George tries one last scheme to end the wedding. Elaine discovers she won’t be doing anything for the wedding. Jerry falls in love with a woman exactly like himself. Kramer tries to take advantage of a deal with the bank. The whole thing ends when Susan dies licking cheap envelopes for the wedding invitations.

Written by: Larry David
Directed by: Andy Ackerman

This episode is a turning point for the show for two reasons. Firstly, this is the last Larry David episode before he quit as writer and producer. In a lot of ways, the show was more his baby than Jerry Seinfeld’s; George is almost as much him as his fictionalised self is in Curb Your Enthusiasm. From this point on, we get pure, uncut Seinfeld (comedian), and the tone of the show will shift accordingly. Secondly, even if he stayed on, this episode would be a real No Going Back moment. One of the characters has caused the death of an ostensible loved one, and none of them care. We’ve talked extensively about how the show’s characters are actually morally neutral as opposed to irredeemably bad, and I think the perception otherwise is partially a result of what TV Tropes calls Flanderisation.

The idea behind it is that, as TV comedy goes on, traits of that character are exaggerated as writers try and compensate for familiarity by going bigger and louder. The big example, as you might guess, is Ned Flanders of The Simpsons, whose religious aspect took over the entire character until he became a fundamentalist parody, overshadowing his relentless kindness, although it applies to all the characters as the show went on. To an extent, though, I also think it was writers buying into the hype. We’ll see as we go on, but I do know they were starting to get writers who were fans of the show, who bought into perceptions of it that weren’t totally accurate; it got famous for having unsympathetic, unlikeable characters (to the point of influencing a whole generation of sitcoms), and so writers would come on with that perception, influencing the show itself.

But then, something like this happens, and it really is something that will influence the show going forward. The scene in which George learns of Susan’s passing/expiration/ex-Susaning is incredible; it’s like the characters have no idea what to do with this information (“I’m… so sorry, George?”). Jason Alexander’s performance is incredible, with George (rather than he) breaking character for a moment and being visibly overjoyed that the problem has solved itself. Last week, beloved commentor Raven Wilder remarked that George doesn’t want to have any responsibility; you can definitely see that in Jerry when he realises what getting married will mean for him, and you can feel the weight of it in that final scene as they all collectively realise they don’t want any actual responsibility and try to put that out of their minds.

TOPICS O’ THE WEEK

• “They’re arranged by price.” George instantly flips to the end.
• “It’s something! It’s hope!”
• George trying to break up the wedding by smoking is another one of those plots that would take up a whole episode of a lesser show, as opposed to a single scene.
• “Weddings are a great place to meet chicks. I have to be unfettered.”
• The Drake gets an invite to the wedding.
• Susan’s laughter when George asks for a pre-nup is her funniest moment in the show.
• Kramer’s plot feels really half-baked. I’m annoyed in particular at how Stephen Root – the greatest living actor, and I’m neither joking nor exaggerating – is so underutilised.
• “I can’t be with someone like me! I hate myself!”

Biggest Laugh:

Next Week: “The Foundation”.