SEINFELD SEASON 7 DVD TALK REVIEW

The Show:

You might be a Seinfeld fan if:

- You've ever noted with disgust that someone "double dipped" a potato chip.
- You've shuddered when confronted by a "close talker."
- You can't eat a Junior Mint without also thinking about stomach surgery.
- You've been known to utter the phrase, "They're real, and they're spectacular."
- You've ever yadda, yadda, yaddaed.

If the answer to two or more of the above is in the affirmative, chances are you are a diehard Seinfeld fan � not that there's anything wrong with that -- and probably don't need a treatise on the hilarity of the NBC sitcom that was a pop culture touchstone throughout the 1990s. The series that introduced the world to a mind-boggling array of such curious (but dead-on) concepts as "man hands" and "makeup sex" starred Jerry Seinfeld as the titular character, Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes and Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer. And if you didn't know that much already, well, congratulations on the successful space travel and welcome to Planet Earth.

Season 7, which aired from November of 1995 to May of 1996, contains its fair share of classic Seinfeld episodes. Even fair-weather fans likely know "The Soup Nazi," in which the troupe endures a fascist of a soup virtuoso who runs his eatery with an iron ladle (you've gotta love any show that can actually turn "No soup for you!" into a universal catchphrase). The season also boasted "The Sponge," in which Elaine hordes a case of her (then discontinued) favorite birth-control device, thereby forcing her to select only sexual partners who are "spongeworthy" material. Other noteworthy greats from the season include "The Cadillac," "The Wink" and "The Rye."

Perhaps the most controversial episode in Seinfeld history was Season 7's finale. In the morbidly funny deus ex machina of "The Invitations," George frees himself from the hell of impending marriage when fianc�e Susan (Heidi Swedberg) dies from licking toxic adhesive glue on their wedding invitations. In a featurette on the DVD, Alexander proclaims the scene as the "coldest moment ever played on a television show." While that might be a stretch, it probably earns the distinction as the coldest moment on a TV sitcom.

Series creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David (whose last year with the series was the seventh season) fostered the perception that Seinfeld was "a show about nothing," but the reality was far different. As the commentaries and mini-documentaries on this four-disc set make clear, Seinfeld clicked with TV audiences precisely because it was about something -- with that something being life in all its absurdities, frustrations, resentments and inanities. Seinfeld, David and the slew of gifted writers were shrewd enough to exploit the petty thoughts and actions we all know, but don't easily own up to. It's no wonder, then, that the episodes routinely wove together multiple storylines that often stemmed from the real-life experience of one or more of the show's writers. This was the politics of daily life, whether it was about compartmentalizing interpersonal relationships ("Worlds colliding!") or just making sure that your contribution to a tip jar is duly appreciated.

Seinfeld soared for its brilliant writing, but the show also benefited from the impeccable chemistry of its four stars. Still, if Season 7 belonged to anyone, it was Alexander; his sputtering, neurotic George Costanza netted the season's ongoing story arc with his impulsive and ill-fated engagement to Susan Ross. Of course, Season 7 still offered wonderful ensemble work. Moreover, the season introduced a few recurring minor characters, such as fast-talking attorney Jackie Chiles (Phil Morris), a Johnnie Cochran clone; "braless wonder" Sue Ellen Mischke (Brenda Strong) and a gossipy rabbi (Bruce Mahler).

While Seinfeld wasn't known for a stream of guest stars (with the exception of some notables among Jerry's girlfriends), a few memorable actors pop up in Season 7, including Debra Messing, Janeane Garofalo, Kathy Griffin, Rob Schneider, Brad Garrett, Cary Elwes, Pat Cooper, Alexandra Wentworth and, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo, ex-Saturday Night Live cast member Ana Gasteyer.

Following are a list of the episodes contained in the DVD package, along with a brief synopsis and relevant supplemental material. All episodes feature an optional "Notes about Nothing," a sort of DVD version of VH1's defunct Pop-Up Video series. Mini-documentaries on specific episodes come under the heading Inside Look. Oh, and there is the usual smattering of deleted scenes.

Disc 1

"The Engagement"
As a result of the pact he made with Jerry to grow up, George proposes to Susan. A barking dog keeps Elaine up at night so she enlists Kramer and Newman to help her solve the problem.
Inside Look (4 minutes)
Deleted scene (1:31)

"The Postponement"
Jealous of George's engagement, Elaine seeks counsel from her rabbi neighbor, who isn't very good at keeping secrets. George panics about getting married and convinces Susan to postpone the wedding. Kramer tries to sneak his cup of coffee into a movie and suffers burns when it spills.
Commentary with Alexander and Louis-Dreyfus

"The Maestro"
Elaine dates Kramer's friend, "the Maestro." Jerry becomes obsessed when "the Maestro" tells him there's nothing available to rent in Tuscany. Jackie Chiles represents Kramer in his lawsuit against the coffee company.
Inside Look (4:20)

"The Wink"
Jerry's healthy eating habits backfire when his grapefruit squirts into George's eye. George's involuntary winking leads to trouble at the Yankees.

"The Hot Tub"
Elaine hosts Jean-Paul for the New York City marathon. He has a history of oversleeping, so Jerry fixates on ensuring he's up in time for the race. Kramer installs a hot tub in his living room.
Deleted scenes (2:17)

"The Soup Nazi"
The gang discovers an amazing soup stand run by a dictatorial chef. Jerry must decide between his girlfriend, "Schmoopie," and the soup. Elaine buys an antique armoire from a guy on the street and asks Kramer to watch it until she's able to move into her apartment.
Commentary with Seinfeld, director Andy Ackerman and writer Spike Fersten
Inside Look (7:30)

Disc 2

"The Secret Code"
George refuses to give Susan his ATM code. Elaine is attracted to a man because he doesn't remember meeting her. Jerry abandons George with Peterman, who drags him to see his dying Mama. Kramer gets an emergency band scanner to keep tabs on the local police and fire departments.
Commentary with writers Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer
Inside Look (2:19)

"The Pool Guy"
Elaine realizes she has no female friends and makes an effort to get to know Susan, causing George's worlds to collide. The annoying pool guy from Jerry's health club won't leave him alone. Kramer's new phone number is one digit off from Moviefone and he decides to offer his own movie-info service to those who mistakenly call him.
Commentary with Seinfeld, Ackerman and writer David Mandel
Inside Look (5:35)

"The Sponge"
Elaine panics when she learns her favorite birth-control device is going off the market. She now must determine if her boyfriend is "spongeworthy." Jerry dates a woman whose number he got off an AIDS Walk list. Kramer refuses to wear the red ribbon of the AIDS Walk and suffers the consequences.
Commentary with writer Peter Mehlman

"The Gum"
Kramer participates in the revitalization of the Alex Theatre. He encourages his friends to be sensitive to Lloyd Braun, who recently had a mental breakdown. Jerry winds up wearing glasses and buying a lot of Chinese gum just to convince Lloyd he's not crazy. George's "Jon Voight car" catches fire.
Commentary with writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross
Inside Look (3:42)

"The Rye"
George's parents bring a marble rye to dinner with Susan's parents, which they don't serve with the meal. Frank takes it with him, leaving George and Jerry the task of sneaking a loaf back into the Ross' apartment. Kramer uses his "hansom cab" to help return the bread.
Inside Look (7:17)
Deleted scene (46 seconds)

"The Caddy"
Elaine's nemesis, Sue Ellen Mischke, "the braless wonder," causes her great stress. George's abandoned car in the Yankee parking lot leads George Steinbrenner to think he's dead. Contrary to Jackie Chiles' legal counsel, Kramer's golf caddy offers advice both on the green and in the courtroom.
Inside Look (2:08)
Deleted scene (1:27)

Disc 3

"The Seven"
George announces that he wants to name his first child Seven and loses it when Susan's cousin decides to use the name. Elaine buys a bike but hurts her neck when it falls off the shelf onto her. Jerry's girlfriend wears the same dress every time he sees her.
Deleted scene (30 seconds)

"The Cadillac, Parts 1 & 2"
When Jerry buys his father a new Cadillac, it leads to trouble for the Seinfelds at their Florida condominium. Through a friend, Elaine sets George up with Marisa Tomei. Kramer turns the tables on the cable guy.
Inside Look (3:25)

"The Shower Head"
Elaine tests positive for opium and loses her job at the Peterman company. George convinces his parents to move to Florida but they squabble with the Seinfelds, leaving everyone in misery. Jerry's building changes all the shower heads to low-flow.
Commentary with Alexander and Dreyfus

"The Doll"
George discovers that Susan has a doll that looks exactly like his mother. Susan's college roommate, Sally Weaver, screws up the bit that Jerry had planned for his appearance on the Charles Grodin Show. Frank turns George's childhood room into a billiards parlor.
Commentary with writers Gammill and Pross
Deleted scene (50 seconds)

"The Friars Club"
Jerry tries to join the famed Friars Club but fears he'll never be admitted after the crested blazer disappears at the Flying Sandos Brothers performance. A new Peterman employee with selective hearing bothers Elaine. Kramer tries out Leonardo da Vinci's sleep habits, but they cause him trouble with his Mafia girlfriend.
Commentary with writer Mandel
Inside Look (8:05)
Deleted scenes (3:49)
Alternate ending (1 minute)

Disc 4

"The Wig Master"
Susan invites her friend, a Broadway show wig master, to stay with them. George finds a cheap parking lot but realizes that prostitutes use the cars to conduct their business. Kramer convinces the wig master to loan him the show's Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Inside Look (1:53)
Deleted scenes (2:15)

"The Calzone"
George introduces Steinbrenner to calzones but gets banned from the restaurant when he's caught with his hand in the tip jar. Jerry points out that Elaine's boyfriend is dating her without technically asking her out. Kramer enjoys wearing clothes fresh out of the oven.
Commentary with Seinfeld, Ackerman and writers Berg and Schaffer
Inside Look (2:05)

"The Bottle Deposit, Parts 1 & 2"
Elaine purchases John F. Kennedy's golf clubs for Peterman at an auction by outbidding her rival, Sue Ellen Mischke. Jerry's mechanic accuses him of being a bad owner and car-naps the vehicle with the golf clubs still in the backseat. Kramer and Newman find the missing link to their Michigan bottle deposit scheme and set out to make their millions.
Inside Look (5:23)

"The Wait Out"
George makes a remark that breaks up a married couple. Jerry and Elaine pounce as they've been waiting out the relationship for years. Kramer slips into a pair of tight jeans and can't get out.

"The Invitations"
As his wedding nears, George picks the cheapest invitations in the shop. A woman just like Jerry saves his life, and he proposes marriage to her. Kramer disputes his bank over their offer of $100 if they don't greet you with a "hello."
Inside Look (8:40)
Deleted scenes (3:30)

The DVD

A thick cardboard sleeve holds the four DVDs that comprise the volume. All come in plastic slimcases.

The Video:

Presented in its full-frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio, the picture quality is clear and fresh and devoid of washed-out colors. In short, the image is excellent.

The Audio:

The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track is rock solid for what it is -- a TV sitcom that revolves around snappy dialogue. Audio tracks are in English and French.

Subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Subtitles on commentaries are available in Spanish and Portuguese; subtitles in Notes About Nothing are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Extras:

Seinfeld fans, take heart; this box set has healthy portions of supplemental material. The main bonus features include 14 Inside Look documentaries that provide brief retrospectives on selected episodes. The bulk of them, which feature cast and crew interviews, are informative and entertaining.

The DVDs also boast 10 commentaries. The quality of the tracks varies. While the noticeable absence of Larry David and Michael Richards is disappointing, Seinfeld and the writers have a nice rapport and provide some great fun. Oddly, the commentaries by Alexander and Louis-Dreyfus seem comparatively stilted, although Alexander proves to be a mighty robust laugher. All the episodes have Notes about Nothing, while nine episodes come with deleted scenes.

The best featurette here is easily Queen of the Castle: The Elaine Benes Story. The 16-minute piece is a terrific valentine to the comic genius of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the often-overlooked part she played in making Seinfeld a success.

Larry David fans (a group that includes your reviewer) will appreciate two featurettes. The seven-minute, 49-second Larry David's Farewell spotlights the Seinfeld co-creator reflecting on his final year with the show. Where's Larry? Seinfeld's Secret Guest Star is a seven-minute, 10-second compilation of David's frequent Seinfeld cameos throughout the years, with his most notable being as the voice of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Some quality standup comedy is on tap with Master of His Domain (Exclusive Stand-Up Material). The eight-minute, 39-second collection of clips showcases Jerry Seinfeld's comedy act he used to begin most episodes.

A fun but exhausting blooper reel, Not That There's Anything Wrong with That, clocks in at 21 minutes, 13 seconds. Whew. That's a lotta bloopers.

TV aficionados who remember Comedy Central's defunct Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, will be familiar with the concept behind Sein-Imation. In two vignettes (culled from Seinfeld episodes) titled "Dr. Cosmo on Marriage & Family" and "George & the Whale," crudely animated characters on notebook paper give literal shape to Seinfeld shtick. It's mildly amusing, but hardly essential.

Final Thoughts:

C'mon, let's get serious. If your blackened heart still beats for what is arguably the best TV comedy of all time, don't you need the season that gave the world "The Soup Nazi," "The Sponge" and the twisted death of Susan Ross? Along with some wonderful retrospectives, commentaries and a rip-snortin' ode to Louis-Dreyfus, this Seinfeld box set should prove irresistible for any self-respecting fan.

SEINFELD SEASON 5 AND 6 DVD TALK REVIEW

The Movie

Seinfeld. One name, one long-running show, one high bar for all television comedy to live up to. It's not the only show to be about "nothing," in the sense that it simply follows the daily (mis)adventures of a group of ordinary people (fairly dysfunctional people, but then, who's not?). But what makes Seinfeld brilliant is more than the concept, it's the execution. Where else have we seen scripts that are consistently so insanely... well, brilliant? Even a wildly successful show like Friends (clearly a Seinfeld imitator) doesn't come even close. Where else is the casting so spot-on? It's impossible to imagine anyone else playing Kramer, George, or Elaine... or, for that matter, Newman, or the Costanzas, or half-a-dozen other secondary characters who seem to be played by actors who were born for the role. What other comedy manages to be so memorable in so many episodes?

So, you've noticed I'm a big Seinfeld fan? You know, you're right! (And that's a sentence worthy of an exclamation point.)

After a very solid start in Seasons 1 and 2, Seasons 3 and 4 pushed Seinfeld into classic territory. The question in Seasons 5 and 6 is then whether the show could keep up the energy and creativity that had made it shine so far. The short answer is "Yes"; the long answer is the rest of this review.

Let's take a look at the ingredients that make for two classic seasons, starting with Season 5. Right away, in "The Puffy Shirt," we get a generous helping of classic Seinfeld elements. George is still broke and looking for a job, and ends up becoming a hand model. Kramer has a "low-talking" girlfriend... and Jerry inadvertently agrees to wear a puffy pirate shirt in his Today Show appearance. Hm. If you've never seen Seinfeld, that might sound like a rather prosaic episode summary, but in fact, this is Seinfeld, and it works like a charm, with George's insecure personality on display (always with hilarious results) and much of the plot of the episode taken up with the absurdities resulting from social miscommunication. We can also see that Seinfeld kept pushing the envelope of what was allowed on television (remember the lesbian wedding in Season 3's "The Subway"?) with great results: here, a major element of "The Mango" is nothing less than female orgasm (and the faking thereof). The show could have played it conservatively with the opening episode of a new season, but instead they stepped right out into whatever comic territory seemed right for the show, and never mind any prudes in the audience.

One of the great things about Seinfeld is the story structure, which by now is in its fully developed form, so that each episode interweaves three or four different threads into the same story. I think this is really the core reason why Seinfeld is so funny: Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David have the confidence of a seemingly boundless imagination, so they have the confidence that there are plenty more great ideas in the pipeline. With that in mind, they're generous with using fantastic storylines for only one-third or maybe one-fifth of a half-hour episode, when a less creative show would try to milk just that one storyline for a full episode. The saying "less is more" ends up being very applicable here: the small amount of on-screen time devoted to each storyline means that each one is concentrated to the funniest parts, with no fluff and no padding. Consider "The Pie": not only is it a classic episode (Jerry's girlfriend mysteriously refuses to have a bite of his pie, which of course drives him crazy) but it has enough story material in it to feel like at least two episodes, not even counting the side story with George.

The final result is that each full episode is fast-paced and crammed to the gills with real comedy, and even the "side" storylines are extremely memorable. Look, for instance, at "The Sniffing Accountant" (a solid episode whose title refers to Jerry's dilemma: is his accountant a drug user?) One of the most memorable bits is Elaine's fight with her boyfriend over the proper way to convey important news in a jotted-down phone message. Short and sweet, it plays on the unspoken "rules" of social communication, or rather miscommunication.

Season 5 continues to make great use of the backstories of the characters and references to past episodes. Jerry continues to have problems with girlfriends... as always... while Kramer sails along in his peculiar way, having all sorts of adventures that could only happen to Kramer. George's problems in finding a job provide a rich vein to mine (as in "The Barber"), but we also continue to see his obsession with the perfect parking space. The two-part episode "The Raincoats" moves in to take full advantage of the characters, as we get Jerry's parents trying to avoid George's parents, along with Kramer's plan to sell Morty's raincoats, and (of course) a handful of other plot threads.

As Seinfeld really hits its stride, the multiple episode threads become increasingly related to each other, as well. For instance, "The Cigar Store Indian" ties together several incidents with the use of a TV Guide and a coffee table connection. "The Marine Biologist" has to go down as one of the classic Seinfelds of all time, with George masquerading as a marine biologist, and then having that plot point eventually tie into Kramer's attempt to improve his golf swing. "The Hamptons" (again, one of the all-time classics) has the whole group on a vacation to the Hamptons, where everyone seems to have problems, most notably George with "shrinkage" after swimming, and Elaine with the issue of how to describe a very ugly baby. And let's not forget "The Opposite," in which George decides to do the opposite of everything that he would normally do, Kramer promotes his coffee-table book, and Elaine has serious misadventures with Jujyfruits.

Seinfeld fans will be interested to know that the Season 5 episode "The Non-Fat Yogurt" appears here in both its original version (with references to New York's mayor, Giulani, in the plot thread devoted to the mayoral race) and the alternate, slightly longer version used in syndication (with references to Mayor Dinkins instead). The default is the original, but the alternate can be selected from the episode menu.

Season 6 has all the good qualities of Season 5, with a batch of fresh stories. OK, we do get saddled with two clip-show episodes in "Highlights of a Hundred" 1 and 2, which are much less interesting when the viewer has just recently watched all the previous episodes, but that's the only blip in a season that otherwise is in classic territory. George has his job with the Yankees now, with various job-related plot twists coming up in episodes like "The Chaperone" and "The Secretary." "The Race" is another memorable multi-thread episode, as Jerry is challenged to a race rematch against an old rival, and Elaine gets blacklisted from a Chinese restaurant, and George gets into more trouble at work. "The Label Maker" is likewise difficult to summarize but is packed to the brim with great material, from regifting issues, to "The Drake," to Kramer and Newman's game of Risk. The season warms up even more in the second half, with Elaine trying to convert a gay man in "The Beard," the invention of the "Bro" (or is it the "Manssiere"?) in "The Doorman," the appearance of the eponymous "Fusilli Jerry," and the introduction of Mr. Peterman in "The Understudy. "

But of course, as any Seinfeld fan knows, just pointing out a few particularly memorable threads in a bare handful of episodes is just scratching the surface. It's not just the stories or the jokes, it's the way everything is woven together, constantly using references from previous episodes. You don't have to catch any of those references or running back-story jokes to find the episodes hilarious, but once you've followed the episodes closely enough that you do catch them, there's a whole other level of humor in the show. I think that's what makes Seinfeld a show that gets better with time. It's not just funny, it's clever; it's not just well written, it's intelligent. Who knows how many times I've seen these episodes? They just get better and better with additional viewing, and that's far from something that holds true for just any series, even a really good one.

The following are the episode lists for each season. Episodes with commentary tracks are listed in bold. All the episodes are the original full-length network versions, not the truncated syndicated ones. The episodes are arranged in production order, not air date order.

Season 5 (1993-1994)

• The Mango (Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander)

• The Glasses (writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross)

• The Puffy Shirt

• The Sniffing Accountant

• The Bris

• The Lip Reader (writers Peter Mehlman and Carol Leifer)

• The Non-Fat Yogurt

• The Barber

• The Masseuse

• The Cigar Store Indian (writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross)

• The Conversion

• The Stall

• The Dinner Party

• The Marine Biologist (director/producer Tom Cherones and production designer Tom Azzari)

• The Pie (writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross)

• The Stand-In

• The Wife

• The Raincoats (parts 1 and 2)

• The Fire

• The Hamptons (writers Peter Mehlman and Carol Leifer)

• The Opposite (Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David)

Season 6 (1994-1995)

• The Chaperone

• The Big Salad

• The Pledge Drive

• The Chinese Woman

• The Couch

• The Gymnast (Jerry Seinfeld, director Andy Ackerman, and writers Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer)

• The Mom & Pop Store (writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross)

• The Soup

• The Secretary

• The Switch

• The Race (Jerry Seinfeld and director Andy Ackerman)

• The Label Maker (writers Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer)

• The Scofflaw

• Highlights of 100 (parts 1 and 2)

• The Beard (Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus)

• The Kiss Hello

• The Doorman (writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross)

• The Jimmy

• The Doodle

• The Fusilli Jerry (Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus)

• The Diplomat's Club (writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross)

• The Face Painter

• The Understudy

The DVD

The Seinfeld Season 5 & 6 Giftset contains the two separately packaged season sets, exactly as they're sold separately, plus the extra script and "Puffy Shirt" collectible. Once the shrink wrap is taken off, all the pieces are separate, with no overall slipcase, so cosmetically there's no difference between the Giftset and the season sets bought separately.

Video

Seinfeld Season 5 and Season 6 continue the trend of the earlier seasons in terms of transfer quality. The image has a touch of grain and looks a bit soft in longer-distance shots, but otherwise it looks bright, clean, and crisp. Close-up shots in particular look excellent, and colors are rich and vibrant across the board. Seeing some clips of the episodes in non-remastered form in the special features drives home the point that this is the best we've seen Seinfeld: the transfers have obviously been cleaned up very well for their release on DVD. All the episodes appear in their original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1.

Audio

Like the video transfer, the soundtrack provides a solid, high-quality experience. The dialogue is always clean, clear, and distinct, which is an absolute necessity for a show like this. The overall sound balance of the Dolby 2.0 track is handled well, and though I'm never a big fan of laugh tracks, the one for Seinfeld is kept in appropriate balance to the rest of the track. A dubbed French soundtrack is also provided, along with English closed captions and French, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles.

Extras

I have to give credit to the producers of the DVD sets: the quality of the special features continues to be high, with a generous quantity of extra material that (more importantly) provides an interesting look deeper into the show. To begin with, there are a number of commentary tracks for each season, which I've noted in the episode lists above. Each episode also has the "Notes About Nothing" feature, which pops up text information about the episode as it plays.

For the rest of the features, let's take a look at the sets disc by disc.

Season 5 Disc 1: Here we start off with a 25-minute featurette called "Jason + Larry = George," filling in the details on the creation of the character of George. Next up are "Inside Look" featurettes for "The Puffy Shirt," "The Mango," "The Glasses," and "The Sniffing Accountant," running 19 minutes in all. About five minutes of deleted scenes are included for "The Glasses," "The Mango," and "The Puffy Shirt," along with a set of promotional television spots for the show.

Season 5 Disc 2: Eight minutes of unshown stand-up comedy material from Jerry Seinfeld appears here, along with "Inside Looks" (totaling nine minutes) for "The Lip Reader," "The Non-Fat Yogurt," and "The Barber." A deleted scene for "The Non-Fat Yogurt" also appears.

Season 5 Disc 3: 21 minutes of "Inside Look" material appears here, for "The Conversion," "The Stall," "The Marine Biologist," "The Pie," and "The Stand-in." We also get eight minutes of deleted scenes for "The Conversion," "The Stall," "The Marine Biologist," and "The Pie."

Season 5 Disc 4: A set of bloopers (quite funny) runs 13 minutes, and is followed up by "Inside Looks" for "The Fire," "The Raincoats," "The Hamptons," and "The Opposite" (17 minutes in total) and six minutes of deleted scenes for "The Fire," "The Raincoats," and "The Opposite."

Season 6 Disc 1: A substantial, 33-minute featurette appears here: "Running with the Egg: Making a Seinfeld" provides an interesting look at the creation of a Seinfeld episode from start to finish. After that, we move on to "Inside Looks" for "The Chaperone," "The Big Salad," "The Pledge Drive," and "The Couch" (running a total of 13 minutes). There's also a ten-minute set of deleted scenes for "The Chaperone," "The Big Salad," "The Chinese Woman," "The Couch," and "The Gymnast."

Season 6 Disc 2: Another quite funny set of bloopers is included here, running 22 minutes. There's also a 12-minute set of "Inside Looks" for "The Mom & Pop Store," "The Soup," "The Switch," "The Race," and "The Label Maker," and an 11-minute set of deleted scenes for the same episodes. A short animated version of part of a Seinfeld episode is also included, called "Sein-imation: The Big Race."

Season 6 Disc 3: Another of those odd "Sein-imations" appears here, this time called "Seinfeld Noir. " Apart from that short clip, we have six minutes of additional stand-up material from Seinfeld, "Inside Looks" for "The Kiss Hello" and "The Doorman" (six minutes), and three minutes of deleted scenes from "The Scofflaw," "The Beard," and "The Doorman." There's also a short introduction by Jerry Seinfeld to the "Highlights of 100" episode.

Season 6 Disc 4: One more peculiar "Sein-imation" appears here ("Kramer vs. the Monkey"), and then we get to the "Inside Looks" for "The Jimmy," "The Fusilli Jerry," "The Diplomat's Club," "The Face Painter," and "The Understudy" (23 minutes in total). Seven minutes of deleted scenes are also included for "The Jimmy," "The Doodle," "The Diplomat's Club," "The Face Painter," and "The Understudy."

Extra bonus material for the gift set: If you buy the Season 5 & 6 Giftset instead of buying the sets separately, you get two other special items: a replica of a handwritten rough draft of an episode script, and a miniature puffy shirt in a plastic display case. Neither of these two items really adds much value to the package; the puffy shirt just seems like a silly wanna-be collectible item with no particular aesthetic value, and the script isn't nearly as interesting as the video special features. Unless you are a die-hard Seinfeld geek, there's nothing in the gift set that makes it better than buying the season sets separately.

Final Thoughts

There's no getting around it: Seinfeld is the king of comedy shows, even (perhaps especially) more than ten years later. As fresh, creative, and funny as always, Seasons 5 and 6 showcase Seinfeld at its best. With a nice transfer and a solid package of special features, there's absolutely no reason to hesitate on picking up these sets. The extra items (script and miniature puffy shirt) that are packaged with the "gift set" are nothing special, so I would say that you have your choice of whether to buy the sets separately or together. In any case, it's very easy to review the two seasons at the same time, because they are both equally outstanding and both would get the "DVDTalk Collector Series" rating, whether considered individually or together.

SEINFELD SEASON 4 DVD TALK REVIEW

The movie

As you know if you've read my reviews of Seasons 1 and 2 and Season 3, Seinfeld is my all-time favorite comedy series. In fact, I'll go boldly out on a limb and say that it's the best comedy television series, ever. Other shows have emulated it, but none have captured the genius of this show about "nothing," with its fantastic writing, consistently hilarious situations, and unforgettable comic characters. Jerry Seinfeld, George Costanza, Elaine Benes, and of course the inimitable Kramer, are an ensemble of characters who clicked from the very beginning, and now that the series has fully hit its stride, Season 4 is full of pure comedic gold from start to finish.

Season 4 is "classic Seinfeld" through and through, but oddly enough, it actually starts off in a highly atypical manner. Though the show's funniest moments all revolve around Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine in their daily lives in New York, Season 4 opens with the two-part "The Trip," featuring Jerry and George flying to Los Angeles to look for Kramer (who, as viewers will remember, took off for Hollywood at the end of Season 3). But this is Seinfeld, and though the "away" opening isn't quite as strong as the "home" episodes, that just means it's an ordinary level of funny, rather than extremely funny. After all, we've got George fretting about getting a no-tuck on his hotel bed... Kramer suspected of being a serial killer... Jerry appearing on the Tonight Show while George has "great conversations" with the stars backstage... and plenty of other odd occurrences presented through the wacky perspective of the Seinfeld cast.

Season 4 is unusual for its time in that it features a complete story arc, and even more than that, it's amusingly self-referential: Jerry is approached with the idea that he'll have a show on NBC, and he and George come up with the idea for a sitcom about "nothing," featuring Jerry as himself, and with the other characters based on his friends. "The Pitch" and "The Ticket" get this story arc off to a good start (for the viewers, that is) as Jerry and George discover the liabilities involved in letting George handle the business negotiations for the pilot. Things do keep moving along, with a lot of ups and downs, so that many of the fourth season's episodes play around with the trials and tribulations involved in getting a pilot episode made by a couple of guys with no experience, wrapping up in the season finale, "The Pilot."

When the only way we could watch Seinfeld was in out-of-sequence re-runs, we could only appreciate the episodes for their (ample) stand-alone merit; the charm of those ongoing storylines got lost in the shuffle to a certain extent. Now that the DVD set neatly sorts the episodes back into their original broadcast order once again, it's very apparent how cleverly the whole season is constructed. In addition to the two-part episodes and the episodes dealing with the main story arc, many of the episodes throughout the season make use of references or plot events from earlier episodes. It all ends up working very well, as it helps build up our sense of Seinfeld as taking place in a world that's rich with coincidence and curious characters, and it gives the writers more leeway to play with the wacky situations they've come up with.

The cast of recurring secondary characters also builds: not only do we again see Jerry's parents and Uncle Leo, but we meet George's new girlfriend Susan, as well as meeting George's parents for the first time. (Longtime fans will be interested to know that the DVD includes both versions of "The Handicap Spot," where Mr. Costanza appears for the first time: we get both the original version, with John Randolph in the role, and the re-shot syndicated version, with Jerry Stiller in the role that he'd then continue playing.)

Here in Season 4, with three successful seasons under its belt, Seinfeld is deservedly self-confident; how else could it get away with a story arc that basically lampoons television in general and the production of new television series in particular? But its confidence also shines through in the way that the whole approach of Season 3 is taken to a new level in Season 4. The interwoven storylines that I associate so strongly with Seinfeld are in full form here. Every episode has more than one plot line going on, with the story switching back and forth as the episode proceeds. It's what makes a single half-hour of Seinfeld feel like it has more wacky events and great comedy packed in than in a whole hour of another sitcom.

All the episodes here are great fun, and in fact it's getting harder to select just a few to highlight as stand-outs. Who can forget "The Bubble Boy," in which Jerry and George visit the title character on their way to a holiday in the mountains? "The Contest," with its plot centering around the group's challenge to see who can go the longest without doing "you know," is not only a fan favorite, but also an award winner, as it took home an Emmy for Best Comedy, Writing, and Supporting Actor (for Michael Richards) and a Director's Guild of America award for director Tom Cherones. "The Pick" counts among the most memorable episodes, with its sub-plot involving Elaine's nipple-showing Christmas card. "The Implant" is another favorite, with Jerry trying to figure out if his girlfriend's breasts are, or are not, too good to be true, while George gets in trouble for double-dipping chips at a wake. And who can forget "The Junior Mint," with a girlfriend whose name Jerry has forgotten, an ex-boyfriend whom Elaine is interested in now that he's thin, and, of course, the amazing effects of one misplaced little Junior Mint? But really, it's impossible to capture the appeal of a Seinfeld episode with a plot summary. If you're a fan of the show, you know exactly what I mean... and if you've been living under a rock somewhere and haven't watched Seinfeld, now would be a really good time to start.

Take it from me: Seinfeld is a great show. And Season 4 is a great set of Seinfeld episodes. Just to refresh your memory, here's a list of all the episodes from Season 4. All are the full-length original versions, not the shorter syndicated versions. The episodes with commentary tracks are listed in bold.

Season 4 (1992-1993)

• The Trip: Part 1 (writer Larry Charles)
• The Trip: Part 2 (writer Larry Charles)
• The Pitch / The Ticket (double-length episode)
• The Wallet
• The Watch
• The Bubble Boy
• The Cheever Letters (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richard)
• The Opera
• The Virgin
• The Contest (Jerry Seinfeld)
• The Airport (writer Larry Charles)
• The Pick
• The Movie
• The Visa
• The Shoes
• The Outing (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richard)
• The Old Man
• The Implant (writer Peter Mehlman)
• The Junior Mint (Jerry Seinfeld)
• The Smelly Car
• The Handicap Spot
• The Pilot: Part 1 (production designer Tom Azzori and director/producer Tom Cherones)
• The Pilot: Part 2 (production designer Tom Azzori and director/producer Tom Cherones)

The DVD

Seinfeld: Season 4 is packaged in the same style as the earlier seasons. The episodes are spread across four DVDs, each in an ultra-slim plastic keepcase inside a glossy paperboard slipcase, which in turn has a slipcover.

Video

Seinfeld: Season 4 appears in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, and it continues to look excellent in its DVD transfer. It's not perfect, as there's some grain here and there (particularly in a few outdoor shots) but overall it's a nicely crisp and clean transfer. Colors look great, and overall it has a fresh and natural appearance.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack provides a clean and pleasing listening experience. The dialogue is always crisp and clear, and the musical score and laugh track are always nicely balanced with the other audio elements. The overall sound is natural and clean. French and Spanish dubbed tracks are also provided, as are English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese subtitles.

Extras

Seinfeld fans are treated to a thorough special-features treatment in Season 4. Here's a breakdown by disc:

Disc 1

"The Breakout Season," a 19-minute featurette, gets things rolling by giving background information on Season 4, and the new ideas behind it; we hear from a variety of people involved, including NBC representatives, the creators, and cast members, so it's quite interesting. Also included here is a 5-minute parody of Regis and Kathie Lee.

Writer Larry Charles provides a commentary track for both parts of "The Trip." We also get the text "Notes About Nothing" feature for all the episodes on this disc. "Inside Look" mini-featurettes, which give additional insights and background information about specific episodes, appear for "The Trip" and "The Pitch / The Ticket." To wrap things up for this disc, we also get deleted scenes for "The Trip" and "The Wallet."

Disc 2

The distinctive content on this disc starts out with a substantial 21-minute set of bloopers and outtakes for Season 4. A "Master of His Domain" segment also adds in about eight minutes of previously unseen stand-up comedy material from Jerry Seinfeld.

Two episodes get commentaries on this disc: "The Cheever Letters" with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richard, and "The Contest" with Jerry Seinfeld. "Notes About Nothing" are also included for all the episodes.

There are plenty of "Inside Looks" here, as we get the scoop on "The Bubble Boy," "The Cheever Letters," "The Opera," and "The Contest." Deleted scenes are also included for "The Cheever Letters," "The Contest," and "The Virgin."

Disc 3

The special features section here starts out with an assortment of minor features: NBC promos, 1992 Olympic promos, and a photo gallery.

Moving on to more substantial extras, we get a commentary on "The Airport" by writer Larry Charles, and one for "The Outing" with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richard. "Notes About Nothing" are also included for all episodes.

Deleted scenes are included for "The Airport," "The Pick," "The Movie," and "The Outing." On top of that, we also get an alternate ending for "The Airport."

Disc 4

The special feature that's unique to Disc 4 is an introduction by Jason Alexander to "The Handicap Spot," which in itself is a bit of an extra: the DVD includes both the original version, with John Randolph in the role, and the re-shot syndicated version, with Jerry Stiller as Mr. Costanza.

Commentary tracks are provided for four episodes here. "The Implant" has writer Peter Mehlman; "The Junior Mint" features Jerry Seinfeld; and both parts of "The Pilot" have a commentary by production designer Tom Azzori and director/producer Tom Cherones.

We get "Inside Looks" for "The Old Man," "The Implant," "The Smelly Car," and "The Handicap Spot." Deleted scenes are provided for "The Old Man" and "The Handicap Spot," and we also get an alternate ending for "The Old Man."

Final thoughts

What more could Seinfeld fans ask for? We've got a knockout season of classic Seinfeld comedy, a great transfer, and a generous helping of interesting special features that add to the already top-notch replayability of this great set. Why are you still reading this when you could be watching Seinfeld on DVD? If you're a devoted fan already, you know you want this set, and if you've been a casual viewer, seeing the episodes in their unedited, broadcast-order glory could very well win you over to becoming a die-hard Seinfeld enthusiast. Any way you look at it, this set gets a "DVDTalk Collector Series" rating.

SEINFELD SEASON 3 DVD TALK REVIEW

The movie

Seasons 1 and 2 of Seinfeld show how this fantastic comedy hit the ground running, but it's in Season 3 that the show underwent a creative explosion. In this season, what had been a very funny show that relied to a certain extent on comic set-pieces jump-started its evolution into the wildly inventive series that would develop some of the most hilarious ongoing storylines ever to grace the television screen. How did they manage to get it so right, so quickly?

While the episodes in Seasons 1 and 2 each focused on a single storyline, which might involve Jerry Seinfeld's friends to a greater or lesser degree, Season 3's episodes hit upon the strategy of giving each character his or her own storyline (sometimes larger, sometimes smaller) and cleverly interweaving them so that they intersected in some unexpected way. It's a clear case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, as the comic potential of the series skyrocketed. This kind of interwoven story isn't brand-new any more, as we've seen many other shows that were heavily influenced by Seinfeld, like Friends or the British show Coupling. But Seinfeld is still the reigning King of Comedy... nobody has managed to top the wacky brilliance that Seinfeld's writers and cast brought to this comedy series.

Picking out classic Seinfeld moments to mention is enough to put anybody into "choice paralysis," particularly now that the episodes start to pack more cleverness into the same length of episode. Season 3 is the first really full season, with 22 episodes, and viewers are sure to spot many favorites among the lineup. Once again, we're privy to the hilarious results of Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer just trying to negotiate the hazards of modern life. Whether it's Jerry letting his tax records fall into the hands of George's ex-girlfriend ("The Truth"), Elaine helping George cheat on an IQ test ("The Caf�"), or Kramer experiencing a moment of glory in a Woody Allen film ("The Alternate Side"), the results are sure to be hilarious. Let's not forget brilliant episodes like "The Red Dot," one of the best of the whole series, in which George's choice of a gift for Elaine turns out to be a flop, at the same time that the saga of his struggles to find (and keep) a job continues.

The really funny thing is that it's remarkably hard to explain what's so hilarious about these episodes... Plot synopses are almost useless, as material that might have been inane or oddly pointless in different hands turns out to be absolutely brilliant when the Seinfeld crew get their hands on it.

It's clear that in Season 3 Seinfeld was starting from some solid comic territory... but instead of settling down and getting into a routine within that material, the series took the brilliant move of striking out even further. For one thing, the main characters get fleshed out more, but we also get to see a lot more of the recurring secondary characters. Jerry's parents get a spot in the limelight in "The Pen," when Jerry and Elaine pay a (disastrous) visit to their home in Florida; Kramer's buddy Newman makes an appearance in "The Suicide" and "The Boyfriend"; and the unfortunate Babu makes his first of several appearances in "The Caf�."

We also get some absolutely brilliant surreal moments, like when Jerry's penis and brain square off in a game of chess to decide whether he should continue to date a sexy but dumb woman ("The Nose Job"). In addition to a brilliant rendition of a library policeman, "The Library" even plays around with time, using some flashbacks to George and Jerry in high school as part of the storyline. The use of voiceovers to share the characters' thoughts is another great way in which Seinfeld breaks down the conventions of a television comedy to great effect, as in episodes like "The Caf�" or "The Subway." Season 3 also rewards viewers with a double-length episode, "The Boyfriend," which played in two parts on television but is reassembled into one 46-minute episode for the DVD. "The Parking Garage," another classic Seinfeld episode, takes the same functional premise as Season 2's "The Chinese Restaurant" � the characters spend the whole episode in the same place � but handles it much better, resulting in an episode that's both memorable and funny.

What's more, re-watching Seinfeld (for the second or the umpteenth time) makes it abundantly clear that these episodes just get better with time. Probably the closest parallel in film is The Big Lebowski, a bizarre, inventive, and hilarious film that even stands up to being re-watched immediately after the first viewing. Even if you know the stories inside-out, Seinfeld is so well done that it's impossible not to laugh at the brilliant comedic performances of the cast and the improbably tangled plots. I can't think of any other television show, comedy or drama, that has the replay value of Seinfeld.

All the episodes in Season 3 are the full-length, original network versions (not the shorter syndicated versions). The episodes appear in production order, not air date order; "The Stranded," which was originally broadcast as part of the third season, has been returned to its original production order and appears in Season 2. Here's a list of all the episodes; those with commentary tracks are listed in bold.

Season 3 (1991-1992)

• The Note
• The Truth
• The Dog
• The Library (writer Larry Charles)
• The Pen (Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David)
• The Parking Garage (director/producer Tom Cherones and production designer Tom Azzari)
• The Caf�
• The Tape
• The Nose Job
• The Alternate Side
• The Red Dot
• The Suicide
• The Subway (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards)
• The Pez Dispenser (Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David)
• The Boyfriend (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards)
• The Fix-Up
• The Limo (writer Larry Charles)
• The Good Samaritan
• The Letter
• The Parking Space (director/producer Tom Cherones and production designer Tom Azzari)
• The Keys

The DVD

Seinfeld: Season 3 is packaged in the same attractive and user-friendly style as Seasons 1 & 2. The four DVDs each have an ultra-slim keepcase that fits inside a glossy paperboard case, with a slipcover fitting over the whole thing.

Video

The image quality for Season 3 is a shade better than for Seasons 1 and 2. Colors are just as bright and vibrant, but they're also a shade more natural-looking; contrast continues to be handled well. The prints look to be in excellent condition as well. The image looks its best in the close-up shots, which are very nicely sharp and detailed. In the middle-distance shots, a moderate amount of grain and some edge enhancement does show up, making the transfer less than perfect but, overall, very respectable. All the episodes appear in their original, correct aspect ratio of 1.33:1.

Audio

The soundtrack, a Dolby 2.0 track, provides a very pleasant listening experience. The sound is crisp and clean, with all the dialogue sounding natural and distinct. The theme music and laugh track are also handled well. French and Spanish dubbed tracks are also provided, along with subtitles in French, Portuguese, and Spanish, and English closed captions.

Extras

Once again there's a lot to like in the special features on this set. Let's take a look at what's on each disc.

Disc 1

First off, we get the "Inside Looks" for three episodes ("The Note," "The Library," and "The Pen"), totaling about 13 minutes. These are interesting and informative looks at the making of each episode, and the fact that you can play them all at once from the Extras menu or choose to watch them separately from the Episodes menu makes them quite user-friendly as well.

Two commentary tracks appear on this disc. "The Library" has a nice commentary from writer Larry Charles, who jumps right in with comments that are both interesting and informative. The commentary from Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David on "The Pen" is surprisingly lame, however, as it mostly consists of the two of them laughing at the on-screen action and making inane comments about what's going on.

Two deleted scenes (3 minutes in total) are provided for "The Note" and "The Dog," and we also get the option to have text "Notes about Nothing" for all the episodes. These notes, which take the form of subtitles on-screen, are sometimes a bit odd but more often supply interesting behind-the-scenes information, such as insights about alternate versions of the script for that episode.

Disc 2

Three episodes get "Inside Looks" on this disc: "The Parking Garage," "The Caf�," and "The Nose Job," for a total of 14 minutes of interesting material on the making of these episodes. Just one commentary track is supplied here: director/producer Tom Cherones and production designer Tom Azzari share the honors here, and it's easily the best commentary track in the set so far, as the two men supply a constant stream of informative and insightful material about the production and design challenges of the episode.

Three minutes of deleted scenes are presented here, for "The Parking Garage," "The Nose Job," and "The Alternate Side," and "Notes about Nothing" are an option for all the episodes.

Disc 3

Every episode on this disc gets an "Inside Look," for a fat total of 22 minutes of neat insights into the making of the show. Three episodes also get commentary tracks. "The Subway" and "The Boyfriend" feature Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards. The trio are still not particularly exciting commentators, but they at least seem to have warmed up a little bit from the last set. "The Pez Dispenser" has a reasonable track from Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David.

Two minutes of deleted scenes appear here (for "The Red Dot" and "The Boyfriend") along with "Notes about Nothing."

Disc 4

This disc has some nice goodies for fans of the show. First off is a 22-minute featurette on the character of Kramer... but "Kramer vs. Kramer: Kenny to Cosmo" is more than your routine set of interviews with the actor, as we get to hear about the genesis and evolution of the character not only from Michael Richards and various other people involved with the show, but also from Kenny Kramer, the real-life inspiration for the character of Cosmo Kramer.

The "Inside Looks" section isn't neglected: all the episodes on this disc are featured, for a total of 17 minutes of material. Eight minutes of deleted scenes also appear, for "The Fix-Up," "The Good Samaritan," and "The Letter." A 15-minute set of bloopers for the third season has some laughs in store, and on top of that we get 10 minutes of exclusive stand-up material from Jerry Seinfeld in "Master of His Domain." Notes about Nothing are available for all the episodes as well.

The two commentaries presented here are both very solid. Writer Larry Charles delivers his usual interesting commentary on "The Limo," while director/producer Tom Cherones and production designer Tom Azzari return for "The Parking Space." As with their earlier commentary, this is a very insightful and worthwhile track.

For miscellaneous features, we get a set of NBC promotional spots for the show, a Spider-Man 2 trailer (again!), and a photo gallery.

Final thoughts

If you read my review of Seasons 1 & 2, you know that I think Seinfeld is the single greatest comedy television show, ever. You want to see what I mean? Watch Season 3. Rather than resting on its already excellent laurels, in its first really full season Seinfeld takes another giant step forward (you might call it a Superman-sized step) in terms of the creativity and humor to be found in these episodes. Not only that, these episodes have triumphed in the rewatchability department, remaining every bit as funny (or funnier!) on the umpteenth viewing, years after their original air date. Package that up with an excellent transfer and a very solid set of special features, and you get a well deserved DVDTalk Collector Series rating.

SEINFELD SEASON 1 AND 2 DVD TALK REVIEW

The movie

What's the #1 title on your "Most Wanted" list? Was it Star Wars? The Godfather trilogy? The Matrix? All those releases came and went, and sure, I was glad to see them, but they were just somewhere in the top 10 of my personal Most Wanted list. Firmly lodged in the #1 slot for years has been one show that's the epitome of great comedy � of great television, in fact � a show about... nothing. In a word: Seinfeld.

So it was with greedy delight that I tore off the shrink-wrap on the first volume of my personal Holy Grail of DVD. (It was in my house for a whole five minutes or so before the first disc went into the DVD player.) And there I was, feet propped up on the coffee table, laughing my head off at the most brilliant comedy ever to make its way to television. It doesn't matter that I've seen these episodes half a dozen times already, and can anticipate all the jokes; they're still just as flat-out hilarious as the very first time I saw them. Maybe they're even funnier, since my viewing experience is balanced between delighted enjoyment of the episode and delightful anticipation of what's to come.

Is there anyone reading this review who doesn't know what Seinfeld is about? Well, there were a few people who hadn't seen Star Wars before it came to DVD, so maybe there are a few deprived souls who've never seen Seinfeld. (You're in for a treat.) In a nutshell, Seinfeld is about the lives of a handful of rather neurotic characters: Jerry Seinfeld (playing himself), George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Kramer (Michael Richards). But these characters don't have "adventures" in the typical television way. Instead, they run into all sorts of difficulties just trying to manage their romantic relationships, friendships, and just life in general.

Part of the genius of Seinfeld is that it pokes fun at the bizarre nature of daily life: all the little contradictions and absurdities that we put up with, all the uncertainty and potential for disaster that lurks beneath even the simplest human relationship (doubly so for romantic relationships). The fact that two of the characters (Jerry and George) are tremendously insecure only broadens the range of potential targets for the show's humor, as they bring into focus all the little things that we better-adjusted (we hope) folks secretly obsess about or bluff our way through. Whether it's interpreting a vague phone call from a potential girlfriend ("Good News, Bad News"), disentangling oneself from an unwanted friendship ("Male Unbonding"), offending an elderly relative ("The Pony Remark"), or dealing with a fashion faux pas ("The Jacket"), Seinfeld gives us permission to laugh our heads off at the utter absurdity that's lurking below the surface in everyday life.

But another element of Seinfeld's brilliance is its writing, which is spot-on. Having the main character be a comedian certainly opens the door to a lot of wisecracks and witty remarks in the episodes, but it wouldn't work unless those remarks were genuinely funny. And they are. Combine the great humor in the dialogue with the brilliantly absurd plots, and voila! Seinfeld is born.

The first two seasons of Seinfeld contain a surprising number of great episodes. Why surprising? Because it's just amazing that a show that ended up being the greatest comedy series of all time (in this reviewer's not-so-humble opinion) got it right from the beginning... and then got even better in later seasons.

Seinfeld starts out on a solid note with the first few episodes, including the pilot. While Seinfeld fans will amuse themselves by noticing the elements that are inconsistent with the later episodes (Jerry's apartment looks different, and Kramer is described as the guy who never leaves the apartment building), the overall feel of the show is spot-on. In fact, all four of the Season 1 episodes are excellent. What's not to like about an episode like "The Stakeout," in which (among other things) we are witness to the invention of George's alter ego, Art Vandelay (and his import/export business)?

Season 2 is also fairly short, with only 13 episodes, but they're very good indeed. "The Pony Remark" is perhaps the best of this season, with Jerry accidentally offending an elderly guest at a dinner party (with interesting consequences). George lives up to his reputation as incompetent in dealing with women in "The Phone Message," and Elaine starts to experience some job problems in "The Statue." Speaking of employment troubles, "The Revenge" is the start of many great episodes focusing on George's troubles with finding (and keeping) a job; here, he's in a tizzy because he's been demoted to using the regular bathroom at work. "The Apartment" is a prime example of how an episode can be about "nothing" and yet be extremely funny. What happens here? Kramer experiments with using mousse in his hair, George tries to meet women, Jerry considers what it would be like to have Elaine take an apartment in his building. You wouldn't think that's prime material for a comedy show, would you? But it's not what the episodes are about (nothing!) but how they're told that counts. About the only episode that doesn't really live up to its promise is "The Chinese Restaurant," although this one seems to be a fan favorite; personally, I think its static nature makes it feel a bit forced.

Seinfeld certainly hit the ground running, but that's not to say that the series feels exactly the same in these early seasons as in the later seasons. Logically enough, in Seasons 1 and 2 Seinfeld is still developing: fleshing out the main characters and developing secondary characters who would add so much to the series later on. The writers also haven't quite fully realized the potential for more complex plots in each episode: these earlier episodes tend to focus on one story thread in each episode. One result is that we get more, and longer, segments of Jerry's stand-up comedy, sometimes intercut into the middle of the episode as well as at the beginning. Of course, considering how funny his material is, that's not much of a drawback... we can enjoy the lighter structure of these episodes while looking forward to the more tightly constructed later episodes that draw all of their humor from within the story world.

I'll go ahead and list the episodes that are included in this set: the names may jog a few more memories and remind you why this set is worth buying. All the episodes are the full-length, original episodes, not the slightly shorter syndicated versions. Note that the episodes are presented in production order, not by air date. This means that "The Stranded," which was produced in the second season but not aired until the third season, appears here in the second season. Episodes with commentary tracks are listed in bold.

Season 1 (1990)

• Pilot (1989)
• Male Unbonding
• The Stakeout (Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David)
• The Robbery
• The Stock Tip

Season 2 (1991)

• The Ex-Girlfriend
• The Pony Remark
• The Busboy (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards)
• The Baby Shower (writer Larry Charles)
• The Jacket
• The Chinese Restaurant
• The Phone Message
• The Apartment
• The Stranded
• The Statue
• The Heart Attack (writer Larry Charles)
• The Revenge (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards)
• The Deal (Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David)

The DVD

I quite like the packaging for Seinfeld. The set's four DVDs each have a super-slim plastic keepcase, and these four cases fit into a glossy paperboard slipcase, with another paper slipcover fitting over the whole thing. It looks stylish, it doesn't take up too much space, and it's easy to access the discs.

I'm not so thrilled about the menus. Cleverly designed, sure... user-friendly, not entirely. Spoiler clips play on the main menu screen, and the menus themselves are decidedly slow to navigate. On the bright side, though, all the features are clearly labeled and logically arranged. I also appreciated the liberal use of the "play all" feature, for the special features as well as the episodes.

Video

Seinfeld appears in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Considering that these episodes are about 14 years old (how time flies...) at this point, the transfer looks respectable, though not as good as I'd have hoped for it to look. The image is bright and generally free of flaws, though a few speckles make their way onto the picture; the level of detail is satisfactory, and contrast is handled well. Colors are very bright and vibrant, with primary colors sometimes even verging on the too-vivid end of the scale. Depending on the scene, a moderate amount of edge enhancement is apparent; some grain also appears. All in all, it's a satisfactory transfer.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack presents the show in a pleasingly clean, crisp manner. For a show with such an emphasis on verbal wit and byplay, clear dialogue is essential, and the soundtrack handles it very well. The Seinfeld theme music is nicely balanced with the main part of the track, and the laugh track is not too obtrusive.

Extras

A substantial amount of bonus material is included in this set, spread across all four discs. Here's a breakdown of what we get:

Disc 1

Two of the episodes on this disc have different play options. The pilot can be played in its original version, with the "old" theme music (this is the default) or in the revised-for-syndication version, which replaces the music with the same theme that's used in the later episodes. "The Stakeout" has the option to view it with a short introductory clip from Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld.

When it comes to actual bonus content, we start out with a commentary track for "The Stakeout," with Jerry Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David. Seinfeld and David provide a reasonable level of commentary for the episode, though it's clear that it's a little difficult for them to provide a lot of details for a 14-year-old episode. Speaking of commentaries, the "Notes about Nothing" feature toggles on a text commentary track that provides various bits of trivia about the episodes in the form of subtitles. The Notes about Nothing are available for all the episodes, and provide a few interesting snippets of information. They can be selected from the episode menus, the special features menu, or on the fly by using the subtitles button.

Probably of most interest on this disc is the set of "Inside Looks": short segments that use interviews with cast and crew to look behind the scenes for a particular episode. These can be selected individually, or viewed with a "play all" feature from the special features menu. Running about 14 minutes in total, we get segments on the pilot, "Male Unbonding,""The Stakeout," and "The Robbery."

Disc 2

Commentary tracks for "The Busboy" (Louis-Dreyfus, Alexander, Richards) and "The Baby Shower" (writer Larry Charles) appear on this disc. While Charles' commentary is reasonably interesting, the cast commentary is rather disappointing. The actors don't seem to have much to say, and there are long periods of silence. In general, while they try to stir up some banter, it tends to fall flat, and their commentary is neither particularly informative nor funny.

Moving on to more satisfying special features, we get a seven-minute segment of exclusive stand-up comedy from Jerry Seinfeld ("Master of His Domain"), and the "Inside Looks" section offers 12 minutes of interesting behind-the-scene information on "The Pony Remark," "The Busboy," "The Baby Shower," and "The Jacket."

Two deleted scenes are included here as well (6 minutes), along with the "Notes about Nothing" feature.

Disc 3

On this disc, viewers have the option to play "The Stranded" with a very short introductory clip from Jerry Seinfeld, which was originally created to explain the out-of-continuity nature of this second-season episode when it was broadcast as part of the third season.

The "Inside Looks" section continues to be of interest, with a total of 12 minutes of material on "The Chinese Restaurant," "The Phone Message," "The Apartment," and "The Statue." A 13-minute bloopers section has the merit of being reasonably funny, and viewers will be interested in the deleted scene from "The Chinese Restaurant" (1 minute). Once again, we also get "Notes about Nothing" options for all episodes.

Disc 4

The best special feature of the set appears here: a very interesting 64-minute making-of documentary called "How It Began." This three-part program (which has a "play all" feature) features interviews with a number of different people involved in the creation of Seinfeld, starting back when Seinfeld was a young stand-up comedian with no television aspirations.

Three commentary tracks appear here as well. "The Heart Attack" with writer Larry Charles is not bad, but once again the commentary by Louis-Dreyfus, Alexander, and Richards for "The Revenge" is rather bland and uninteresting. Fortunately, the commentary on "The Deal" by Seinfeld and David is a lot more lively and information-rich.

For more behind-the-scenes insights, we get 11 minutes of "Inside Looks" for "The Revenge" and "The Deal." A 5-minute deleted scene for "The Heart Attack" is also included. "Notes about Nothing" are available for all the episodes as well.

This disc also features both the original and syndicated versions of "The Revenge," with the difference being that in the original version, Larry David supplies the telephone voice of Newman, while in the syndicated version it's replaced by Wayne Knight's voice to correspond with the rest of the series.

For miscellaneous special features, we get a 19-minute compilation of "The Tonight Show" appearances: a 1981 and 1990 appearance by Seinfeld, and a 1989 appearance by Michael Richards. There's a four-minute segment of NBC promos for the series, a Spiderman 2 trailer (yeah, that's relevant), and a photo gallery.

Final thoughts

So now we've got the first two seasons of Seinfeld available... what are you waiting for? This is a classic comedy series, and one that has proved to be amazingly long-lasting and re-watchable. Could you catch some episodes of Seinfeld as re-runs on TV instead of buying the DVDs? Sure... but there's nothing that compares to being able to watch the episodes when you want to, as many times as you want to, in the right order, without commercials or edits for syndication. The sound quality is great, and the image looks quite respectable as well (if not quite as clean as I'd have liked). The bonus material is nothing to sneeze at, either: Seinfeld fans will be delighted by the behind-the-scenes and never-before-seen material that's assembled here. Seinfeld: Seasons 1 & 2 gets a very robust "highly recommended."