I think we would all agree that the national news has been a little heavy of late. That combined with a busy time at work has left me with very little down time.
Our living room television was barely used in June.
When I did have an hour or so of free time, I wanted to laugh.
I craved a full, deep, belly laugh.
Switching from cable to Netflix, I browsed through my choices. And then I saw it, “Seinfeld.”
The series started when I was in middle-school and lasted through college. And as I matured, the jokes hit differently.
As I tried to pick an episode to watch for 22 minutes or so of laughs, it came to me.
“The Contest” (Season 4, Episode 11) was the funniest episode and it really showed the true traits of each of the characters.
Now if you don’t know, what the episode is about, please Google it. This is a family paper and I don’t want the publisher to spike this column.
I can sum it up this way, it was a bet to see who of the big four stars could remain “master of their domain” the longest.
Jerry Seinfeld (played by Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine Benes (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Kramer (Michael Richards) and George Costanza (George Costanza) make a bet who can go the longest.
It is hysterical. I have only seen this episode one other time besides its original airing on November 18, 1992. There are so many jokes that have become part of jokes between me and my friends. Glamour magazine, John F. Kennedy Jr., “I’m out” and more.
The writing for this episode was exquisite as it was never said what the contest was for and the real winner was unmasked in the finale season later. It was not George, despite what we all thought back in Season 4.
According to seinfeld.fandom. com, “This episode was based on a real-life contest that Larry David had with his friends, a contest that Larry won.”
(Larry David created the series with Jerry Seinfeld and was the inspiration behind the Costanza character.)
That season has always been one of my favorites. The actors are comfortable in their roles, the timing is spot on and the shows are absurd.
“The Airport,” “The Pick,” “The Junior Mint” and “The Outing” are all from the 1992-93 season.
While some of the jokes haven’t aged well, the lines are still fantastic.
“Not that there is anything wrong with that,” is a line I have used for years and not for the original topic from the episode.
Junior Mints are a long-running joke.
My husband and I love saying, “Newman” in a certain way when we discuss a frenemy.
The characters on “Seinfeld” were not good people.They were pretty awful, selfish human beings with some moments of loveability.
But they were funny and I think we all could identify with some of their characteristics and take relief in knowing we were not as self-centered as Elaine or as helpless and hopeless as George.
There is something comforting about watching a favorite show from a past time in your life. It’s even better when it makes you laugh 30 years later.
And of course there is a tie-in to Hammonton. Just look up the episode about sponge-worthy and search with the words “Hammonton” and “Forbes.”
It all comes back to Hammonton.
Gina Rullo is the editor-in-chief of The Hammonton Gazette. In 2022, she was named an “Editor Extraordinaire” by Editor & Publisher Magazine and in 2021 won two awards for investigative journalism.