History TearJerker / Seinfeld

*** This reading of the four main characters, especially considering David Mandel's interpretation of Elaine (see below), posits the gang as four self-absorbed jerks who bring out the worst in each other and anyone who interacts with them, and at least half of them realize this, but neither seems to be able to do something about it. It would be the setup for a Creator/JohnSteinbeck-ish tragedy if it weren't a comedy at heart.

*** This reading of the four main characters, especially considering Jerry Mandel's interpretation of Elaine (see below), posits the gang as four self-absorbed jerks who bring out the worst in each other and anyone who interacts with them, and at least half of them realize this, but neither seems to be able to do something about it. It would be the setup for a Creator/JohnSteinbeck-ish tragedy if it weren't a comedy at heart.

Wait, ''this'' "no hugging, no kissing, no lessons learned" "show about nothing" has a TearJerker section? Well, given that it features four callous, [[ManChild less-than-mature]] residents of [[BigApplesauce a city with a notoriously ruthless attitude]], [[ButtMonkey one]] of [[TheWoobie whom]] is unemployed for much of the series (and keep in mind how expensive New York is), and all of whom seemingly [[StatusQuoIsGod can't keep a relationship for more than a week]], it's
[[SadClown more likely than you think]].

Wait, ''this'' "no hugging, no kissing, no lessons learned" "show about nothing" has a TearJerker section? Well, given that it features four callous, [[ManChild less-than-mature]] residents of [[BigApplesauce a city with a notoriously ruthless attitude]], [[ButtMonkey one]] of [[TheWoobie whom]] is unemployed for much of the series (and keep in mind how expensive New York is), and all of whom seemingly [[StatusQuoIsGod can't keep a relationship for more than a week]], it's more likely than you think.

* Sure they were [[spoiler:horrible]] people, but the fact that the series ended with [[spoiler:the four characters that we've grown to love for nine years getting arrested is extremely depressing.]]

** [[spoiler: YankTheDogsChain Even after all that, George still doesn’t get the apartment because Elaine’s boyfriend for that episode bribed the owners.]]

** [[spoiler: YankTheDog’sChain And George still doesn’t get the apartment because Elaine’s boyfriend for that episode bribed the owners.]]

-->"In closing, these stories have not been embellished, because they need no embellishment. They are simply, horrifyingly, the story of my life as a short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man. Thank you."[[labelnote:note]]"[[AndAnotherThing Oh! Also]]. [[BreadEggsMilkSquick My fiancée died from licking toxic envelopes that I picked out]]. Thanks again."[[/labelnote]] [[spoiler: And George still doesn’t get the apartment because Elaine’s boyfriend for that episode bribed the super.]]

-->"In closing, these stories have not been embellished, because they need no embellishment. They are simply, horrifyingly, the story of my life as a short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man. Thank you."[[labelnote:note]]"[[AndAnotherThing Oh! Also]]. [[BreadEggsMilkSquick My fiancée died from licking toxic envelopes that I picked out]]. Thanks again."[[/labelnote]]

* [[spoiler: Susan's death in the finale of season seven. While many deaths of Seinfeld characters are either comedic or done off screen, the death of George's beloved fiancee was very tragic and sympathetic. Especially the fact that George himself is responsible for her death because he picked out invitation envelopes for their wedding from a store that has poison glue, which killed Susan after she licked it. Susan's death is considered to be the saddest moment of the entire series. George himself was in pure shock and barely speechless to her death, regardless of his own indecision of getting married in the first place (he did, however, get over it rather quickly and resumed his bachelor life). Not to mention the {{Adult Fear}} of Susan's parents.]]

* It's not enough to make you ''cry'' or anything, but you have to feel a little bad for Kramer in "The Doodle": He temporarily lost his sense of taste (due to unknowingly inhaling flea fumigation poison in Jerry's apartment) just as the Mackinaw Peaches were starting to be in season, so he couldn't enjoy them. Worse, when he finally regains his sense of taste, Newman announces he ate the last one. He's got to wait a ''whole year'' before he can eat those [[ImpossiblyDeliciousFood delicious peaches]] again.

* The next-to-last episode, "The Chronicle". At the end, the montage of best moments, bloopers, and behind the scenes footage of the cast members joking and laughing together, while "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Music/GreenDay plays over it, ending with the cast taking a deep bow for the audience, hand-in-hand... The last slow pans of the quiet, deserted sets of Jerry's apartment and Monk's Cafe, both places that viewers were as familiar with as they were with their own real-life hangouts. Plus the phrases "I hope you had the time of your life" and "For what it's worth, it was worth all the while" .... there are simply no words to describe the exquisitely painful sheer excellence of it. For a sitcom that never had a truly serious emotional moment, it sure invoked a hell of a lot of emotion in its huge viewer share.

* Sure they were [[spoiler: horrible]] people, but the fact that the series ended with [[spoiler: the four characters that we've grown to love for nine years getting arrested is extremely depressing.]]
** It's not so bad when you think about it. [[spoiler: They only got one year sentence so they will get out quite soon.]]

--> '''Son''': How long are you going to be away for Daddy?\\

* In season 4's "The Pilot", NBC president Russell Dalrymple, who earlier in the season was more confident, quickly slips into a shell of his former self after being rejected by Elaine, because he was the president of a TV network, which Elaine has no respect for. The rejection left him a broken man and the vain attempts to win her over, which results with Elaine avoiding him, even going as far as wearing a wig and sunglasses to disguise herself when attending the taping of Jerry's pilot. Russel even breaks down to the point where he fires a crew member just for [[DisproportionateRetribution bumping into him.]] He leaves NBC to join Greenpeace, hoping he can win over Elaine's love. But that ended up costing him his life when the mission goes wrong and he ends up lost at sea.
--> '''Greenpeace member''': ''(after Russell's line breaks)'' I'll remember her name: Elaine Benes! I'll write to her! I'll tell her all about you and what you did out here! Goodbye, matey! Goodbye... ''(a page from the Jerry pilot floats on the waves)''

* In "The Andrea Doria," George, whose prospective new apartment has instead been given to a survivor of the ''Andrea Doria'' shipwreck because the owners feel sorry for him, decides to play MiseryPoker for it and wins in a landslide, reducing the panel to tears. It's largely PlayedForLaughs as a ContinuityCavalcade referencing previous episodes ("...I was handcuffed to the bed in my underwear, where I remained for..."), but his conclusion kind of stings:

---> '''Elaine''': Maybe Kramer's right. Some people ''should'' just give up. I have.\\

'''Elaine''': I don't remember. But it certainly wasn't ''this''.

-->'''Jerry:''' ...What is this? What—what are we doing? What in god's name are we doing?

--> '''Elaine''': Maybe Kramer's right. Some people ''should'' just give up. I have.\\

* According to "Bizarro Jerry" writer David Mandel, after Larry David's departure the writers began to write Elaine with the idea that she's starting to feel unfulfilled with the StatusQuoIsGod routine of the show and to look "beyond" her friendship with the guys. Seen in that light, Elaine's trajectory over the last two seasons is pretty dismal. "The Soul Mate" shows that most of her friends are in a completely different phase of life and patronize her because she doesn't have kids, while in "The Little Jerry" she contemplates marrying a guy she's all but lost interest in seemingly just for a change of pace (cf. her stated intention of "getting out" of singledom in "The Invitations"). In "The Puerto Rican Day," the next-to-last episode before the finale (not counting the clip show), she ditches her friends with the words, "I've been trying to leave this group for ten years."

** From the same episode, nearly dying in a plane crash wrings some genuine emotion out of the gang, with George [[spoiler:[[DeathbedConfession admitting to Jerry that]] [[ContinuityNod he cheated to win the Contest]]]] and Elaine [[spoiler:[[AbortedDeclarationOfLove stopping just short of]] a DyingDeclarationOfLove, with the implication that Jerry had one coming too.]]

** According to "Bizarro Jerry" writer David Mandel, after Larry David's departure the writers began to write Elaine with the idea that she's starting to feel unfulfilled with the StatusQuoIsGod routine of the show and to look "beyond" her friendship with the guys. Seen in that light, Season 8 is very depressing (Website/AVClub reviewer David Sims describes it as "Elaine's journey to the bottom"); "The Soul Mate" shows that most of her friends are in a completely different phase of life and patronize her because she doesn't have kids, while in "The Little Jerry" she contemplates marrying a guy she's all but lost interest in seemingly just for a change of pace (cf. her stated intention of "getting out" of singledom in "The Invitations").
--->'''Jerry:''' Marriage is a big step, Elaine. Your life'll totally change.
--->'''Elaine:''' Jerry, [[ItMakesSenseInContext it's 3:30 in the morning. I'm at a cockfight.]] What am I clinging to?

-->'''Bobby:''' Do you hate me 'cause of my lazy eye?

* "The Serenity Now" offers a pretty dark read on Jerry's DeadpanSnarker attitude: he's virtually incapable of feeling real emotion. Once his feelings surface, he ''grieves'' when the GirlOfTheWeek breaks up with him, [[PlatonicDeclarationOfLove expresses his love for both George and Kramer]], and finally has a LoveEpiphany about ''Elaine'' that causes him to propose marriage on the spot. Naturally, he's [[StatusQuoIsGod reverted to type]] by the time Elaine, moved by his words about how they've both been looking too far afield when they have everything they need in their relationship, has decided to accept his proposal. It makes you wonder if Jerry's emotional deficiencies are the only thing keeping them from finding genuine romantic fulfillment in the context of their unique bond.

-->'''Jerry:''' It would be nice to care about someone!

* "The Serenity Now" offers a pretty dark read on Jerry's DeadpanSnarker attitude: he's virtually incapable of feeling real emotion. Once his feelings surface, he ''grieves'' when the GirlOfTheWeek breaks up with him, [[PlatonicDeclarationOfLove expresses his love for both George and Kramer]], and finally has a LoveEpiphany about ''Elaine'' that causes him to propose marriage on the spot. Naturally, he's [[StatusQuoIsGod reverted back to type]] by the time Elaine has decided to accept his proposal, moved by his words about how they've both been looking too far afield when they have everything they need in their relationship. It makes you wonder if Jerry's emotional deficiencies are the only thing keeping them from finding genuine romantic fulfillment in the context of their unique bond.

* "The Serenity Now" offers a pretty grim read on Jerry's SnarkKnight attitude: he's virtually incapable of feeling real emotion. Once his feelings surface, he ''grieves'' when the GirlOfTheWeek breaks up with him, [[PlatonicDeclarationOfLove expresses his love for both George and Kramer]], and finally has a LoveEpiphany about ''Elaine'' that causes him to propose marriage on the spot. Naturally, he's [[StatusQuoIsGod reverted back to type]] by the time Elaine has decided to accept his proposal, moved by his words about how they've both been looking too far afield when they have everything they need in their relationship. It makes you wonder if Jerry's emotional deficiencies are the only thing keeping them from finding genuine romantic fulfillment in the context of their unique bond.