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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:18:09 GMT
The Soul Mate - B-
I'm the only person in the world who likes the Jerry/Newman chase.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:22:25 GMT
The Bizarro Jerry - A/A- (can't decide)
The show gets a second wind starting with this episode. The main story of Elaine's bizarro friends was very clever and interesting, if not hilarious. Since they were this far into the series and the characters had been explored so well, why not examine and dissect the Seinfeld universe in a more unusual way (while also working as a Superman reference)? The premise of Kramer's story is just so perfectly suited for his character, like The Opposite for George. Enough said. George gets a classic "George-esque" story for the first time in awhile. He's pathetic and tasteless but still very likeable. Nobody can resist him shaping his hair to the poster of Dennis Franz, and nobody can resist man-hands. Just one complaint: I don't care for the Jerry-Kramer marriage relationship thing. I don't mind when the situations are a big stretch from reality, but stretching the characters like this isn't an easy buy.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:22:33 GMT
The Little Kicks - B
A solid episode with more classic George, and nobody can forget the image of Elaine dancing. However, Kramer and Jerry's story is only decent, bordering on filler. And what I complained about with the last episode - that's a bigger problem here. Jerry suddenly cares a lot about bootlegging; just that he's good at it doesn't seem like a good enough reason why.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:24:25 GMT
The Packge - B+
Yes, Elaine's story is horrible and was a big foreshadowing of uninspired worthless stories in season 9. But man, the rest of the episode is funny. Between the Newman interrogation scene (one of my favorites of the series), the insane ending, and an appearance of Van Nostrand (Elaine's story wasn't all bad), there's plenty that keeps me rolling on the floor.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:24:37 GMT
The Fatigues - C+
Meh, this one doesn't have much going for it. I love the dramatic scene leading into Frank revealing his past. I've always wondered why this scene barely got any laughs. And Elaine writing poetry with the deranged man was amusing. Otherwise we've got Frank flipping tables over and such.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:26:14 GMT
The Checks - B-
What I most fondly remember about this episode is Jerry's storyline of looking poor to Elaine's boyfriend through several coincidences. Basically like a lesser version of George's story in The Gum, but still clever. I'm not sure exactly why Japanese people were staying with Kramer, but I find the image of them sleeping in large drawers so stupid that it's funny. Overall I can't put my finger on it, but there's something off about the structure of this episode. It feels disjointed and not cohesive. Maybe because Larry David wasn't around to rewrite a crazy Gammill & Pross script (btw, I wonder why this was their last).
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:37:13 GMT
The Chicken Roaster - B+
Sorry to Arty and others. I find this a bit overrated. This is the least effective of the personality-switch episodes. The Opposite was classic, and the very next episode The Abstinence would be more amusing and at least try to explain the personality switch. I only find about five seconds of it funny, from when Jerry slides into his apartment until "yeah I'm stressed." Then he does the Bob Sacamento thing and it kind of falls apart. He can't act well enough. I don't find Kramer playing Jerry amusing at all, he just says lines that a caricature of Jerry would say. Not very clever. Thankfully, the personality switch is dropped soon after it's introduced. What was that all about?
Otherwise, this is an effective enough episode. George has another amusing dating story. I wonder why there were so many in the first half of season 8...no complaints here though. He was in classic form, more digestible than in some of season 7. Kramer's gluttony is amusing, and watching Jerry obviously crack up as Kramer begs is hilarious. Another highlight has to be Elaine asking the guy if she can fire him. *raises the grade from B to B+
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:38:03 GMT
The Abstinence - A-
See what I said in the previous review. Plus Kramer was hilarious. Look at the outtakes from the last clip show. Not enough time to write.
I'm convinced that the first half of season 8 kills the second half of season 7. It's so much more fresh and funny, I wonder how fans felt back when these were airing. The dialogue was only about half as clever as before, but characterizations were intact and it was just so damn funny.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:47:29 GMT
The Little Jerry - C
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:47:36 GMT
The Comeback - B
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:47:46 GMT
The Money - C-
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:47:54 GMT
The Van Buren Boys - B-
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:48:03 GMT
The Susie - B+
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:48:15 GMT
The Pothole - C
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 24, 2014 3:48:20 GMT
The English Patient - C+
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