MovieChat Forums > Seinfeld (1989) Discussion > I love Seinfeld, but...

I love Seinfeld, but...


...sometimes Kramer-based plotlines are unbearable. First coming to mind being the recycled bottles one. Too surreal. And I'm all for surreal, as long the narrative context calls for it. From time to time, Kramer seems like a cartoon thrashing out for attention in a reality-rooted show. My ideal episode screentime share (supporting characters such as Mr+Mrs. Seinfeld and Mr.+Mrs. Costanza, all awesome and hilarious): 45% George, 25% Jerry, 25% Elaine, 5% Kramer. Or, hell, I'd even throw Cosmo under the train, and replace him with Newman (which works better solo, or interacting with the other three main faces).

reply

Bottle Deposit is my favorite episode so I am hereby bound to scoff in your general direction. To me that seems like one of the more grounded Kramer Newman stories.

reply

Damn. My all time favorite as well. For the same reason, it's one of the few Kramer/Newman stories that really worked. OP is a crackhead.

reply

Yeah, "Bottle Deposit" is a memorable episode, and a good Newman story, too. Kramer is consistently entertaining in all episodes.

reply

On a second watch of the whole show, I have to say, I'm appreciating Kramer's antics and comedic style much more.

reply

Kramer was the glue that held the show together. Jerry was the weakest link.. he should be around 19%

Plotlines isolating George+Kramer (airport) AND Kramer+Elaine (the jacket) were really great.

reply

It seems as if Jerry was actually the glue that held the group together. Kramer, George, and Elaine are all nut cases in one way or another, but Jerry, as neurotic as he, too can sometimes be, is the closest thing to a regular person, and his home is the hub of most episodes.

reply

I like the Keith Hernandez story, with Kramer and Newman. And also the episode about sun tanning with butter. Quite funny.

reply

Keith Hernandez episode(s) were great

reply

You got it all wrong.

What's so surreal about the MOST MUNDANE THING you can possibly do; deposit bottles?

It was as linear and as grounded as anything can be. Nothing surreal happened, what are you consuming while watching? Your comments in your post are more surreal than anything in the episode.

Also, Kramer was not really the glue that held the show together - he wasn't a cartoon, either.

He was a cool guy that was very individualistic instead of a conformist type, that the other people often are. He had ideas, creativity and personality. How often can you say that about someone in a sitcom? Kramer is, at least, not a stereotype or a trope, he doesn't easily fit into a mold.

He's interestingly also not a loser, as he can attract women, and he has a very strong sense of moral and ethics, and often preaches (rightfully so) to others. Even if he does misunderstand their intentions a little bit. He can also be a charismatic leader and teacher (look at the Miss America-episode, can't remember its name).

So, he fumbles and stumbles a lot, and falls down, so what? It's funny to witness, and it breathes fresh air into the show that could otherwise become a bit rigid or stuffy. He IS a comic relief in many ways, but he also grabs your attention in a way that nothing else can - in many ways, he IS the best part of the show. Just watch the Hamptons episode for proof.

As others have said, Kramer is very powerful in entertaining the viewer, and for this, he deserves praise, and to be remembered.

reply

Do you think it's mundane to get a whole mail truck (illegally!) and fill it up with empty cans and bottles? Even drinking up a few unopened ones so that they have more empty ones? That premise is so ridiculous, it's funny!

reply

Kramer's ideas and "creativity" are so extremely ridiculous, they are funny. Kramerica Industries, bake your own pizza, a rubber bladder for oil supertankers, the automatic tie dispenser, etc., they are outlandishly ridiculous and meant to elicit easy laughter from the audience. Without the more grounded story lines, Kramer's crazy subplots would not be enough to make the show worth watching. They are very funny and I laugh out loud, don't get me wrong, but they work in moderate doses.

reply

Guys, it's Comedy Writing 101: you need a character who is "sane" so that that "crazier" one can play against the former. Think Abbott (sane) and Costello (nutty) or Lucy (crazy) and Ricky Ricardo (straight). Same here: George, Elaine, Neumann too, and especially Kramer, they do and say extreme, crazy things, while Jerry plays along a la Abbott. The show works because it has the right mix of straight man vs. comic.

reply

I would literally stop watching this show if Kramer wasn't in it.

reply

I agree with you to a lessor extant. George is already a contrast to Jerry in looks and personality and I love Newman in every episode he is in.

reply