the series,
24:38
episode 22, The Summer of George.
24:40
George finally gets put off by the Yankees, but he gets three
24:45
months severance, so he just says I'm going to really make
24:47
something at this time and so he's going to go play frolf he's
24:50
going to go do. This other stuff he tries to
24:52
help Jerry with his girlfriend and you know, and buying wedding
24:56
invitations or no, sorry, not wedding invitations, birthday.
25:01
Invitations, was it? I sure can't remember now.
25:06
And he goes for the good ones, not the bad ones.
25:08
But of course then George ends up falling down the stairs.
25:11
And he's in hospital for whatever long three months and
25:15
so. This was supposed to be the
25:16
summer of George and so George has gone full circle, walking
25:20
out of the same hospital in the previous season on a high and
25:23
now being kept in hospital on a low.
25:27
So season eight had some good moments and.
25:31
Like I said, it's not a bad series, but just.
25:33
None of the episodes really jump out at you as.
25:35
Top shelf ones that you would. Choose to watch again and again
25:39
and again. And so we come to Season 9, the
25:43
final season of Seinfeld, and it has some really brilliant work
25:51
in this last series, and some very.
25:53
Average episodes, but it starts off really well.
25:57
Episode one, The Butter Shave, where Kramer starts using butter
26:00
to shave and of course he goes up onto the roof and he gets in
26:04
the sun and. He gets well and truly cooked
26:08
and of course he's comment stick a fork and me Jerry, I'm done.
26:12
And then Newman of course, sniffing around saying what do I
26:15
see? What do I smell?
26:16
And of course, eventually he decides he's going to eat
26:19
Kramer. George, of course, has a cane
26:22
because of his leg that he hurt that he broke at the end of the
26:25
last series. He gets a job because the
26:28
company thinks he's handicapped and he then gets found out and
26:33
by when he's riding in A. Mobility scooter.
26:37
And of course old people are chasing, so he his battery runs
26:40
out. So he picks up the mobility
26:42
scooter and starts running and runs straight into his boss,
26:45
who's just just hiding because he's handicapped.
26:49
This is really good, really good episode.
26:51
This was actually another one that was very close to my top
26:54
ten overall. It was just a terrific episode.
26:57
Episode 3 is the Serenity now. Everyone knows the Serenity now.
27:02
George's father about Serenity now.
27:05
Serenity now. Episode 8 is the betrayal, which
27:10
was the backwards episode. That's where George and his
27:14
girlfriend and Jerry and Elaine go to Sue and Mischke's.
27:17
Sue Ellen? Mischke's.
27:19
A wedding in India. And of course that saying that
27:25
went all around through and we didn't find it until the end.
27:27
Which was the start that you can shove your sorries in a SEC, Mr.
27:31
Which is what Susan had initially sold George many years
27:35
before. And then?
27:37
We also found out that Elaine drinks snaps and can't help but
27:42
open up her vault when she's drinking snaps.
27:45
That was a really good episode. More from the quirks of it going
27:49
backwards, I think. If it had been that same
27:53
episode, just being in normal order, it wouldn't have been as
27:56
funny. So that was really well done
27:58
episode. Nine is the apology.
28:01
That's where the woman at work. With Elaine is a gemaphobe and
28:06
just thinks that Elaine's with so many men that she's just a
28:09
gemaphobe. Putty is also is a recovering
28:12
Gemafford. James Spader is in the episode
28:16
Guest Stars and he's going through Alcoholics Anonymous.
28:21
Wow, how good am I going? And he's going through the.
28:26
Is it the 12 steps and he's reached step 9 and?
28:29
He's gone past George. George didn't get his apology
28:31
that he wanted and he he's adding the whole episode to get
28:34
his apology. And Jerry has his naked
28:37
girlfriend, and that's where we had.
28:39
Good naked and bad naked, So. Lots of good episodes there in
28:44
the start again of series 9 and then we.
28:48
Get to What is my final great episode of?
28:51
Seinfeld which is Season 9 episode 10 and it is.
28:54
Titled The Strike. Raymond, I got your message.
28:58
I haven't celebrated Festivus in years.
29:01
What is your interest? Tell me everything many.
29:05
Christmases ago I went to buy a doll for my son.
29:09
I reach for the last one they had.
29:12
But so did another man. As I rain blows upon him, I
29:16
realized there had to be another way.
29:18
What? Happened to the doll.
29:20
It was destroyed, but out of that a new holiday was born, a
29:25
Festivus for the rest of us. That must have been some kind of
29:29
doll. She was well, happy.
29:38
Festivus. What?
29:40
Is that? Is that the poll?
29:42
George, Festivus is your heritage.
29:45
It's part of who you. Are that's why I added.
29:49
It's a big dinner Tuesday night at Frank's house.
29:51
Everyone's invited. George, you're forgetting how
29:57
much Festivus has spent was solved.
29:59
I brought one of the cassette tapes.
30:02
Read that poll. I can't read it.
30:04
I knew my. Glasses.
30:05
You don't. Need glasses?
30:06
You're just weak. You're weak.
30:07
Leave him alone. All right, George, it's time for
30:14
the Festivus feats of strength. We had some good times.
30:29
This has lived with me for 25 years.
30:31
This episode and the consequences of this episode.
30:37
Now everyone remembers. I think that.
30:40
Kramer actually goes back to work at H&H Bagels in this
30:42
episode because he's been on strike for what the wage that
30:46
they wanted. To hit and the minimum wages
30:48
finally got to what they're asking for 12 years previously.
30:52
So he's going back to work and everyone says you had a job, you
30:55
had, you used to work. So that's where Kramer's story
31:02
goes to start with Elaine. Has written a phone number on
31:05
the back of a a a sub card where she's had. 23 out of 24 Subs and
31:11
824 Subs. Then you got a free sub, and she
31:14
was. So obsessed about getting this
31:16
free sub even though Jerry said I'll just go and buy you a sub
31:20
that she. Has to get this card back, so of
31:23
course. She's going through lots of
31:24
people and she initially gives out the the number at the bagel
31:28
house for them to call there so she doesn't have to give.
31:30
This guy, Her number, so she's waiting at the bagel house as
31:33
well, which is all very handy. Jerry's girlfriend is what they
31:37
end up calling A2. Face that in certain light, she
31:40
can either look very plain or very beautiful, and Jerry has to
31:43
find the places that have. The right light for her so he
31:47
can sit there with her and eat with her and it ends up being in
31:49
the back corner of the coffee shop and that's where they end
31:51
up going at all the time. George, of course, gives out
31:56
cards at work as Christmas gifts.
32:00
Claiming that he's given a donation to the Human Fund, and
32:04
of course the Human Fund is completely made-up by George.
32:07
But the great line on it is it's money for people.
32:13
It's just so brilliant. And of course his boss, Kruger.
32:17
Mr. Kruger finds out initially. He gives George a check for
32:21
$20,000 to give to the Human Fund, and George suddenly has.
32:26
Visions of saying, oh, I could really become a thing here, I
32:28
could, I could do this, and this'll all be fantastic.
32:31
But of course, Kruger does find out that it's it's.
32:34
False. But then George claims that he
32:39
does this because of his religious sensibilities.
32:42
He doesn't. He's.
32:43
Not a Christian. He doesn't celebrate Christmas.
32:45
He celebrates Festivus and he uses that as his sanctuary.
32:50
And that's what this whole episode is about.
32:52
This is about Festivus. A Festivus for the rest of us.
32:56
And Jerry Stiller, George's father.
33:00
How brilliant is he in this episode?
33:02
I mean. He's fantastic in this role the
33:04
whole way through. But he really hits his stride in
33:07
this episode. It's an.
33:09
Absolutely groundbreaking episode for this, because it's
33:13
still something that we all. Most of us people who have
33:17
watched Seinfeld will still, to a certain degree, might be a
33:20
little bit just by remembering it or actually celebrating it.
33:22
Everyone celebrates Festivus every year and to today.
33:27
Yes, the aluminium pole. Feats of Strength, The Airing of
33:32
Grievances, everything about that.
33:35
Is just brilliant and when they're all sitting down at the
33:37
table at the end and that's. When it all comes together it is
33:42
fantastic. What a brilliant episode.
33:45
And. The fact that it's based on a
33:47
real life thing from one of the writers.
33:50
Is even better that. That just makes me even more
33:53
happy about the whole thing. It's a great episode.
33:58
And I just so glad that in this final series they had an.
34:05
Episode like this that they could hang their head on where
34:07
everyone did. So well, but it's all focuses,
34:11
just like it is about George. But it's it's not really I mean.
34:15
Jerry Stiller is the star of this episode.
34:19
Everything he does is just brilliant and.
34:22
George's character. Well, once again, you can see
34:25
exactly how he ends up being the way he is.
34:27
So this is it. This is the last.
34:29
This is number 10 of my greatest 10 ever Seinfeld episodes.
34:33
And surely, surely you all agree on this.
34:37
And now, as Festivus rolls on, we come to the feats of
34:40
strength. Not the feats of strength.
34:43
This year, the honor goes to Mr. Kramer.
34:47
Oh, Gee, Frank, I'm sorry. I got to go.
34:49
I have to work a double shift at H&HI.
34:52
Thought you were on strike. Yeah, well, I caved.
34:54
I mean, I really had to use their bathroom.
34:56
Frank, no offense, but this holiday is a little out there.
35:02
You can't go. Who's going to do the feats of
35:03
strength? How about George?
35:07
Good thinking, Cougar. Until you pin me, George,
35:12
Festivus is not over. Please, somebody stop this.
35:17
Let's rumble, I guess. If you can take him.
35:21
Georgie, come. On be sensible.
35:23
Stop crying and fight your balls.
35:27
This is the best Festivus ever. So we move on in season nine and
35:34
we go to. There are still other good
35:36
episodes on Here, the very next. Episode is episode 11.
35:41
The dealership. That's where Jerry goes to buy a
35:43
new car from Putty, who is now not a mechanic anymore.
35:46
He's now a new car salesman. George has the candy lineup
35:50
because he keeps thinking that he everyone keeps stealing the
35:53
chocolates from him, especially the Twix, which is the.
35:58
The only the only candy with the cookie crunch I think is the way
36:01
he puts it and he does the candy line up to say.
36:04
Which is going to be what and then because.
36:07
They're all Twixes. You've all screwed me over
36:09
again. And of course, a line breaks up
36:12
with putty halfway through this, so that means Jerry's getting
36:14
dutted on stuff. He's got to get the all the
36:17
undercoating and all that stuff that he doesn't really need.
36:20
And Kramer, of course, borrows the car with the other salesman
36:24
and drives it until the fuel runs out and they're on empty
36:26
and they see how far they can go with the big Filmer and Louise
36:30
moment as they grab hands and try and decide to stay on the
36:33
highway and keep going. And then Kramer, they stop and
36:35
whatever. And then Kramer says, well, I'll
36:37
get back to you. And he's off.
36:40
Terrific. Look, Episode Thirteen's called
36:45
the cartoon that's where George's girlfriend.
36:49
Looks like Jerry. He's dating a girl that looks
36:52
exactly like Jerry, and then she gets a haircut that makes her.
36:54
Look a lot more like Jerry, so of course he's having a lot of
36:57
problems with that. And Jerry's fighting Sally
37:00
Weaver, who is doing her one woman stand up.
37:04
Why Jerry Seinfeld is the devil. And of course he tries to do
37:07
everything to stop giving her fuel for the fire.
37:10
But everything he does backfires.
37:11
And she has more. To use for her stand up and
37:13
it's. Huge.
37:15
So he wasn't happy with that. And episode 18?
37:19
The Frogger. I guess that's where George and
37:22
Jerry go back to. Their old pizza place and they
37:24
find the Frogger. Machine where George has still
37:27
got the highest score and he wants to it's closing down, so
37:30
he wants to take the Frogger machine home and hold on to that
37:33
top score. And of course the Power Pack
37:36
doesn't work and it runs out and and eventually the machine.
37:40
Goes down the cleaner, but to be honest.
37:44
As I sort of said before at the start that.
37:47
Season 9 has some really good episodes, but then it has some
37:52
fairly average episodes in it, and it really does run out of
37:57
puff about halfway through so. The fact that there was, I think
38:02
2223 episodes again in this series, 13 episodes maximum,
38:08
would have made this finish off as a winner.
38:12
Get rid of all the the rubbish. Bits of episodes there and just
38:16
cut it. Back to 13 and the series would
38:18
have finished on an. Absolute high, but as it stands,
38:23
from week to week you didn't know whether you were going to
38:24
get an absolutely brilliant. Episode like say the dealership
38:27
or all the all about the strike and that kind of stuff.
38:32
Or whether you get a very average episode and you'd sort
38:35
of they're. Running out of ideas.
38:38
And that may well have been the case.
38:40
They might have just got to the point where they were just
38:42
running out of ideas and they didn't know how to finish it.
38:45
Which brings us to the finale. Now it was interesting with the
38:49
finale because in Australia, as per usual, along with those who
38:52
are old enough to remember the last episode of MASH.
38:55
The episode Aid in the US will before it reached Australia so.
38:59
Spoilers were available for those who were out there
39:02
chasing. And of course, the media were
39:03
reporting them. So it was pretty hard to avoid
39:07
finding out sort of what had happened before you actually got
39:09
to watch the episode. Could the finale actually live
39:14
up to the whole show itself, the whole nine seasons?
39:19
And you honestly had to think that No matter what they came up
39:24
with? For the storyline of the last
39:26
episode. You just felt it was going to be
39:28
a let down. You were hoping for something
39:30
terrific when you you know I. Remember sitting there watching
39:32
it the night it was on? And hoping for something to be,
39:35
you know, absolutely brilliant and in the long run got to the
39:38
end and I just felt, ah, that's how you finish it.
39:42
Was interesting in the end lock Larry David.
39:44
Returned and came up with the. Story that the.
39:49
Pilot had finally been picked up from season four, I think that
39:52
was, and that they then of course got into the plane
39:59
because they were going to go to France before they'd filled the
40:01
pilot. Plane came down in this little
40:04
town and they got their comeuppance.
40:08
Because I guess that's what they wanted.
40:10
They wanted that forsome to basically who have basically had
40:14
no regard for anybody over the past nine years and they really.
40:19
Wanted them all to get their comeuppance for what they have
40:23
done over the last nine years and bringing in the the the new
40:27
Good Samaritan. Law in this small town so that
40:29
they didn't help this person who was being robbed and so they go
40:33
to. Jail for a year.
40:35
There's a lot of call back from characters from all through the
40:38
Nine series, You know, memorable characters, lots of repeating of
40:42
all the great lines from the show and the catchphrases.
40:47
But like in the. End It really was just a
40:50
disappointment and honestly. Do I know how to make an ending
40:55
better than that? It's 25 years.
40:59
Now, but I even know 25 years ago we used to sit around
41:02
occasionally and discuss. Could we have done better?
41:04
Could we have come up with a better story in that way now?
41:08
Hindsight's a wonderful thing. All, I thought at the time.
41:14
I don't know about so much now. But I know at the time all I
41:20
thought was it didn't need all these characters coming back.
41:23
I didn't need a big twist ending which is more or less what it
41:27
is. The Good Samaritan law seems
41:30
like a good idea for an episode. But it gets caught up in trying
41:35
to be too big and too fancy and and too much of A a finale,
41:39
basically, rather than just. Letting the story be the story
41:43
and then get to the end and be what it is.
41:47
I know that I've read one fan theory.
41:50
Through the years that suggests that the plane when it came down
41:54
when they were, it was having trouble that the plane actually
41:58
does crash and all four dead and that they.
42:01
Actually just in purgatory, which is a bit dark, but I don't
42:06
know, maybe. If you twisted that a little
42:08
bit, maybe that makes more sense than the Good Samaritan law.
42:53
So there you have it. There's my top ten episodes of
42:56
all time. And just to recap really
42:58
quickly, the Chinese restaurant. The parking garage.
43:02
The subway. The parking space.
43:04
The marine biologist, The Hamptons.
43:07
The opposite. The Race, the Soup Nazi, and the
43:11
Strike. Are there any that I waver on
43:15
there? The only one there I think that
43:17
I could possibly waver on is maybe the parking space and
43:22
perhaps something else could have come in to that and.
43:26
And in that case, maybe it would possibly be the engagement that
43:30
would actually come in and take. Its place, but I'm still fairly
43:35
comfortable with the parking space overall, so my.
43:40
Question to you, dear listener, to those of you who have
43:43
bothered to get through not only this.
43:45
Episode, but the other two episodes involved.
43:48
Do you agree with those selections?
43:51
Do you think there are other episodes that I have mentioned
43:53
that should be in front of the ones that in my top ten or are
43:57
there ones that I have not mentioned that should be there
44:01
now? Obviously the contest is one
44:02
that will always come up in. These conversations and like 9
44:08
out of 10 people probably would have the contest in that top 10.
44:13
I choose not to not choose not to run, but I choose not to have
44:17
that in there, and that's. Not being picky, That's just
44:22
that for me, it's not. These other episodes have more
44:27
to them than that actual. Episode So perhaps I hope that
44:32
this has brought up. Conversation with you and your
44:35
family or your friends about what you considered to be the
44:39
best episodes of all time on Seinfeld, and perhaps go back
44:43
and catch up with a few episodes and.
44:45
Remember just how brilliant this show was, and how groundbreaking
44:51
it was, And how. Not just.
44:54
I guess those four main actors were in this.
44:57
But the supporting cast as well, because apart from Jerry
45:03
Seinfeld, who was not really an actor at all, he is a stand up
45:07
comic. Everybody else was an actor of
45:11
some description. Whether it be in T V series or
45:14
movies or on Broadway. So they all had great training
45:18
and were fantastic in their own roles, so and you look at what
45:23
they've done. Since then, like Jason,
45:24
Alexander's gone back to the stage in one.
45:25
Tony's Julia Louis Dreyfus has done.
45:29
Other TV shows Veep if anyone's not.
45:31
Seeing Veep then that is well worth checking out Jerry
45:36
himself. If you go out and you.
45:37
See Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, or whatever it's called
45:42
like that. That's a terrific series, too.
45:44
That's that's very funny. And there's a lot, lot of great
45:47
episodes in that. I really think maybe I should do
45:49
one of these things. For that show, because that's
45:52
just so good. More than anything else, I hope
45:55
that you've enjoyed the journey and that you've enjoyed
45:57
listening to me ramble on about what I think are the best parts
46:01
of the. Show and that I hope that you
46:03
will get in a discussion with other people, perhaps with me
46:07
one day, about what you think about those shows.
46:10
Not my mother. I don't need her telling me that
46:11
I'm wrong anymore. I've had it.
46:13
For almost 54 years now, you can give it a rest of the month.
46:17
Thank you. All righty.
46:18
Thank you for listening to The End and whatever I come up with
46:22
next for the next episode, I really hope that you tune in as
46:24
well and listen to that. And if you enjoy this, please
46:27
pass it on to your friends and get them to listen as well.
46:30
It's not a big deal. I do this because I love doing
46:33
it and I have a lot of fun doing it.
46:35
But it's nice for other people to listen to it as well.
46:38
Cheers again for being here and I hope you turn up for the next
46:41
episode of Thoughts from The Metal Cabin.
46:44
Cheers. You have been listening to a
47:03
metal cabin production.