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.