Seinfeld: The Finale (2)

Episode score 8.1 Great

The Finale (2)

  • 180.
  • Season: 9
  • Episode: 24
  • First Aired: 5/14/1998
  • Prod Code: 924
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TRIVIA

  • Goof: Elaine casually mentions that the Soup Nazi's soup isn't all that good, but back in the episode "The Soup Nazi," Elaine loved the soup so much, she couldn't even stand. edit »
  • The doctor who informed George of Susan's death testified that George's reaction to the news was "restrained jubilation". However, in Season 7's "The Invitations", George did not react at all in that manner. He reaction was more surprised but indifferent. edit »
  • It was mentioned that the "Bubble Boy" testified against the foursome. However, this seems unlikely. It was actually Susan who punctured his bubble, and he had been choking George at the time. Furthermore, considering that he is unable to leave his bubble, it is difficult to understand how he could have been a witness. edit »
  • It is revealed that the Soup Nazi's real name is actually Yev Kassem. edit »
  • The reporter mentions some of the witnesses that the jury will likely find compelling, and mentions "the woman they sold the defective wheelchair to". This alludes to Season 4's "The Handicap Spot." However, in that episode, they bought the wheelchair for her to replace her other one. Although it was still poor taste to buy a used wheelchair, they simply gave it to her. edit »
  • According to the 'leaving from NY' montage it is revealed that Mickey and David Puddy live one door away from each other. edit »
  • The fact that their lawyer was involved with one of the prosecution's witnesses during the trial would make great grounds for an appeal. edit »
  • Actually, what Marla (Jane Leeves) says on the stand is "...who could go the longest without gratifying themselves". Why would she have said 'having sex' when the whole episode 'The Contest' was about who could go the longest without masturbating?!? edit »
  • In this episode we see Mr. Wilhelm and Mr. Steinbrenner talking comfortably with each other while eating lunch. Even though they seem to have parted ways on bad terms when Steinbrenner spontaneously fired him in "The Millennium". edit »
  • Elaine says, "I've always loved yo-" [plane levels out, they land] "I've always loved U-nited Airlines". Cut in syndication. This is because when the finale original aired it was 75-90 minutes long. They could have split "The Finale" into 3 parts for syndication. edit »
  • I noticed people have been posting edits made when an episode is in syndication. Well, there are A LOT of scenes missing from this episode when it's run in syndication. I distinctly remember seeing the Bubble Boy in this epsiode (I remeber, police guards had a difficult time getting him through the doorway), but he's not there, when this episode airs nowadays. Many of the other witnesses (Keith Hernandaz, and many others) are cut out. Plus, it seems to me that the footage with Marla Penny (Jane Leeves) was reshot. When this epsiode airs, Marla tells the court that the four tried to see who could go the longest without "pleasuring themselves", I believe is what she says. But, when this episode aired on NBC, I could have sworn hearing Marla directly saying "The four tried to see who could go the longest without HAVING SEX". I don't know if they reshot the whole thing, or if this is just false memory.
    Also, in the first part of the finale, Ellaine ALMOST tells Jerry she loves him. The payoff of this scene is always edited when this episode is run in syndication. edit »
  • While the jury is reaching a verdict, the characters (who have appeared in two or more shows, including the Seinfelds, the Costanzas, "J" Peterman, Mickey, the little fellow, and the Rabbi who lived in Elaine's building), where entertaining themselves. One clip shows Puddy wearing a brown suit, sitting against a tree getting a tan. But, later that same day/episode when the jury reach their decision, and the group are found guilty, Elaine tells Puddy not to wait for her, and he's wearing a grey suit, while every other character is wearing their original costume. edit »
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QUOTES

  • (Epilogue, on stage in the prison)
    Jerry: So what is the deal with the yard? I mean when I was a kid my mother wanted me to play in the yard. But of course she didn't have to worry about my next door neighbor Tommy sticking a shiv in my thigh. And what's with the lockdown? Why do we have to be locked in our cells? Are we that bad that we have to be sent to prison, in prison? You would think the weightlifting and the sodomy is enough. So, anyone from Cellblock D?
    Prisoner 1: I am.
    Jerry: I'll talk slower. I'm kidding - I love Cellblock D. My friend George is in Cellblock D. What are you in for,sir?
    Prisoner 2: Murder one.
    Jerry: Murder one? Oooooo, watch out everybody. Better be nice to you. I'm only kidding sir - lighten up. How about you, what are you in for?
    Prisoner 3: Grand theft auto.
    Jerry: Grand theft auto - don't steal any of my jokes.
    Prisoner 3: You suck - I'm gonna cut you.
    Jerry: Hey, I don't come down to where you work, and knock the license plate out of your hand.
    Guard: Alright, Seinfeld, that's it. Let's go. Come on.
    Jerry: Alright, hey, you've been great! See you in the cafeteria
    edit »
  • (Walking to their cell)
    Jerry: Well, it's only a year. That's not so bad. We'll be out in a year, and then we'll be back.
    Kramer: Could be fun. Don't have to worry about your meals, or what you're going to do Saturday night. And they do shows. Yeah, we could put on a show - maybe "Bye Bye Birdie" or "My Fair Lady". Elaine, you could be Liza Doolittle.
    Elaine: Why don't you just blow it out your...
    edit »
  • Prosecutor: State your name.
    Soup Nazi: Yev Kasem.
    Prosecutor: Could you spell that please?
    Soup Nazi: No! Next question. edit »
  • Jackie Chiles: Didn't I tell you I wanted you to wear the cardigan?
    George: It makes me look older.
    Jackie Chiles: Look older? Do you think this is a game? Is that what you think this is? I'm trying to give you a moral compass. You have no moral compass. You're going to walk into that courtroom, and the jury's going to see a mean, nasty, evil George Costanza. I want them to see Perry Como. No one's going to convict Perry Como. Perry Como helps out a fat tub who's getting robbed. edit »
  • Prosecutor: How long was his book overdue?
    Mr. Bookman: 25 years. We don't call them delinquent after that long.
    Prosecutor: What do you call them?
    Mr. Bookman: Criminals. edit »
  • Jackie: (speaking to Jerry) Oh. By the way. They're real, and they're spectacular! edit »
  • Steinbrenner: He had one little problem though (speaking about George). He was a communist! Pink as they come! Like a big juicy steak!
    Frank Costanza: HOW COULD YOU GIVE 12 MILLION DOLLARS TO HIDEKI IRABU?!!!! edit »
  • Jerry: See now to me that button is in the worst possible spot.
    George: Really?
    Jerry: Oh yeah. The second button is the key button. It literally makes or breaks the shirt. Look at it, it's too high. Its no mans no land.
    George: Haven't we had this conversation before?
    Jerry: You think?
    George: I think we have.
    Jerry: Yeah, maybe we have.
    (This is the same conversation the series opened up with between Jerry and George in "The Seinfeld Chronicles". edit »
  • Jackie: Soup Nazi? You people have pet names for everybody! edit »
  • (Estelle has fainted after the verdict)
    Frank: C'MON! WE GOTTA BEAT THE TRAFFIC! edit »
  • Baliff: Court calls Yev Asem to the stand.
    Elaine: Soup Nazi! edit »
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NOTES

  • This two-part episode was nominated for the 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series. edit »
  • This is the second and last episode where the guest stars (except for the ones with the "With" credit) were credited in alphabetical order. edit »
  • Wayne Knight, Barney Martin, Liz Sheridan, Jerry Stiller and Estelle Harris receive the "With" credit. edit »
  • The song that plays while the witnesses who testified against Jerry and the gang await the verdict is Green Day's "I Hope You Have The Time Of Your Life". edit »
  • Newman's last name (or was it his first name) was never revealed. edit »
  • This is the only episode with only one co-star (one of the hecklers). edit »
  • The voice of the last heckler to call out at Jerry's jail performance was provided by Larry David. edit »
  • Throughout the series, Larry David has played more parts than any other actor or actress. edit »
  • The Judge explains his sentence is due to the unusual indifference and apathy that the group has. There have been many instances throughout this show where the four of them are uncaring towards others and display selfishness however; earlier this season the episode "The Serenity Now" really highlights this. In that episode Jerry experiments with emotion but ends up in over his head and is confused when he cries. It was actually good foreshadowing for this episode. edit »
  • Whenever a date of an incident is announced in court - 1/4/96 for the marble rye theft, 5/16/96 for the doctor's testimony about the envelopes, 11/18/92 for the Virgin's retelling of the contest, etc - the dates are the airdates of the original episodes. edit »
  • Jackie Chiles flies down to defend Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer in this trial based on a short phone call even though, in previous episodes, he's expressed extreme reluctance to represent Kramer due to his tendency to screw up Jackie's work. edit »
  • Just an interesting, though sad, note; Frank Sinatra died only hours after this episode aired. edit »
  • The scene with Jerry in the cafeteria was in fact the last scene to be shot for the show. edit »
  • Two different verdicts were shot, so no one knew the real ending of the story. edit »
  • Jon Hayman, AKA the "Bubble Boy" plays the prison guard who escorts Jerry off the stage and off NBC's schedule for good. edit »
  • In May 2004, the show Friends, the sitcom with highest ratings in the country for the 2003-2004 season aired its final episode with only 2/3 the amount of viewer who tuned in for this series finale. edit »
  • This episode drew 76 million viewers. edit »
  • Jerry Seinfeld is the only cast member to have appeared in every single episode. edit »
  • A viewer notes that when Kramer starts talking about performing shows at the Prison, he brings up "My Fair Lady" and Elaine playing the lead role. She then goes to tell him to "Blow it out your..." The viewer believes this is a reference to many years before Julia was on Seinfeld. Sometime between being on "SNL" and "The Art of Being Nick," Julia appeared in a Broadway production of "My Fair Lady," and received a less than favorable reviews by several New York newspapers. Whether it's intentional or not, the viewer is willing to make an assumption that the reference to "My Fair Lady" was a quick stab back at the critics who at one point said she sucked. edit »
  • Even though this episode was the series finale, the ending was left open with the characters repeating things like "It's just one year…," and "then we'll be back." Those along with the fact that none of the main cast had much success after "Seinfeld" left open the tantalizing possibility of the show returning. If the show had actually come back it would have been a television first, instead that honor went to Family Guy. edit »
  • from IMDB:

    Jerry Seinfeld turned down an offer from NBC that would have made him $110 million for a tenth season of the show. edit »
  • It's actually quite interesting to note that this is one of the biggest finales, and in fact, one of the biggest episodes in television history. There were 49, that's forty-nine! major guest stars. Many of these were celebrities who must have had other things going on at the time. Getting nearly every major character, recurring or not, from the show's nine years to come back for what turned out to be a three day shoot (see previous comment) must have been a large undertaking. The fact that SO many were readilly willing to do it indicates just how popular the show was.

    As well, the way that they ended the series exactly the same way (and with the same dialog even) as they started the whole thing was yet another great bit of writing that has consistently made the show so great. edit »
  • A FINAL NOTE: Of all our guides, this one has been the most fun to do. First, I'd like to thank my co-worker Jeff Latzko for his enthusiasm that got me hooked into the show all those years ago. Second, I'd like to thank everyone who has helped to contribute to this guide. In fact, many of you have sent in contributions that have yet to appear in the guide. I haven't forgotten your contributions; I've had numerous time constraints this past couple of years related to the completion of a master's degree and the other guides on this web site. So sometime in the future, I will endeavor to include those items. In addition, after I saw the contents of this guide reprinted with my permission in the publication "Goodbye, Seinfeld", a Gold Collector Series Entertainment Magazine, I realized that all of the early descriptions really do need to be enhanced. I will get to this, someday! edit »
  • The jury was made up of friends and family of the cast and crew. The front row was made up of Dana Alexander (Jason's wife), Darin Henry (Larry David's assistant), the mother of an unknown crewmember, Carol Brown (the mother of Jerry's assistant), Spike Feresten (writer), and actress Myra Turley as the Forewoman. The back row was made up of the parents of the show's production accountant, some production guy, Steve Koren (writer), the show's set designer and Michael Richards' girlfriend. The courtroom scenes took three days to film, with two verdicts being shot. Hilarious interactions between Mickey and Bania, Newman and Keith Hernandez, J. Peterman and Puddy were recorded, however, they all fell victim to time constraints. edit »
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ALLUSIONS

  • :
    The trial pays homage to the 1960 film "Inherit the Wind." Particularly, the scene where the attorney discusses how many important people will descend upon their little town, because the case is so high profile. edit »
Show Score 9.2 great
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