Seinfeld Season Finale For those of you that missed it the first time, the Season Finale is re-airing on NBC on Thursday, September 12th. May 16th's season finale to Seinfeld was undeniably a "weird" episode. In it, Susan, George's fiance, dies from cheap envelope glue after George buys cheap wedding invitations. While not many people wanted George and Susan to get married, this is not the way most people wanted him to get out of the wedding. On this page, you can see some other Seinfeld fans' responses to this episode. Some thought it was insensitive, some thought it wasn't funny, and some thought that everyone should just lighten up about it. I was apalled at last nights episode of Seinfeld. Normally, I find the "quirky" humor funny, if not hilarious, but last night went far beyond any level of decency I could imagine. Getting rid of George's fiance through death might have been okay if it had been handled in a sensitive manner but in this case it was not. I do not believe that any act of violence on t.v has disgusted me more than the way in which last nights episode was handled. I firmly believe that the show's writers and producers owe viewers a public apology. I really like the Seinfeld TV series, it makes me laugh and I like to laugh. ----BUT---- The above show was done in very poor taste. I've not talked to anyone who liked it. Please don't let this be the start of the end of the "Seinfeld Show" At first, I didn't like the way George handled Susan's death, but then I thought about it. This show is Seinfeld, not ER. It is not a drama and none of it should be taken that seriously. I think Jerry's engagement will make for some funny "We had a pact!" moments during the last season. I was very disappointed in last Thursday's final episode when Susan died and the way Jerry, Elaine, Kramer and George reacted so insensitively.-Was this the same Elaine who cried when she heard about the Bubble Boy? Or Jerry - who bought his friend a toupee because he thought he had cancer? And George - didn't he cry when he watched Home Alone 2? Or buy "Triangle Boy's" paintings because he felt sorry for him being in the hospital? And Kramer - who insisted on buying a new a new wheelchair for Lola when they parked in her handicapped spot? These are people who have always had feelings for others, who always tried to understand that they "live in a society" (or else, asked Kramer once, wouldn't they all "just move to the East Side"?! They may be disfunctional but we've come to love them for good reasons. How could they all, upon hearing that Susan died, just go get a cup of coffee? "tasteless" "I never want to see George again" "the show's history" "clearly the film editors were on vacation" ---quotes of my friend You could have done something much more interesting, even if you wanted to kill off Susan. You could have had everyone but George react, for example. Or you could have had George have one of his typical guilt episodes. I was glad to read that I was not the only person deeply disappointed in the message of the season finale of "Seinfeld." The last episode held the viewer in contempt and seemed to say that we were all idiots for caring at all about these completely loveless people. In a certain way, Jerry's, Elaine's, Kramer's, George's reaction to Susan's death was psychotic. There was utterly no recognition of reality in anybody's reaction. There wasn't even a respectful attempt to respond to reality. Nobody could be bothered to do the work of even trying to feel the pain. Such a shame. It's not funny anymore. I am of the opinion that society is now at a place where shamelessness is becoming okay. Television writers, in step with the times, are seeing how much shamelessness they can sell. Apparently, they feel they can sell viewers a lot of shamelessness. Maybe the theory (unconscious or otherwise) is that if we watch other people behave completely ruthlessly and horribly, then we're bound to feel some tinge of superiority to the characters, and maybe watch the show again (and not make contact with our own shame). Many T.V. sitcoms seem to be competing to be the most shameless, as though it is some kind of accomplishment to not do the work in life of caring and trying to take responsibility and be decent!!!! Too many T.V. sitcoms are inane and insufferable, but I've always stuck by Seinfeld because I thought their characters played out unconscious conflicts in a very naked, viewable way that was interesting and at times hilarious. This season especially, however, I've noticed things becoming more and more disturbed and the characters more and more ruthlessly self-centered. Characters are only interesting when we can see their struggles and their humanity. Indifference is not interesting. C'mon, Seinfeld writers - do a little something to salvage this. The show has been so very clever in the past. Don't go down. Come up and stay funny. I just can't care for people who can't care at all. Easily the worst Seinfeld ever... the jokes were a little dry and the ending was just terrible. How did such great writers ever decide on making George so heartless and unhuman.. I know it's just a sitcom but still. Most of my friends also agree that this Seinfeld just didn't have IT... well, hopefully the series will end better next year... also, what's the point of having Jerry get engaged.. it's so bloody obvious that he won't get married in the end... Susan was a good character and shouldn't have been killed off in 2 minutes without any aftermath The season ending might not have been in the best taste - but neither is George. Anything less than Susan dying wouldn't have been as unexpected or as funny. I think it was a great episode and am still laughing about it. People are taking this way too seriously. Lighten up. Wow. I'm glad people are writing in. I enjoy watching seinfeld but I am still sickened by the season finale. I kept thinking, this has GOT to be a dream. Seinfeld reruns are on at 6:30 every night where I live but I don't know when I'll have the stomach to face them again. What was everyone thinking? Please make it a dream! As I wrote on the newsgroup, everyone mortally offended by the season finale has got to RELAX,just say to yourself "it's just a T.V. show, it's just a T.V. show". Obviously the writers were out for shock value, and it worked. First of all, Geroge was wishing for a plane crash at the beggining of the episode, so his reaction to her death should have come as no surprise. He never really even liked Susan, much less loved her.She was just a prop, their relationship had no affect on his life whatsoever, apart from his spending every waking moment trying to get out of it. "Characters are only interesting when we can see their struggles and their humanity. Indifference is not interesting." Pulease, when have we EVER seen their humanity in the first place? If you want emotional depth watch NYPD Blue, if you want humanity, watch Star Trek. These people are jerks for gods sake, they've always been jerks, hasen't anyone else figured that out yet? To the fans who say they could have thought of a better way to end it, I say that was the genius, they couldn't have thought of a more ridiculous way to get George out of the marraige > poisened glue???? Totally unbeleivable, perfect! It was like a mocking nod to the shows that have the major character go to the hospital in the season finale and make a remarkable recovery at the beggining of the next season, I'm glad she died, it was REFRESHING! I can't wait to see what they do to my sista Janine Garafalo! They are not going to make it a dream, these aren't hacks workin' at Days of Our Lives. If they make it a dream, I will give up ...junior mints. Reading all the negative comments makes me remember my father. When I was little and would ask him why characters on the tube did this or didn't do that, he'd say to me, "son, it's only the TV." All of you who are upset, relax. Take a Valium. Get a life. It's only the TV. OK, here's how you solve the problem and end the hate mail. The first episode next season begins with George waking from a horrible dream, a la the infamous "Dallas" episode. Susan is still alive and kills George after which no one reacts or cares. Being an avid Seinfeld fan The finale didn't offend me in the least. No one liked Susan to begin with and she didn't like them. Don't forget she hated Kramer and when she tried to become a "part of the loop" it failed miserably. George is a self-centered neurotic and who but him could call Marissa Torme on the eve of his fiance's death. Lighten up and see the show for what it is. comedy. Really disappointed in this one - not funny, at all. Don't think that any of the characters would have reacted that way to the news of George's fiance's demise - uh-huh. Given the fact that Seinfeld is a very distinctive show that has a lot going for it, I agree with everyone who didn't like the insensitivity of the season finale. Granted, the characters are selfish and narrow-minded but people are going to have a reaction to something so shocking. It's a given. I don't think anyone needs to lighten up about it. I think that people who don't take this particular episode seriously even just a little need to re-think why the show is on in the first place. It is for entertainment, not for insensitivity. If people walk away feeling like the show is shameless, it hasn't served it's purpose. This is especially true in a season finale. Look at the impression it left! No new shows for three months and look what viewers got stuck with. The only ones we can't blame are the actors. They are just doing their jobs. I wasn't pleased with Susan's death even though I was sick of her. Also, I'm afraid that Seinfeld will crash and burn because of Jerry and George's relationships with Susan and that other gal. This season might be the same as the last one! Yes, I agree, the season finale was morbid and bordering on distasteful, but that's part of the beauty of it. The one thing I love about this show is the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously. You'll never see a "very special episode" of Seinfeld, which is good! I want to laugh at a sitcom not cry! As for the characters' reactions, none of them, save maybe George, had any vested emotional attachment in Susan, and George is so shallow and was so consumed by just getting out of the relationship, Susan's death seemed like a good thing. I wouldn't be suprised if at some point next season though, he realizes what happened and becomes even more neurotic.("I killed the only woman I ever loved!") OK, so it wasn't the MOST original ending, but you have to remember that this is George and this is Seinfeld! It's not like Susan died of a common, everday ailment - she died from licking low-quality envelopes! It's hard to find death by licking envelopes offensive. If the show suffers because of this ending, how would it have dealt with the anticlimatic aftermath of "married George"? It wasn't the best ending, but it was far from the worst. There is only one George and if he is married he will not be the same. I was glad that Susan died because George would be the same again and not miserable. LIGHTEN UP!!! It is a funny sitcom, u can't blame them for 1 show!! Think about all of the hilarious ones. Plus, it's only TV, not real life, it is supposed to have crazy things that u never see happen regularly. Lighten up, people! It's just a sitcom. Get a life. Better yet, turn on Lifetime and watch thirtysomething reruns. Don't you understand ironic humor? I really enjoyed your Seinfeld Last Episode page. However, I hate to ruin your day, but I predict the resolution of last episode will pull a fast one over all of you. Susan is alive - yes, alive. We will discover this in the first episode next season. Or, if the writers are as "twisted" as some suggest, they may even play with us for a few episodes until the truth is reveiled. Let's consider the facts - - given the positive history of the series that all the letters to this page point out, and given the rebirth of the show last season with even more new and brilliant plots, why would an episode like this ever be written? It doesn't fit. Remember that Seinfeld's writers are brilliant at connecting plot lines - often many episodes later. It's very rare that anything ever ends so suddenly on this show. What does fit is that we've had a gag pulled on us. - George has to be tortured - that's his job. The writers never let him off the hook. Death is too easy. - We never saw the body, nor the delivery of the alledged body to the hospital. All we saw was Susan with a funny look on her face. - We never saw a funeral, or Susan's parents. With the tremendous casting of her parents, they are too good to loose. Remember that characters all come back on Seinfeld - as an example take a look at the old lady Jerry stole the loaf of bread from - incredible! - When there is a death in the hospital, you can't just walk out. There are legal obligations and requirements. - Susan is too smart not to know that George was having second thoughts. - (The real) George Steinbrenner gave at least two media interviews in the weeks before the last show. He said that he was making a guest appearance on the show and that he would be Elaine's date at the wedding of George and Susan. The second interview said that unfortunately none of this scenes would make it on air this season. This suggests that the wedding did indeed get shot and will be used afterall. Subpoints: - Apparently Elaine got around Susan's uninviting her by going with George Steinbrenner - This brings up the horrible question of whether or not George Steinbrenner is "sponge-worthy"... I predict: - That this question will be quickly resolved next season. Susan planned the whole thing in order to test George. The doctor was a friend who was willing to go along with the gag. - The funeral will be a closed casket, and Susan's parents will avoid George. Susan is living with her parents while she plans the next step, and is observing George from afar. Susan could be spotted by some of the other characters, or spotted by George as part of her plot to torture his conscience. - George will be sitting in their apartment all glum and morose. He's been tortured by recurring images of Susan-lookalikes from afar. He's watching the "Bride Of Frankenstein" on TV when she walks in and gives him the shock of his life. He breaks down and realizes his true inner feelings for her. She decides to proceed with the wedding, which is quickly called for the next day. - The wedding takes place as planned. Elaine finds that George Steinbrenner is indeed sponge-worthy but then has to endure an endless one-sided conversation of triviality afterwards. Kramer manages to get into the wedding as a bumbling waiter in disguise. Neumann, with no invitation of course, crashes the wedding. Furthermore: - Susan has a long memory. George ends up hen-pecked for the rest of their lives. George will be much more funny in this role and the series will benefit from having one of the cast members married. That's it - take it or leave it. Please, comments to cobra46@ibm.net Has it occurred to anyone out there that this final "Seinfeld" episode was a _parody_ of all the morbid season finales that cluttered the airwaves this season? On "Chicago Hope," one doctor was shot, one fled to New Zealand with her kid, and the hospital itself is in danger of being bought by evil corporate types. On "Roseanne," Dan has a heart attack, and the Connors' marriage is on the rocks. On "NYPD Blue," Andy's son is murdered, and Andy falls off the wagon. On "Homicide," Pembleton is in a coma, while on "Law & Order," Claire may or may not survive a car wreck. These are all gimmicks designed to bring us, the audience who cares about these characters, back next season. They are, essentially, cheap narrative tricks that work sometimes, and sometimes don't. I see "Seinfeld" as thumbing its nose at this tradition. Susan dies (in a completely ridiculous fashion), but nobody cares, because nobody really liked her anyhow. The situation doesn't mirror reality, but it's not supposed to. The other, heavier shows may display more angst and breast-beating and hand-wringing over their allegedly life-and-death issues, but that doesn't make them deeper or more realistic. Lighten up, folks! "Seinfeld" is post-modernism at its wackiest! The death of Susan in the final episode seems entirely consistent with the completely selfish and totally egocentric behavior portrayed by the characters in Seinfeld throughout the series. I see nothing unexpected in the cold way that Jerry, Elaine and George reacted to the death. If you haven't noticed by now that these people are not very nice it's time to pay more attention to what you've been watching all these years. The show is very funny, but you must have noticed the trail of victims these characters have left behind them. I'm a little late in chiming in, but can I say that this is a sitcom, not life in any sense of the word? Now that we've made that distinction, which most of your corespondents didn't or can't, let me be the one to say that this episode was brillant (as brillant as any of them are) because it exposed the truth about all the characters. George's meanness of spirit and stinginess had nasty consequences - surprise, surprise. And Jerry is an egomaniac - now we all know! Art isn't supposed to be nice, and even this low-art tv stuff has something to say about human nature, however trite or fleeting its messages are. So to hell with Susan - who liked her anyway? As George said, she was becoming a bore, and at least now, thanks to the magical world of tv deaths, we don't have to deal with her anymore. Just my humble perspective. Susan is too good to lose. I hope the writers come up with a way to bring her back. I agree with those who felt that the issue was not dealt with sensitively, particularly George's lack of any sort of emotional response to Susan's death. George has always been neurotic and self-centered, but not so entirely without feeling as he appeared to be when Susan died. Meanwhile, Jerry's new girl friend is a hoot. I hope she continues to stay with the show. I think that folks are not thinking through the possibilities that this ending leaves for next season. Remember, a season finale is usually a cliff-hanger, not a conclusion. What if Susan is NOT dead and is in cahoots with the doctor to find out just how serious George is about getting married? Lets leave the final judgement for next season when we find out how this turns out... The final episode of Seinfeld was brilliant. How else would you have had it end? The writers willfully painted themselves into a corner, then shot their way out. In the process, they blew the false sentimentality of sitcoms like Family Ties, Wings, Coach--basically, everything else out there--to ribbons. This was a final goodbye salute from the maniacal genuis Larry David, and a spit in the eye of every 22-minute morality tale that's ever ended with a hug in the kitchen over Haagen Dazs and tried to pass it off as comedy. What is truly disturbing is not the last Seinfeld episode, but rather the amazing redundancy of the contributions to this site. Turn off your sets, people, and pick up a good book; all that television has sapped your original thought. I've always thought Jerry was way to whine-y, and George too much of a loser. However, this year, the writing seemed much crisper and much funnier that it had been in say the past year or two. And I guess that's one reason why I was so shocked at the season's last episode. I thought George and Susan's marriage would be a disaster, but let's face it, that's George's lot in life...to suffer. At any rate, Susan's death seemed to be a really cheap shot, just like in an old "LA Law" episode when the female attorney fell down the elevator shaft. Do you remember Greg when you were in school, and you needed an ending for a term paper? You might have struggled to come up with just the right ending, but in the end, the ending just wasn't quite right? That maybe you settled for something mediocre because you wanted the assignment just to be over? That's what this episode seemed like to me. The writer's just couldn't come up with something, so they threw this ending together. To me, it just doesn't quite fit. What happened? Maybe we'll never know, Greg.