Yep, I’ve finally done it. As of last night, I have seen every episode of Seinfeld. I have been trying for years to wrap this up, but the episode in which Jerry buys an expensive suede coat and goes out to dinner with Elaine’s father has always eluded me.
In fact, I had pretty well given up. But the breakthrough came because D18 Jr (aged 15) has shown remarkable maturity for his age and has been watching the episodes in syndication. He, of course, had seen it a couple of times, but didn’t realize its significance. Thus, he had strict instructions to alert me when the Elaine’s-father episode came on.
Then, last night, D18 Jr. told me that the epsiode was playing on the early evening round, and although he was taping it, he had missed the first 5 minutes. But that was no problem, for another channel shows the same episode at 10 PM.
You can only imagine how the seconds crawled between 7:45 and 10 PM as I eagerly awaited the completion of my quest! At 10 PM, Mrs. D18 and I sat down. And it was good. (But strangely, Mrs. D18 didn’t appear to share an appreciation of the momentousness of the situation.)
I had no idea Elaine’s father was a famous author (I had always wondered about the background to her work with Pendant); I hadn’t realized (of course) that the quip Jerry would later make at the party in Long Island (“Pendant? Those BASTARDS!”) was recalling what her father had said.
But it’s a bittersweet acheivement. I will never again see a episode of Seinfled for the first time. I can only pray that another grand quest will soon present itself.
