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A Seinfeld Retrospective: Masters of their Domain

MASTERS OF THEIR DOMAIN

I don’t want to really review the show itself, but more the change it made in our world. If I was to focus on individual events in the 9 year span of the show, I could be here for days. We all have our favourite moments and characters. Far be it from me to tell you which are the best and worst moments of the show, because opinions change from person to person. In this article I would like to talk about the show about nothing. I would like to discuss Seinfeld.

I remember watching Seinfeld back in the early 90s when it was on channel 9 in Australia. I would have been about 12 or 13 years old at the time. Even then I thought that it was a good show. Sure, I didn’t understand all the jokes, but I thought Jerry was clever and Kramer was wacky. Then as I went through high school I thought Kramer was a fool and that George was annoying. Now my opinion has changed again. I just spent the last 6 weeks re-watching every episode of Seinfeld in order.

That’s right. I set myself the challenge, and I got through it. I went and bought the entire box set. It was a bargain, plus my girlfriend hadn’t seen that many episodes, and I thought it was something she should see. You know, for historical purposes.
I don’t need to go into the best bits of this show. There are just too many of them. I could wax lyrical about the Soup Nazi, or Steinbrenner, Crazy Joe Divola, or even Newman. But I wont. You know these things already. You know the show altered the way sitcoms were made. It changed the way we communicated with each other. But more on that soon.

Let’s look at the historical importance of Seinfeld and how it changed popular culture in the western world. To see what changed so dramatically, you have to look at what came before it. The most progressive sitcoms in the 80s were Cheers and Roseanne. Yes, there were sexual innuendos and cheeky jibes and even a little meaness in the humour. But all in all it was pretty harmless because you could detach yourself from it. You don’t spend every day in a bar talking about sex (I hope), and you don’t spend every day verbally abusing your family with sarcasm (I also hope).

seinfeld_show_desc_castBut Seinfeld was different. Because it was literally a show about nothing, you could put yourself into every situation. It wasn’t hard to imagine because we have all had some form of conversation that came up in Seinfeld. The things you talk about only with close friends. How long can you go without masturbating, forgetting your dates name, getting lost in a carpark, having a get rich quick scheme, arguing with your parents. It is all part of life. But you never saw that on TV before. The four leads in the show talked to each other the way you talk with friends. It was so familiar, but so foreign to see it on television.

It changed the way we talked to each other. It made it okay to talk about people behind their back. We learned to insult the people in our own lives just as much as Jerry did. I can remember a time when you would tolerate others. Now I just can’t do it, and I have Seinfeld to thank.

It also brought so many popular phrases into the lexicon. “Yada-yada”, “serenity now”, “man hands”, “close talker”, “low talker”, “high talker”, and “Festivus”. It made us add the word “baby” to the ends of our sentences. It popularized talking about yourself in the third person. The show was life altering in such small, subtle ways, that we didn’t even notice it happening. How many times have you had a pretzel without thinking that they are making you thirsty? Not many I’m guessing. We have all shouted “No soup for you!” more times than we are willing to admit. Who could forget the age old debate over the “Man-zier”? Or is it the “Bro”? To prove to you how popular this show was, just randomly go up to people you know and say the word “mulva”, and see how many know what you are talking about.

Without Seinfeld situation comedy wouldn’t be so overtly sexual. Not that Seinfeld was overt. It never came out and said what it was talking about. There are episodes all about masturbation where they didn’t mention the act once. There are episodes on oral sex when they manage to never say what they are talking about. TV has gotten more courageous, but also more crude. Look at Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory, Chuck, My Name Is Earl, How I Met Your Mother, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends or any number of sitcoms made in the last 20 years (Yep, 20! Can you believe that?) since Seinfeld started. They are really in your face about sexual matters. None of it would be possible without the leaps and bounds made by Seinfeld.

seinfeldwizardI also found it fascinating how well the show stands up against newer shows. I’m sure we would all like to think that we’ve grown in the 11 years since the show stopped. But in reality, we haven’t. The show isn’t dated at all. Nobody wears fashionable clothes in the show. Kramer only wears vintage clothes. Jerry wears jeans and shirts most of the time. George is usually in a suit or simple casual clothes, and Elaine only ever wore old fashioned dowdy dresses. They didn’t mention topical things often, and when they did, it was always about things that are still in our minds today. Superman, O.J. Simpson, The Godfather, and many other timeless pop culture references.

Now, we all have our favourites. Mine used to be Jerry. Now it is definitely George. I find it amusing that a character I thought was such a loser ended up being the one I would relate to the most. Everything annoys me too! I can’t tolerate rudeness, and I think social justice is something that isn’t served enough in this day and age. The thing that sets George apart from me is that I don’t come up with complicated schemes to exact my revenge on people. Why don’t I do that? Because it doesn’t work for George. Why should it work for me?

Also, these four characters are mean people. They are assholes. The last episode is such a fitting conclusion. They deserve their fate. Many people thought the ending was disappointing but it was absolutely just, as far as I’m concerned. But just because they are bad people, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy what they do.
I am so happy I decided to buy this box set. I am looking forward to showing it to my own children one day, if I ever have any. Apparently I have always been spongeworthy.

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About The Author

The Vokalist

In a world where opinion means everything, one man can make a difference. Kristopher Wright once lived in relative obscurity. He had a loving fiancee, a house by the sea, and a great job as a DJ. But all that changed when he started writing online reviews. Now his world has turned upside down. For once in his life this man is standing up and shouting his opinions to the world. The only problem is...the world is listening. THIS SUMMER YOU ARE INVITED TO HEAR THE TRUTH (Cool) Shite Presents Kristopher "The Vokalist" Wright in THE OPINIONATOR This time it's personal!

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Article Information

  • Posted: Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
  • Author: The Vokalist
  • Filed Under: Opinion, TV
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Comments

3 Responses to “A Seinfeld Retrospective: Masters of their Domain”
  1. Bruce Moyle Bruce Moyle says:

    Wow, I must be really out of the loop. Most of the phrase references meant nothing to me. I never really watched Seinfeld. I don’t know why, I just didn’t. You retrospective is a clear indication that you and many people still love the show and deservedly so.

    Thanks for making me think about what I have missed and maybe one day I will correct it.

    March 11, 2009 at 10:37 pm
    • Vokalist Vokalist says:

      Hi Bruce,
      There are so many people who have seen Seinfeld out there. I am not too surprised that you guys haven’t because sitcoms don’t seem to be your thing. Whenever you all talk about TV shows it usually involves sci-fi.

      But I think Seinfeld should be seen more, especially by todays television audience. It was a major leap forward in the evolution of comedy on television, and I think history is important.

      By the way, I am not paying out your sci-fi fascination. I am actually in the process of collecting all the Stargates, Babylon 5s, Dr. Whos, Battlestar Galacticas, and Star Treks. But it’s a lot to get through. I’m about halfway on Battlestar, and I’ve watched all of Star Trek Voyager. Never seen a SG-1, B5, or the good Doctor. But i am looking forward to it. And, yes, I am getting all these things because you talk about them so much on the show. It got me interested.

      Kris

      March 12, 2009 at 10:07 am
  2. David Quinn Q-Dog says:

    Thanks Vok, i can take or leave seinfeld most of the time, but there are SO MANY folks out ther who love the hell out of it. i can’t argue with their devotion…

    thanks for giving us an insight into your love of the show.

    March 12, 2009 at 9:47 am

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