The first season understandably struggled to find its stride as many great shows often do. Having only seen Seinfeld once prior from beginning through to its completion, I had a vague memory of the second season also being a rather difficult obstacle on the path to my loving Seinfeld. "The Ex-Girlfriend" proved a most interesting and welcoming surprise and is in my opinion, the first truly Seinfeldian episode so far in the series.
None of the characters in the first season really worked for me but here, the core group all worked wonderfully. Jerry continues quite nicely the role of the mostly straight and normal member of the group and he also gets some neat material to dwell into. His predicament of getting into a relationship with a girl that George just broke up with and his uncertainty with how to handle it is just a classic predicament for the show and it's utilized nicely for a show this early into its run and coming off an unconvincing five-episode first season.
Elaine herself finally works for me and I truly enjoyed her conversation with Jerry and George about the platonic relationship she had with a guy whom she met through a friend and its gradual deterioration. In it can be seen some of the show's real attempts to be "the show about nothing" despite Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld both admitting that the phrase that the show is now renowned for meant nothing. The recount is so long-winded and mundane and writers David and Seinfeld make just enough self-aware references that it works nicely. Julia-Louis Dreyfus also seems far more comfortable in the role now and the chemistry with her male stars is wonderful now.
Kramer also works well here in that they give him more of a personality as opposed to the aloof character living across the hall. This episode introduces one of my favourite quirks and personality traits about Kramer and that is his love for the natural things of life. In this episode, it is fruit, which comes up a number of times throughout the series as one of his great loves. Kramer just immediately feels more lively and concrete a character for this sitcom.
And then there's George who really is at odds with his eventual character in the first season but with the second season, they really seem to have grasped the character. That may change since my memory of most of the second season (with the notable exception of "The Chinese Restaurant") is vague but here, he truly feels like the George that I, and many others, know and love. His insecurity, lack of confidence (especially around women), inner rage and selfishness are starting to come together. There's a few instances that feel like classic and fully developed George Costanza in this episode:
The stand-up works fairly well too and I especially enjoyed the closing bit about the superficiality of men and the often explicitly attentive and picky nature of women. It really sells the angle of the show where Jerry and George are the very self-centered and shallow males (though with greater depth if you will to avoid the stereotypes) and Elaine as the hyper-neurotic whose relationships terminate due to her own self-destructiveness. In short, the stand-up may be a little hit or miss but I enjoy the often thematic residue they share with the episode at large.
I really enjoyed "The Ex-Girlfriend" and it truly feels like the first real Seinfeld episode which is such a great sign for the show going forward as well as a more emphatic statement by creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. Ultimately, there's just such a needed sense of urgency and liveliness to the world now that hardly needs mentioning for Seinfeld in full flight.
None of the characters in the first season really worked for me but here, the core group all worked wonderfully. Jerry continues quite nicely the role of the mostly straight and normal member of the group and he also gets some neat material to dwell into. His predicament of getting into a relationship with a girl that George just broke up with and his uncertainty with how to handle it is just a classic predicament for the show and it's utilized nicely for a show this early into its run and coming off an unconvincing five-episode first season.
Elaine herself finally works for me and I truly enjoyed her conversation with Jerry and George about the platonic relationship she had with a guy whom she met through a friend and its gradual deterioration. In it can be seen some of the show's real attempts to be "the show about nothing" despite Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld both admitting that the phrase that the show is now renowned for meant nothing. The recount is so long-winded and mundane and writers David and Seinfeld make just enough self-aware references that it works nicely. Julia-Louis Dreyfus also seems far more comfortable in the role now and the chemistry with her male stars is wonderful now.
Kramer also works well here in that they give him more of a personality as opposed to the aloof character living across the hall. This episode introduces one of my favourite quirks and personality traits about Kramer and that is his love for the natural things of life. In this episode, it is fruit, which comes up a number of times throughout the series as one of his great loves. Kramer just immediately feels more lively and concrete a character for this sitcom.
And then there's George who really is at odds with his eventual character in the first season but with the second season, they really seem to have grasped the character. That may change since my memory of most of the second season (with the notable exception of "The Chinese Restaurant") is vague but here, he truly feels like the George that I, and many others, know and love. His insecurity, lack of confidence (especially around women), inner rage and selfishness are starting to come together. There's a few instances that feel like classic and fully developed George Costanza in this episode:
- Him re-telling the story to Jerry and Kramer of how he got himself out of an unwarranted relationship and the re-telling itself is very George Costanza-like
- Him claiming that a fly went into his mouth at the diner - absolutely priceless, misfortunate, miserable George!
- His contempt towards the chiropractor's fee for essentially performing no services
The stand-up works fairly well too and I especially enjoyed the closing bit about the superficiality of men and the often explicitly attentive and picky nature of women. It really sells the angle of the show where Jerry and George are the very self-centered and shallow males (though with greater depth if you will to avoid the stereotypes) and Elaine as the hyper-neurotic whose relationships terminate due to her own self-destructiveness. In short, the stand-up may be a little hit or miss but I enjoy the often thematic residue they share with the episode at large.
I really enjoyed "The Ex-Girlfriend" and it truly feels like the first real Seinfeld episode which is such a great sign for the show going forward as well as a more emphatic statement by creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. Ultimately, there's just such a needed sense of urgency and liveliness to the world now that hardly needs mentioning for Seinfeld in full flight.
