My Review of "Seinfeld: Season 9"

Seinfeld: Season 9 aired in the year of 1997/98. It was the very last season of the popular show. This season probably had some of the most memorable episodes that I remember but it also had a very controversial ending. Watching the ending again I have a different take on why people may not have appreciated it as much. To me it wasn't as bad as everyone says it was.

This season was again kind of a rudderless season. There wasn't a full on story from the start to end of the season. Each episode could be enjoyed on its own without too much reference to older episodes. Of course you'll get much more enjoyment if you had kept up with the series.

The season is actually quite stellar until closer to the end. There is a drastic tonal change closer to the end of the season. Throughout the season we have really wild and wacky antics that really showcase the cartoonish side of our main characters. The final episode felt like it was a throwback to the older seasons. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

My only issues were the abrupt tonal change of the show when the episode hit and the fact that the previous 2 episodes of the show were recap episodes. Normally I wouldn't mind recap episodes because the last two episodes were edited quite well to feel a little nostalgic for the previous seasons. I guess this was a segue to the last two episodes and the tonal shift. My problem with this is that the last two episodes were yet again another method in recapping nostalgic seasons.

The episodes themselves weren't bad. It actually fit the original feel of the show in contrast to the zany cartoony version it morphed into. If you're a longtime fan of the series you'd probably understand what they're trying to get with the last episodes. I finally understood what they were getting at years later.

Some of my favorite episodes of this season include; "The Serenity Now", "The Junk Mail", and "The Frogger". "The Serenity Now" episode relies a little on our knowledge of the show. George has had this rivalry with Lloyd Braun ever since childhood. Throughout the seasons it's come up and this episode was the penultimate battle between George and Lloyd. The two battle each other in selling computers for George's dad. Kramer adopts a easy living life in his apartment when he installs a screen door. There he adopts George's dad's catch phrase, "serenity now!"

"The Junk Mail" is an uproarious episode where Kramer tries to cancel his mail. Little does he know, the postal system is a secret organization that can't be stopped. It's a very curious episode as they start to talk about how Internet has wiped the utility of postal service. In a way they were right and wrong at the same time. The whole conspiracy situation is ludicrously funny. I also couldn't stop laughing at the situation of Elaine falling in love with a man who she doesn't realize was in an old corny TV commercial.

"The Frogger" episode is still one of my all time favorite episodes. In this episode George and Jerry discover an old pizza place from their teenage years is closing down. Upon visiting the old hangout they discover that George's high score on an arcade game called Frogger is still there. George being George, decides that he has to buy the game and bring it back to his apartment. This will prove more difficult than the thinks. There's a whole heist situation and it is brilliant. Meanwhile Jerry is trying to break up with this woman but keeps having to go back to her for fear of a serial murderer lurking in the streets. It sounds really wacky and it is. That's part of the fun of this episode.

Overall, this was a really fun season up to the end. I like the last two episodes now as I've come to appreciate them but I still don't' think they're classics. Though the rest of this season have a few classic episodes in there. That's why I have to give this season an 8.5. It really ended this series on a good note and I will miss this show. Definitely a recommend if you're looking for a comedy to binge.