Another Seinfeld List

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Sometimes the joy of doing lists is simply nitpicking someone else's! So I caught this article in December 2010, looking at what they consider to be the 10 best Seinfeld episodes. They didn't have the same qualifiers that I do, like no holiday episodes and only one per season, so of course it makes sense that their list differs from mine. I was interested, however, in just how different it was. And, today I plan to pick apart their list, keeping mine in mind.

Theirs:
10. The Puffy Shirt. I hate this episode. It's really dumb, and the low-talker thing wasn't very interesting, either. The only positive thing to come from it is the appearance of the shirt-designer in the series finale, where they can't hear her on the stand.

9. The Rye. This episode is okay, but not really a storyline worth remembering, since I don't care about the majority of the episode (anything but Jerry stealing the loaf!).

8. The Hamptons. Not a fan of this one, either. The only reason anyone likes that episode is because of George's "I was in a pool" comment regarding shrinkage. whatever.

7. The Pick. In the Seinfeld canon, this one is kinda classic, since it's really the epitome of random nothingness. However, I could do without Elaine's nipply Christmas card and Jerry's neurotic thinking about nose-picking.

6. The Doorman. Same basic idea as The Pick. Jerry deals with being a doorman for fifteen minutes, Kramer's got a hair-brain scheme cooking about a male bra, and Elaine is house-sitting for Mr. Pitt. A few funny moments, incredibly random overall, but on the whole I found it to be average.

5. The Parking Garage. Now, here's an episode I can stand behind! I had a difficult time not choosing it as my own favorite for Season 3. Great concept, great execution.

4. The Pen. I'm rather upset at the inclusion of this episode. It's pretty boring - Elaine has a bad back and can't stand the heat of Florida (can't blame her), and Jerry accepted a special pen that's causing commotion in his parents' community. No George or Kramer.

3. The Chinese Restaurant. After just complaining about there being no George or Kramer in an episode, I do need to state that you don't necessarily need all four of the characters to have a great episode. The Chinese Restaurant doesn't have Kramer, but is still pretty hilarious. I support it making their list.

2. The Soup Nazi. I'm not a big fan of The Soup Nazi, because the concept kind of irks me (though I do "get it." I've been to restaurants where being "in the know" helps you a great deal). And, Elaine giving away the recipes in the end is kind of unfair.

1. The Contest. I've never been a fan of "The Contest" because the mere fact that this group talks about such things grosses me out. End of story. To place it at the very top is ridiculous.

So, do you agree with their selections? How would you nitpick them? How would you nitpick mine?