Even the second season on the whole has so far left me a little more disappointed than I initially expected after thoroughly enjoying the seemingly not well remembered premiere episode, "The Ex-Girlfriend". So it almost came as a great surprise that I enjoyed "The Revenge" to the extent that I did here and unlike much of the show to this point, this *really* felt like an episode 'Seinfeld' would do.
The brilliance of George Costanza is really on display here and it's comfortably my favourite episode of his yet. He makes an abrupt and passionate speech to his boss, announcing that he's quitting and then tirades off only to very soon realize just how wrong he is when he sees that he has little to no job prospects. So, per Jerry's suggestion, he returns to work the following day deciding to act as if the entire incident had not happened. When that fails, he plots his revenge as per the episode's title.
I adored this episode and not even in the mildly pitiful way in which I have been light in my treatment of the show thus far. 'Seinfeld' is absolutely one of my favourite television series but the first two seasons are generally not an accurate indicator of that love but "The Revenge" absolutely eludes that generalization. It's simply very funny and has aged a lot better than most of the earliest episodes.
George is fantastic and one of my favourite scenes in the episode is him and Jerry entering into a dialogue about his job opportunities. He even makes an off-handed remark about being a sports manager for a baseball team, which probably unintentionally foreshadows a major event in a later season. The entire scene has a great rhythm, is very well written and allows Alexander to shine as an actor while even Jerry successfully plays the scene as straight as he can.
I also adore the actual revenge storyline of the episode and finally Elaine is given some half decent material and Julia Louis Dreyfus looks gleeful in playing the part. Her whole overdone charade where Elaine tells George's boss (whom George is looking to slip a mickey!) that she is a nudist in an effort to distract him is funny as is her failed flirtations earlier in the scene. JLD does an excellent job of humiliating herself to great comedic effect.
I also adore Kramer and him plotting his own revenge against the laundromat owner is fantastic. It gives Michael Richards some fantastic physical comedy to work with and Jerry again very successfully plays his part of the scene as straight as possible, and thus heightens the hilarity of the scene.
If there's one little thing I disliked about the episode, it's the idea that Jerry left $1500 in the laundry bag which spurs on his little side adventure. It simply makes no sense, even in the world of 'Seinfeld', that he would leave as large a sum of money as that in a place like a laundry bag. Perhaps if the sum were something more to the effect of $100 it would be more plausible but it is mind-bogglingly silly.
"The Revenge" is a great episode, in my opinion, and not just of the earlier seasons of 'Seinfeld' but a great episode of the show in general. It is the best written (perhaps courtesy of it being a solo Larry David writing credit) episode yet, has ample energy as opposed to many episodes that seem to become lethargic and gives each actor something substantial to work with. The end result is an episode that is wholly entertaining and pure 'Seinfeld' in every sense. It also is the introduction of one of the show's most beloved characters, Jerry's maniacal and wide grinning arch nemesis from across the hall.
The brilliance of George Costanza is really on display here and it's comfortably my favourite episode of his yet. He makes an abrupt and passionate speech to his boss, announcing that he's quitting and then tirades off only to very soon realize just how wrong he is when he sees that he has little to no job prospects. So, per Jerry's suggestion, he returns to work the following day deciding to act as if the entire incident had not happened. When that fails, he plots his revenge as per the episode's title.
I adored this episode and not even in the mildly pitiful way in which I have been light in my treatment of the show thus far. 'Seinfeld' is absolutely one of my favourite television series but the first two seasons are generally not an accurate indicator of that love but "The Revenge" absolutely eludes that generalization. It's simply very funny and has aged a lot better than most of the earliest episodes.
George is fantastic and one of my favourite scenes in the episode is him and Jerry entering into a dialogue about his job opportunities. He even makes an off-handed remark about being a sports manager for a baseball team, which probably unintentionally foreshadows a major event in a later season. The entire scene has a great rhythm, is very well written and allows Alexander to shine as an actor while even Jerry successfully plays the scene as straight as he can.
I also adore the actual revenge storyline of the episode and finally Elaine is given some half decent material and Julia Louis Dreyfus looks gleeful in playing the part. Her whole overdone charade where Elaine tells George's boss (whom George is looking to slip a mickey!) that she is a nudist in an effort to distract him is funny as is her failed flirtations earlier in the scene. JLD does an excellent job of humiliating herself to great comedic effect.
I also adore Kramer and him plotting his own revenge against the laundromat owner is fantastic. It gives Michael Richards some fantastic physical comedy to work with and Jerry again very successfully plays his part of the scene as straight as possible, and thus heightens the hilarity of the scene.
If there's one little thing I disliked about the episode, it's the idea that Jerry left $1500 in the laundry bag which spurs on his little side adventure. It simply makes no sense, even in the world of 'Seinfeld', that he would leave as large a sum of money as that in a place like a laundry bag. Perhaps if the sum were something more to the effect of $100 it would be more plausible but it is mind-bogglingly silly.
"The Revenge" is a great episode, in my opinion, and not just of the earlier seasons of 'Seinfeld' but a great episode of the show in general. It is the best written (perhaps courtesy of it being a solo Larry David writing credit) episode yet, has ample energy as opposed to many episodes that seem to become lethargic and gives each actor something substantial to work with. The end result is an episode that is wholly entertaining and pure 'Seinfeld' in every sense. It also is the introduction of one of the show's most beloved characters, Jerry's maniacal and wide grinning arch nemesis from across the hall.
