Season 9 of Seinfeld marks the end of a sublime era in television, with the final season of a show that ignored convention and remained a truly individual comedy series until the end. Despite the loss of head writer Larry David at the end of season 7, the show is still consistently hilarious, and some of the outstanding episodes include "The Serenity Now"; "The Strike" (in which the legendary tradition of 'Festivus' first appears); "The Bookstore"; and my personal favourite, "The Betrayal", in which the events of the episode take place in reverse (meaning that the end credits appear at the start, and so on). Some of the content, such as Kramer turning his apartment into a shrine to "The Merv Griffin Show", is totally bizarre (a theme which characterises some of the later episodes in the show's run), but it never feels forced or unfunny. There are welcome swansong appearances by lots of the characters who have appeared in the show over the years, with many fan favourites, including Bubble Boy and Soup Nazi, appearing in the concluding two-parter, "The Finale" (for which Larry David returns as writer). The final story has been both praised and criticised in equal measure, as, in typical Seinfeld manner, it does the unexpected. Personally I think it is a great ending, and shows the same audacity for which the show earned its reputation, but you'll need to buy the DVD to decide if you agree or disagree with my assertion!
Season 9 of Seinfeld consists of 24 episodes:
1. The Buttter Shave
2. The Voice
3. The Serenity Now
4. The Blood
5. The Junk Mail
6. The Merv Griffin Show
7. The Slicer
8. The Betrayal
9. The Apology
10. The Strike
11. The Dealership
12. The Reverse Peephole
13. The Cartoon
14. The Strongbox
15. The Wizard
16. The Burning
17. The Bookstore
18. The Frogger
19. The Maid
20. The Puerto Rican Day
21. The Clip Show (pt.1)
22. The Clip Show (pt.2)
23. The Finale (pt.1)
24. The Finale (pt.2)
As is tradition, the season 9 DVD will contain 'Yada Yada' cast and crew commentaries; 'Notes About Nothing'; deleted scenes and bloopers; and 'Inside Looks' escribing the history behind selected episodes. Other features are yet to be confirmed, but hopefully we will see some content relating to the show's finale, such as news reports and trailers. Seinfeld Season 9 is a must have DVD...not that there's anything wrong with that!