Published in Afterword Magazine
Seinfeld’s Seventh Season was released on DVD November 21, 2006. This season may very well contain the best compilation of Seinfeld episodes. Having found their beat, but not having run out of ideas, this marks a high point in the life of a series which set the bar meteorically high.Season 7 consists of 24 original episodes, all re-mastered with high definition sound and picture quality, and an additional 13 hours of bonus material and features. Originally filmed in 1995, the English DVD is available with Spanish, English, French and Portuguese subtitles. Many of the episodes were directed by Andy Ackerman, who went on to direct Everybody Loves Raymond and Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
When Jerry Seinfeld won the Emmy for best Actor in a Television series, he famously accepted his award by acknowledging that he wasn’t the best actor, and that his success was based on the power of the ensemble cast which supported him. This is evident throughout the season, and Seinfeld can be seen in nearly every episode with that unmistakable smirk on his lips. It seems even the show’s namesake can’t help giggling at the absurdity that transpires around him. Jason Alexander is neurotic as ever as George, who spends the season under the thumb of his fiancée Susan, played by Heidi Swedburg. Michael Richards’ Kramer puts a hot tub in his living room, and spends a good part of the season suing people with the help of his attorney Jackie Childs (Phil Morris), a character based on OJ Simpson attorney Johnnie Cochran. And in what is possibly her most hilarious turn, this season finds Elaine determining which of her potential suitors are Sponge-worthy after her chosen birth control method is taken off the market.
Though the show revolves around the four main characters, weekly guest stars and a slew of recurring characters make up the Seinfeld landscape. Veteran character actors Jerry Stiller and Estelle Harris have recurring rolls as George’s parents, while Liz Sheridan and Barney Martin play Jerry’s. Series co-creator Larry David takes on a variety of supporting roles- though, in old Hitchcock fashion, he is almost always hidden, as is the case with his recurring portrayal of George Steinbrenner, who was always filmed from the back. This season prominently features Wayne Knight as Jerry’s neighbor and nemesis, postman Newman, who is at his best in “The Bottle Deposit.” There is Elaine’s boss J. Peterman, played to perfection by John O’Hurley, her on-again-off-again lover, David Puddy (Family Guy’s Patrick Warburton) and her old Friend Sue Ellen (Brenda Strong, now the narrator on Desperate Housewives) who is the braless wonder. There are several celebrity cameos, including a short, stalky bald-man loving Marissa Tomei, Debra Messing and Cary Elwes as a couple who’s relationship Jerry and Elaine are waiting out. However, probably the most memorable Seinfeld guest star of all time, Larry Thomas as The Soup Nazi, still has fans yelling “No Soup for you!” over a decade later.
Not ones to be left out of the political arena, Seinfeld and David use every chance they have to send up news making events in the show. When Kramer takes Sue Ellen- the braless wonder, and heiress to the O’Henry fortune- to court, she is acquitted when “the bra doesn’t fit and you must acquit” in a hilarious send up of the OJ Simpson case. When Jerry surprises his father with a Cadillac, a political spoof ensues, with the elder Seinfeld facing impeachment at his Florida condo when he’s accused of embezzling condo funds to buy the car.
This is the season which marked the departure of series co-creator Larry David, now famously known for his own show Curb Your Enthusiasm. David, a longtime Seinfeld friend, developed the series and acted as a driving force, most notably, inspiring the character of George, who is loosely based on himself. The Season 7 DVD includes a segment called “Larry David’s Farewell” which pays homage to his ongoing contributions to Seinfeld.
Though the episodes are not laid out like a soap opera and can certainly be viewed out of sequence, there are certain recurring themes and inside jokes which are reserved for the fan who does watch a season in its entirety. Perhaps this season’s underlying theme is the four main characters’ attempts to grow up- with hilariously disastrous results. The season is framed around the most catastrophic of these “adult attempts” – with the first episode of season 7 seeing George propose to Susan, and the season culminating with her death. For several episodes leading up to the season finale, George was lamenting about his relationship, that it was “killing independent George.” When Susan’s character expires – the victim of licking too many cheap wedding envelopes – Elaine’s reaction: “Sorry- I guess” mimics the reaction of any fan who had watched George over the course of the season. Over the years, viewers have complained that her death seemed anti-climactic, and yet, it was set perfectly within the tone of the show. To the fan who watches George suffer throughout the season, there is no more perfect ending than watching the characters stroll out of the hospital to get coffee, equilibrium restored in time for season 8.
The Seinfeld Season 7 DVD is a must see. If you’ve never seen Seinfeld, this is a great place to start: It’s the series at its best. If you’re already a fan, sit back and enjoy: This DVD is jam-packed with classic moments and punch lines that guarantee you won’t want to “yada yada yada” through the best parts. It is absolutely Sponge-worthy.
