Coming after the fairly lackluster Season 6, Seinfeld managed to come back swinging with easily its best season in a while as it attempts to bring together everything that made the show great.
Season 7 is Larry David's last season before he left the show, so it seems like he wanted to go out on a good note. Thankfully, Seinfeld's seventh season is easily one of the most consistently solid seasons of the show. It's also the only other season (along with Season 4) to have a story arc, this time being about George planning to get married to his girlfriend Susan. I don't love it as much as the "pilot arc", but it's a solid throughline for the season with an amazing ending. I really like how the premiere and finale parallel each other, and some of the wedding hijinks are genuinely entertaining. However, I'm not a massive fan of Susan. She gets a lot of focus here, but she doesn't really fit in with the rest of the group. Even more, unlike Season 4, I do feel like this "wedding arc" takes up a bit too much of the season, with plenty of episodes feeling like they're just spinning their wheels until the finale. It really feels like Season 7 has less standalone episodes than most of the other seasons because of this story arc, which is a massive shame, especially since those mark some of the highest points in Season 7. Episodes like The Soup Nazi and The Caddy don't involve the wedding at all, and they're awesome! It really makes me wish that this "wedding arc" stayed a bit more in the backdrop for most of the season.
Generally, Season 7 is a much funnier season than its predecessor. It's probably not as funny as Season 5 or as shocking as Season 4, but I think it strikes a pretty strong balance for the most part. It really does have some of the most iconic episodes in the show, particularly The Soup Nazi and The Invitations. I also think Season 7 is probably the most consistent season, maybe second to Season 8 (I'll get there soon). Even the worst episodes of the season are just kind of dull, while the best episode is one of my favorites in the whole show. I mentioned before that the best Seinfeld seasons have the best selection of episodes, and while Season 7 doesn't have as many high points as the show's best, most of the episode are at least pretty solid. The character work this season is also pretty good. I already mentioned George getting married, but there's also plot threads like Elaine's new job and Jerry falling in love with someone exactly like him, both of which are entertaining places for the characters to go.
There are a bunch of highlights scattered throughout Season 7, such as:
The Soup Nazi: The Chinese Restaurant is my favorite episode, but this is easily the funniest. I keep coming back to The Soup Nazi, thinking it should get old but it just doesn't! The titular chef is a hilarious and memorable side character, I love Elaine's reactions to the whole thing, and that payoff where Elaine gets her revenge is too good. And the fact that it's all based on a real person just makes the thing even funnier.
The Caddy: This episode was really funny. I love the fact that everyone thinks George is dead just because he went on vacation, and the way the show managed to move all of its pieces into place for this misunderstanding to occur is just genius.
The Bottle Deposit: The best double-length Seinfeld episodes pretty much just pad out the length with hilarious jokes, and The Bottle Deposit is no exception. Kramer's plan to make money off of recyclables by driving them to Michigan is hysterical and is packed with great moments, while Jerry's car is stolen with Elaine's golf clubs inside. Once the two storylines intersect, it results in a hilarious pursuit throughout the second half of the episode. The Bottle Deposit is pure Seinfeld zaniness and I love it.
The Invitations: We knew Susan had to go, George couldn't get married and Larry David knew that, so for his last episode, he killed her off in the most ridiculous way possible: Toxic stamps. I could write an essay on how genius this finale is. Jerry's engagement that parallels the premiere, the shocking twist about Susan, the gang's hilariously underwhelming reaction to Susan's death. Was it overly cruel? Perhaps. But it was also brilliant, surprising, and hysterical resolution that absolutely made this season.
Overall, Season 7 is one of the show's better seasons. It's consistently strong throughout and it has a pretty solid story arc with a strong ending, even if it overwhelms the season at times.
4/5 Stars
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