I was one of those naysayers who never “got” Seinfeld’s popularity. I’d seen bits and pieces of a few episodes here and there, and what I saw always left me marveling that so many people thought it was the be-all and end-all of television sitcoms. (But I had learned to keep this opinion to myself when outside the bosom of family. I nearly got mobbed in a cafeteria once by a bunch of ravenous Seinfeld fans for saying this out loud, so I keep mum for the most part.)

Finally, I borrowed the first three season DVDs from a friend to give the show one last shot at showing me what it was all about. I figured the least I could do was watch an episode or two in full before writing it off COMPLETELY. But lo and behold . . . I actually *enjoyed* the show. It’s HILARIOUS. And futhermore, I finally understand why watching it in bits is useless if you’ve never seen the episode you’re watching. The key to Seinfeld’s humor is that the jokes BUILD throughout each episode. Something will be idly mentioned early on, such as the proper way to respond if someone sneezes, and it’ll be “hee hee” funny . . . then it’ll come up again two acts later, at precisely the perfect time, and be *absolutely hilarious*. If you miss the beginning set-up, then you’ll have no idea why everyone else is laughing. Its humor also depends so heavily on character that watching it in bits will never convey to you how funny George is when he’s forced to pay for something unless you know how cheap he is, or how funny seeing Kramer find yet another new way to enter the room is, unless you’ve seen a bunch of others before. The writing is what keeps the show funny, but the characters and the acting performances are what make it truly shine.

I never realized how different from other sitcoms Seinfeld was until I watched the extras. There are tons of them here, and the “Inside Look”s are the best. Ranging from two to five minutes in length, these segments discuss the episode in question and offer tidbits on them. An episode like “The Chinese Restaurant” seems ordinary by today’s standards, but Seinfeld SET those standards — and back then having an episode take place in real time on one set was so revolutionary that the network didn’t want them to do it!

My one complaint is a biggie, and it’s the main reason I’m taking off a star. The extras, myriad though they may be, are VERY repetitive and often pointless. If you use the “Notes about Nothing” feature, you’re treated to everything from behind-the-scenes info to the “Kramer Entrance Counter” (Which is cool — there’s also a counter for sightings of Kramer’s stand-in.) to historical factoids about random things mentioned on the show. Some of the notes are interesting, while others seem to have been written for the mentally challenged. And if you use the notes AND listen to the commentary (try it simultaneously for a clearer example) you find that they sometimes give the same information at the same time. The “How It Began” featurette is even more repetitive and actually uses a lot of the same footage they used in the individual Inside Looks, so I recommend watching that first in order to avoid boredom.

One thing to say, though is that the show had yet to truly hit its stride. Season 3 was a lot funnier and I’m sure that once I get around to watching seasons 4-9, it will only get better. I’m looking forward to it! This is a great show, and I can’t believe I’m even saying that after so many years of turning my nose up. Well my nose is down now, and I’m finally saying what everyone else has known for years — this is one of the funniest shows that was ever on television.

“Alias” is a great show. It’s also wildly implausible. Jennifer Gardner stars as Sydney Bristow: grad student by day, spy by night, and double agent in her spare time. She does all this while racking up a million frequent flyer miles a year. It’s not surprising that she’s unlucky in love and often an emotional basket case. But when she’s in the middle of a mission Sydney’s got cool that James Bond can’t match (OK, maybe the Timothy Dalton Bond could keep up).
The ABC network has helped the series considerably with liberal deviation from the accepted hour show format. This began with an uninterrupted showing of the pilot when the series debuted: 66 minutes without commercial or other interruption, a nearly unheard-of occurrence in American TV. The following 21 episodes fit the standard 45 minutes of content for an “hour” show, but many ran for 15 or more minutes before the credits and first commercial break (in sharp contrast to the 2-3 minute convention before first ad break).

The star and special effects crew of “Alias” are constantly pushing the envelope. Jennifer Garner had minimal action show work under her belt when she started on the series. Garner could run and dance, but was keen to learn more. It soon became apparent to the writers and stunt crew that she was adept at memorizing: not just scripts, but also stunt choreography and foreign language phonetics. The foreign languages in “Alias” are much more compelling than the usual cheat of English with some phony foreign accent. Garner has since studied kickboxing and wire stunts, and actually looks forward to jumping off 100′ buildings as a regular part of her job.

“Alias” is in many ways a very flawed show. The flaws do not keep it from being remarkably entertaining. There’s lots of impossible spy gadgetry, but the Bond movies have made us come to expect that. No real spy agency would keep on an agent as prone to emotional collapse as Sydney Bristow, yet both SD-6 and the CIA consider her a valuable asset. The whole prophetic 15th century Milo Rambaldi technology schtick is WAY out there. And many of the effects over-reach. One particularly egregious example is the oft-shown exploding car sequence. The hood pops off and the car pitches up while fire lights it from below/behind. Since you can see through the engine compartment it’s glaringly apparent that this stunt car did not, in fact, actually have an engine in it as it rolled down the road.

“Alias” show honchos have hedged their bets by going with known quantities where possible. Series creator J.J. Abrams worked with star Garner on “Felicity,” and has known Greg Grunberg (a “Felicity” regular) since childhood. Kevin Weisman played a recurring role on “Felicity.” (Amanda Foreman, another “Felicity” regular, shows up in seasons two and three.) Executive producer Ken Olin appears in a small recurring role, and his wife and “thirtysomething” costar Patricia Wettig also plays a recurring character on “Alias.”

“Alias” is written as a continuous story arc and few episodes end without leaving the viewer eager to see what comes next. The first season has plot threads involving Sydney’s graduate school studies, her secret agent work for SD-6, her double agent work for the CIA, clueless best friends Will and Francie, the thaw in her relationship with her distant father, the mysterious Alliance, the prophetic works of Milo Rambaldi, and the growing question of what happened to her mother.

Meet Tony Soprano. He lives in the New Jersey suburbs of New York City, has two teenage children, a demanding wife and a mother whose years of controlling manipulation have caused him to see a psychiatrist. He likes to sleep until noon, feed the ducks that nested in his pool and watch old screw-ball comedies. And in his spare time, he is an under boss in the New Jersey Mafia.
This is the set-up for the television show that has superceded all its predecessors and taken its place at the pinnacle of television artistry. Creator David Chase’s masterpiece follows Tony is his travels through his three worlds: family, work and therapy. The plot arcs are simultaneously short and long-ranging, as resolution is found in each episode and also builds toward the series being one giant entity. Each episode leaks into the other, but amazingly can stand alone as an autonomous work of art. The end result is a television show with the grand scope of a novel, while not forgetting to lead viewers along with weekly payoffs.

Season One deals with three main issues. The first is the power struggle between Tony and his Uncle Junior, as they battle over control of their Mafia family. Second is Tony’s mother’s deteriorating physical and mental capacities and his decision to place her in a nursing home (or as he calls it “a retirement community”). Lastly, the season’s spine is Tony’s relationship with his therapist. Much of what the viewer knows about his work and his family comes from therapy sessions with Dr Melfi, as he opens up about the turmoil all around him.

As much as the series hinges on the many supporting characters, the show IS Tony. Women love him, men fear him and viewers are captivated by him and all his complexities. James Gandolfini dazzles in his performance as one of the greatest characters ever seen on stage, television or film. Shakespeare would have been proud of such a creation.

Many love the show for the sex and violence, but there is so much more to this series. Yes, it entertains, but it also provokes thought. The show comments on the merits of the therapy, addresses both sides of Italian defamation, and constantly deals with the difficulties of raising children in modern times. Nothing produced by the entertainment industry in the past thirty years is more thoroughly satisfying than The Sopranos, and Season One may be the height of its creative appeal. It is a show not to be missed by anyone.