“Do women know about shrinkage?”

It would be difficult to say anything more about Seinfeld than has already been said a zillion times. It grew from being an obscure, low-rated sitcom into a legitimate phenomenon in the early 90’s and to this day still draws good numbers in syndication. Slowly, but surely, the seasons are being released in boxed sets. While the wait is long between the seasons, they have been loaded with bonus features and are a really good value. This review is on season 5 alone, but there is a gift set available with season 6 and a replica of “the puffy shirt”. I suppose some people like that sort of thing, and it’s not quite as asinine as the Coach Carter beanie that came with the DVD, so follow your heart.

Season 5 is a well-regarded year for the Seinfeld sitcom. It had officially grown beyond cult status and into cultural importance by this time (1993). What is refreshing about the show is that the character development that had been in place from the very beginning never slipped. While most of the show’s audience was just now learning about Jerry, George, Elaine, Kramer, and all of the dozens of minor characters, there had been 64 episodes of solidly written comedy produced before this season. Therefore you have the interesting situation of the audience finally discovering the show after it had hit its stride. Unfortunately, most shows aren’t given the opportunity to grow like Seinfeld was (like Arrested Development). You’d think that networks would use the Seinfeld model to realize that not everything is going to get CSI-like numbers out of the gate.

But networks also think Wife Swap is a good idea.

So, anyway, season 5 saw Seinfeld as the number 3 show in the country and it would never fall below that ranking during the rest of it’s nine year run. This DVD collection contains 22 episodes as well as a couple of audio commentaries. Most episodes have a “notes about nothing” text commentary feature that includes more trivia than you’d ever thought possible. Also, most episodes have a few minutes worth of interviews regarding something about the origin of the episode. There is also a featurette that explains how creator and head writer Larry David’s experiences were the inspiration for Jason Alexander’s George Costanza.

I suppose there are some people in bomb shelters who might not have seen this show, so here’s a quick run down:

Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld)- Jerry Seinfeld basically plays himself, a tactic Larry David would employ in his own show, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Anyway, he’s the ringleader of the group, and acts as some sort of facilitator to all of the bizarre plots that go on. He’s probably the least eccentric and most misanthropic of the characters, and has a real fondness for Superman. His apartment is the frequent meeting place for the group- sort of like the bridge of the Enterprise.

George (Jason Alexander)- initially George was a fairly successful realtor, but over the first few seasons he became more and more intent on beating the system. He’s the unlovable loser of the group and usually gets caught at whatever plot to get ahead he’s cooked up. Although frequently unemployed, he often pretends to have interesting jobs. He’s tightly wound and often yells out at inappropriate times.

Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)- Elaine is Jerry’s ex-girlfriend. She’s also the only one of the group to have a normal job. Her plotlines tend to involve whatever loser she’s dating at the time and how she can get rid of him. Although she and Jerry no longer date, they tend to act as each other’s dates in social situations. She’s also prone to outbursts like George, but unlike him, she rarely backs down.

Kramer (Michael Richards)- Kramer is the unemployed yet somehow not broke neighbor of Jerry’s. Initially a bit of a sleazy character, by this time he’s developed into a full on hipster doofus, as Elaine says. He’s usually game for anything. His character is known for his physical comedy, particularly his sliding entrances to Jerry’s apartment.

There are a ton of smaller characters that are too numerous to mention, but include Jerry and George’s parents, Kramer’s friend and Jerry’s enemy Newman, and the various girlfriends and boyfriends of the characters. The show does a great job of having recurring guest stars to flesh out the main characters more. Larry David really wanted the show to have a lot of continuity, so having these guest stars return over and over gave the show a depth not seen in most sitcoms. They were usually able to get just the right actors for those characters, such as Judge Reinhold as Elaine’s close-talking boyfriend. The level of acting is surprisingly high considering how difficult it must have been to keep a straight face while filming the show.

Larry David’s keen eye for continuity also appeared in the dialogue, which is why the characters’ various catch phrases and mannerisms became such a hit in pop culture. He was also brilliant at crafting intricate plotlines that would collide at the end of the show, leaving at least one person’s life in shambles. His rule of “no hugging and no lessons” makes this show as hilarious today as it was more than a decade ago.

I never tire of watching these episodes, so here’s a brief synopsis for those that are interested:


1. The Mango
Jerry loses his confidence when Elaine reveals she “faked”. George is also suffering from a sexual problem, which seems to be cured by mangos- a solution that gets complicated when they get banned from the fruit store.
“The woman had a orgasm under false pretenses. That's sexual perjury!”

2. The Puffy Shirt
George moves in with his parents, but is discovered as a hand model. Jerry unknowingly agrees to wear a pirate-like “puffy shirt”, which Kramer’s girlfriend designed, for a Today Show interview with Bryant Gumbel.
“But, I don't wanna to be a pirate!”

3. The Glasses
George’s glasses are stolen and his inability to see screws up Jerry’s relationship. Elaine fears she’s getting rabies when she begins to exhibit signs of the disease after being bitten by a dog.
“I don't need you to tell me what I don't want, you stupid, hipster doofus!”

4. The Sniffing Accountant
George gets an interview as a bra salesman while Jerry worries that his accountant has a drug problem. Elaine cannot stand her boyfriend’s use of exclamation points.
“I’ve never heard of a relationship being affected by punctuation.”

5. The Bris
Godfather references abound in this episode about George’s parking space, Kramer’s fear of genetic experimentation with pigs, and Jerry and Elaine attending a bris.
“Pigman, baby! Pigman!”

6. The Lip Reader
Jerry becomes involved with a deaf line judge from the US Open. Kramer’s job as a ball boy at the US Open complicates Monica Seles’s return to tennis.
“You're giving me the 'it's not you, it's me' routine? I invented 'it's not you, it's me'. Nobody tells me ‘it's not them, it's me.’ If it's anybody, it's me!”

7. The Non-Fat Yogurt
Elaine and Jerry begin to gain weight and suspect the yogurt they’ve invested in. The gang’s activities affect the mayoral election of New York City. Rudy Guiliani guest stars as himself.
“I don't know what kind of a person would do something like that. Obviously a very sick person. A very immature person. A person who has no regard for wasting other people's valuable time.”

8. The Barber
Jerry gets a bad haircut, but doesn’t want to dump his barber. Kramer arranges for Jerry to get a secret haircut. The movie Edward Scissorhands plays a key role.
“I'd like to have shoehorn hands.”

9. The Masseuse
Elaine dates a man with the same name as a serial killer. Jerry becomes obsessed with getting a massage from his masseuse girlfriend.
“You're a massage teaser!”

10. The Cigar Store Indian
Kramer pitches an idea for a book to Elaine’s boss. George gets grounded for having sex at his parents’ house when he tries to convince his date that their house is his.
“Hey, you know what would make a great coffee table book? A coffee table book about coffee tables!”

11. The Conversion
Jerry finds a fungicide in his girlfriend’s medicine cabinet and becomes obsessed with finding out why. George decides to convert to Latvian Orthodox so his girlfriend won’t break up with him.
“By Christmas day I will be Brother Costanza!”

12. The Stall
Kramer recognizes Jerry’s girlfriend’s voice from a phone sex line. Elaine recognizes her voice from a bathroom stall. George causes Elaine’s boyfriend to have an accident while rock climbing.
“He's a male bimbo. He's a Mimbo!”

13. The Dinner Party
The gang has difficulties buying gifts for a dinner party. Kramer and George encounter Saddam Hussein.
“No way wine's better than Pepsi!”

14. The Marine Biologist
A classic episode- Jerry tells a girl that George is a marine biologist. Kramer decides to hit golf balls into the ocean, which results in George having to follow through on his new fake career. Larry David appears on the beach as the man who asks for a marine biologist.
“The sea was angry that day, my friends. Like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.”

15. The Pie
Jerry’s girlfriend won’t share her pie, which leads to a bad situation at her father’s restaurant. There is a mannequin that looks exactly like Elaine that she becomes intent on stealing.
“It’s like they chopped off your arms and legs, dipped you in plastic, then screwed you all back together again and stuck you on a pedestal. It’s really quite exquisite!”

16. The Stand-In
Kramer tries to help out his friend, who is a stand-in for an actor. Elaine’s date takes “it” out.
“You know, sometimes they need air, they can't breathe in there.”

17. The Wife
Jerry’s girlfriend (a pre-Friends Courtney Cox) pretends to be his wife to get a dry cleaning discount. George gets caught urinating in the health club shower.
“You're friends with the urinator, aren't you?”

18. The Raincoats, Part 1
Kramer makes a deal to sell Jerry’s father’s invention, the belt-less trench coat. Jerry can’t get any alone time with his girlfriend with his parents in town, until Elaine’s close-talking boyfriend becomes fixated on them.
“Maybe this will become like a cool thing- living with your parents.”

19. The Raincoats, Part 2
Jerry and his girlfriend finally get some alone time by seeing Schindler’s List in the theater. They get caught making out by Newman.
“He was moving on her like the storm troopers into Poland.”

20. The Fire
George panics when there is a fire at his girlfriend’s apartment. Kramer saves a busload of passengers from a gunman. Jerry heckles Elaine’s coworker after she heckled him onstage.
“Jerry, you're like Rosa Parks. You opened the door for all of us. I can't wait till the next time someone heckles me”

21. The Hamptons
The group makes a weekend trip to the Hamptons to see their friends’ baby. Everyone sees George’s girlfriend topless before he does, but Jerry’s girlfriend sees George naked with disastrous results. The term “shrinkage” enters America’s lexicon with this episode.
“I don't know how you guys walk around with those things.”

22. The Opposite
George decides he must do everything the exact opposite of his instincts and he finds a new job with the Yankees. Elaine loses her job and worries that she’s becoming George. Kramer plugs his book on Live With Regis and Kathy Lee.
“You're going on Regis & Kathy Lee? I'll loan you my puffy shirt.”


Other Seinfeld reviews:

Seasons 1&2
Season 6