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Seinfeld on All4

Started by Bad Ambassador, February 11, 2020, 10:27:42 AM

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colacentral

I find the two parters that book end season 4 almost as bad as the finale, and I think all of that convoluted plotting was Larry David's idea too, as well as the idea to introduce arcs / semi-serialisation to the show, which is why I find season 4 in particular pretty inconsistent. It's not as if the shiteness of the series finale came out of the blue in that context. Larry David contributed alot of good stuff and it wouldn't be Seinfeld without him, but he contributed some shit too.

EOLAN

Love the season 4 arc myself; but appreciate it not all would.

Watched the finale as I was beginning second-half. Surprisingly I enjoyed the second-half with the court case more than the first-half. George and Kramer just seemed a bit beyond parody in their performances from what I am used to up to Season 5.

Second part almost more a drama with the prosecuting lawyer playing it extremely straight. Favorite moment was Frank Costanza giving out about trades that George Steinbrenner did. Also; would have expected them to give Jackie Chiles some semblance of a decent defence but they just continually use him to say three elaborate words and he doesn't mount anything credible.

ajsmith2

Have just rewatched the first half of season 4, and I found it interesting to note that that run contains 2  exceptions to the 'no hugging' rule: when Jerry and George think they're leaving Kramer behind in LA in the opening double episode, and a few weeks later when Elaine returns (really for JLD returning after maternity leave I suspect)

Was also kinda shocked to reflect that the season 4 opener features a close up of a corpse. You wouldn't get that in Friends!!!

sevendaughters

I think the arc of series 4 is the highpoint of the show, the addition of meta-content elevated it more clearly above other sitcoms.

buttgammon

Quote from: ajsmith2 on November 24, 2020, 09:46:51 AM
Have just rewatched the first half of season 4, and I found it interesting to note that that run contains 2  exceptions to the 'no hugging' rule: when Jerry and George think they're leaving Kramer behind in LA in the opening double episode, and a few weeks later when Elaine returns (really for JLD returning after maternity leave I suspect)

Was also kinda shocked to reflect that the season 4 opener features a close up of a corpse. You wouldn't get that in Friends!!!

I think that might be a bit of a nod to Sunset Boulevard, although I don't think the corpse is in a swimming pool.

colacentral

Quote from: sevendaughters on November 24, 2020, 10:16:29 AM
I think the arc of series 4 is the highpoint of the show, the addition of meta-content elevated it more clearly above other sitcoms.

I think it produced some funny scenes and individual episodes, like The Pitch, but I think the two parters are always weaker episodes. There are two episodes early in season 4 which revolve around Jerry being gifted a faulty watch. It's fine, but it really feels like filler to have such an average premise span across two episodes instead of just condensing it down to one.

I think it generally works better the smaller it is. For example, I think The Glasses is a perfect episode, which is just four small, silly sketches that play off each other.

Menu

Quote from: ajsmith2 on November 24, 2020, 09:46:51 AM
Have just rewatched the first half of season 4, and I found it interesting to note that that run contains 2  exceptions to the 'no hugging' rule: when Jerry and George think they're leaving Kramer behind in LA in the opening double episode, and a few weeks later when Elaine returns (really for JLD returning after maternity leave I suspect)

Was also kinda shocked to reflect that the season 4 opener features a close up of a corpse. You wouldn't get that in Friends!!!

That reminds me that the double parter in LA that begins this season is the other really bad episode, along with the finale. Kramer on location doing unfunny things to canned laughter is a real low point. I think the George /Jerry stuff is fine, I just vividly remember seeing the Kramer scenes for the first time and thinking, "God, was I wrong about this show?"

El Unicornio, mang

Currently midway through season 8 on my revisit. I'd forgotten about this fantastic George moment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ria37d9mInY&ab_channel=%C5%A0tumfniJanez

ajsmith2

Further into season 4 now. 'You don't consider the age with cleavage'* being Jerry's justification for ogling a 15 year old in 'The Shoes' is.,. well it's not even of it's time, but it's the kind of thing that was a permissable dark joke for a primetime sitcom back then, but that I can't imagine anyone from any sphere of comedy going anywhere near today.

*just realised they kind of missed a play on words there was the word 'age' being contained in 'cleavage'.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

It's Always Sunny in Philedelphia has done some stuff along those lines, but that's not remotely as mainstream.

Icehaven

I posted earlier in the "trivial observations about comedy" thread how surprised I was recently to see a few bits of Scrubs and realise how sexist and unpleasant it could be, and that was in the mid-2000s


Jerzy Bondov

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on November 26, 2020, 02:10:38 PM
Currently midway through season 8 on my revisit. I'd forgotten about this fantastic George moment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ria37d9mInY&ab_channel=%C5%A0tumfniJanez
Jonathan Wolff has commented on that video:
QuoteLarry Charles thought that Jason's singing (as George) was too good. So, after Jason left the studio, I pitched (de-tuned) the music track a little flat, making Jason's singing sound a little sharp. Larry happy. Me too.

BeardFaceMan

It's based on a TV theme tune too isn't it? Not that Seinfeld relied on reference humour too much but they did reference things a lot, I'm sure there's still a few things that go over my head. It was only recently I found out that Wayne Knight was in JFK and they were parodying his scene in that movie in that Keith Hernandez episode.

buttgammon

Quote from: BeardFaceMan on November 26, 2020, 04:05:01 PM
It's based on a TV theme tune too isn't it? Not that Seinfeld relied on reference humour too much but they did reference things a lot, I'm sure there's still a few things that go over my head. It was only recently I found out that Wayne Knight was in JFK and they were parodying his scene in that movie in that Keith Hernandez episode.

Apparently it's the theme from The Greatest American Hero.

There's definitely things that go over my head watching it, not least because I have no knowledge of or interest in baseball. There is also some local character in the programme that I only really noticed after actually going to the Upper West Side, despite the fact that that area has probably changed a lot over the last thirty years.

famethrowa

Quote from: buttgammon on November 26, 2020, 04:31:58 PM
Apparently it's the theme from The Greatest American Hero.


It is. That's one of my favourite George moments, I'm very well acquainted with the original song, and knowing Jason Alexander is a long-time award-winning professional singer is fun because he ignores all that and sings it how a Costanza would (ie badly). The little smirk on "where could I be" is magic.

Annie Labuntur

Quote from: BeardFaceMan on November 26, 2020, 04:05:01 PMI'm sure there's still a few things that go over my head. It was only recently I found out that Wayne Knight was in JFK and they were parodying his scene in that movie in that Keith Hernandez episode.

It was a long time before I found out about the handful of references to the secretly recorded Buddy Rich rants - the best example being Opposite George berating the noisy cinema scum.

Also found this that I had no idea about https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ds3ds - Costanza in Comedians in Cars. I watched all the episodes on Netflix but never saw that one, if it was ever there.


buttgammon

Quote from: Annie Labuntur on November 27, 2020, 12:25:34 AM
It was a long time before I found out about the handful of references to the secretly recorded Buddy Rich rants - the best example being Opposite George berating the noisy cinema scum.

Also found this that I had no idea about https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ds3ds - Costanza in Comedians in Cars. I watched all the episodes on Netflix but never saw that one, if it was ever there.



Surely Jerry should be driving a Saab here?

Icehaven

There's a billboard for the recent flop version of Dr. Doolittle outside my work, and whoever put it up has messed the alignment up so one half of Robert Downey jnr.'s face doesn't quite line up with the other, and he looks exactly like Kramer.

thr0b

It's not an altogether bad film, that. Went with little 'un just before everything shut down and it's a decent enough family movie, in a Sunday afternoon on BBC One kind of a way.

Not sure I'd want it to be the last film I ever see at the cinema, though it certainly appears it could be.

And Kramer in the role would've been better. Not Michael Richards. Kramer.

buttgammon

Quote from: Annie Labuntur on November 27, 2020, 12:25:34 AM
It was a long time before I found out about the handful of references to the secretly recorded Buddy Rich rants - the best example being Opposite George berating the noisy cinema scum.

Also found this that I had no idea about https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ds3ds - Costanza in Comedians in Cars. I watched all the episodes on Netflix but never saw that one, if it was ever there.



Watched (and enjoyed this) and I've since watched a couple of episodes of that programme, including the ones with Larry, JLD and Michael Richards. Richards sounds like someone who has been excessively therapised, possibly after the incident with the heckler. He got a bit sentimental about how Jerry stood by him after his racist outburst.

Icehaven

Quote from: thr0b on December 01, 2020, 01:32:59 PM
It's not an altogether bad film, that. Went with little 'un just before everything shut down and it's a decent enough family movie, in a Sunday afternoon on BBC One kind of a way.

Not sure I'd want it to be the last film I ever see at the cinema, though it certainly appears it could be.

And Kramer in the role would've been better. Not Michael Richards. Kramer.

I daresay I'll end up watching it at some point as I'm a fan of Downey Jnr. (even though from what I've seen in the trailer his accent is bizarre in this and it does sound like Kramer would have been better), which was also why it was even more disturbing to see a giant version of him as the K man.

Captain Poodle Basher

Quote from: ajsmith2 on November 26, 2020, 02:18:27 PM
Further into season 4 now. 'You don't consider the age with cleavage'* being Jerry's justification for ogling a 15 year old in 'The Shoes' is.,. well it's not even of it's time, but it's the kind of thing that was a permissable dark joke for a primetime sitcom back then, but that I can't imagine anyone from any sphere of comedy going anywhere near today.

*just realised they kind of missed a play on words there was the word 'age' being contained in 'cleavage'.


I watched "The Hamptons" episode last night and must say it was incredibly crass and nasty with George exhibiting Harvey Weinstein-esque levels of entitlement with only a bit of slapstick by way of a comeuppance when an entry on a sex offenders register would be more appropriate.


buttgammon

Didn't actual Jerry Seinfeld have a relationship with a teenager around that time?

I don't know why they can't have at least made Russell Dalrymple's daughter 25 or something. It would still be inappropriate but nowhere near as creepy.

Quote from: Captain Poodle Basher on December 14, 2020, 09:42:56 AM

I watched "The Hamptons" episode last night and must say it was incredibly crass and nasty with George exhibiting Harvey Weinstein-esque levels of entitlement with only a bit of slapstick by way of a comeuppance when an entry on a sex offenders register would be more appropriate.



This made me quite uncomfortable when I recently rewatched it. George's indignation about shrinkage is quite funny but everything that follows is unpleasant.

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: buttgammon on December 14, 2020, 12:32:58 PM
Didn't actual Jerry Seinfeld have a relationship with a teenager around that time?

I don't know why they can't have at least made Russell Dalrymple's daughter 25 or something. It would still be inappropriate but nowhere near as creepy.


Yep, 17-year old Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss (although she was 18 when they started dating so technically above board). Don't look at the cleavage!



They could have made her 25, then it's only inappropriate because it's the network guy's daughter rather than her age, which still works.

Captain Crunch

I'm about half way through 'Is This Anything?'

Amazon link

Not bad, just 'bits' from his stand-up but it works quite well written down.  Also found the BBC tie-in book yesterday so I'll have a rattle through that.  Neither are a patch on Seinfeldia.

Icehaven

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on December 14, 2020, 12:45:18 PM
Yep, 17-year old Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss (although she was 18 when they started dating so technically above board).


So was she still 17 despite being 18?

El Unicornio, mang

He apparently met her when she was 17, but didn't start dating her until 18.

So...yes, in a way.

Botty Cello

Quote from: icehaven on December 16, 2020, 11:30:07 AM
So was she still 17 despite being 18?
Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss is 45 currently, my gosh we're slow to respond on this thread.

Icehaven

Is there an edit without the bass? I'm near the end of my second watch through and it's driving me insane, although perversely I suspect I'd miss it. Can't win.