Seinfeld Season 3 - What Vandelay Industries?

Being a longtime Seinfeld fan, it's finally nice to have crystal clear versions of all my favorite Seinfeld episodes. Obviously, watching old Seinfeld episodes from the first few seasons on regular network television isn't very appealing, even to diehard fans such as myself. We always have to deal with commercials, station identifications, and other graphical interruptions that tend to get in the way, not to mention poor quality image and sound. Thus, having a high definition re-mastered DVD to play at home or on the road, is a great addition to any DVD collection.

The show, Seinfeld, consists of four main characters Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards) who interact with each other in various day to day situations with conflicts and conversations that almost anyone can related to. If you've heard of Jerry Seinfeld and his "have you ever noticed" material, you'll quickly understand how the show is structured. Each show is usually centered around one certain conflict that in some way or another, effects all four characters. In season three, several new characters were thrown into the loop including: Lt. Bookman, Babu Bhatt and Newman. Other guest appearances include Keith Hernandez in the two part episode, "The Boyfriend", and Murphy Brown in "The Keys". Jerry Seinfeld's mother and father who live in Florida are also finally cast into the show. With all the new character additions, the show's plots and storylines begin to thicken and weave together more than ever in season three.

A great example of this is "The Boyfriend" episode from Disk 3 : Season 3. In this two part episode Jerry and Keith Hernandez develop such a close relationship with each other, Jerry feels as though he's dating Keith. Kramer and Newman continue to despise Keith Hernandez for spitting on them after a baseball game, however Jerry's analyzing abilities seem to make much more sense despite Newman's hardnosed beliefs. Jerry then gets jealous at Keith when he starts dating Elaine instead. Meanwhile, George gets stuck in an unemployment scheme while lying about a job interview with 'Vandelay Industries'. Jerry gets the last laugh in this episode when George, nearly butt naked, falls flat on his face while diving for an important telephone call.

Volume 2 : Season 3 contains a total of 22 shows on four DVD disks. Each disk is setup in a similar manner, with various backdrops from Seinfeld. For example, disk 4 has a backdrop of the mall parking garage from "The Parking Garage". When you choose a sub-menu (episodes, setup, or extras) the backdrop changes again to a close view of a particular item such as the air conditioner box Kramer carried around or a reserved sign hanging on the wall. Each disk has at least five episodes, plus special features as outlined on the back of each jewel case. Every episode has a special feature including: deleted scenes, inside looks, yada yada audio commentaries and the dreaded 'notes about nothing' which appear as subtitles of information at the bottom of the screen during a full episode. Season 3 also has more special features such as exclusive stand-up material (similar to what you see at the beginning of every Seinfeld episode), blooper out-takes from bumbled lines and times when the actors just couldn't get it together, a 'Kramer vs Kramer' documentary about the real Kenny Kramer in New York, and other promos and images from the third season of Seinfeld.

Two of the more popular episodes from Volume 2 : Season 3 ...

"The Parking Garage" was an episode similar to the earlier works of "The Chinese Restaurant". The two episodes are similar because the entire episode takes place in a mall parking garage. Unlike "The Chinese Restaurant", "The Parking Garage" includes Kramer because he is the main reason for the group being there in the first place. Kramer set out to purchase an air conditioner, which ended up being a heavy load carried throughout the entire parking garage trip. This episode is humorous by the fact that nearly everyone has experienced "The Parking Garage" situation even if just for one minute let alone 20 minutes. To top it all off, no one is willing to help the group find the car, Kramer forgets where he left the air conditioner, and Jerry gets ticketed for public urination. If that wasn't enough, by the time they all find the car, it doesn't even start.

"The Parking Space" was another popular episode that sparked up the discussion whether or not someone could effectively 'pull in' to a parking space instead of 'backing in to a parking space. This conflict arises between George and one of Jerry's neighbors. George was doing the right thing by 'backing in', however, by stopping several space ahead to brag about his spectacular parking space, someone else 'pulls in' and both parties find themselves battling over the parking space. Again, this is a humorous episode because situations like this do arise in society, and even if you've never personally been involved in a parking space battle, it's easy to image what it might be like.

Recommendation
Seinfeld Volume 2 : Season 3 is a great DVD set that would be a great gift for yourself or any diehard Seinfeld fan. All 22 episodes from season 3 are there plus all the great special feature additions. And let's not forget the entire set is re-mastered high definition, which means you're getting crispy clean images and clear sound not seen or heard on regular television... it's almost like you're sitting in the same room easing in on the conversation. The entire set also comes in a double blue box design with four jewel cases and four DVD disks. Each jewel case also comes with a cardboard insert that outlines the contents of the disk so that you can easily find your favorite episodes. The 'here I am' photos of each actor can also be found on the cardboard insert and the DVD disk itself. All in all, this is a terrific collection for the third season of Seinfeld.

Note: If you're not a huge fan of Seinfeld, you may want to skip the first two seasons and get season three instead. Not only will you get more episodes and special features but you'll see the show after its initial ups and downs. Season 3 is definitely a better collection when compared to Seasons 1 & 2. Season 3 includes developed plots and storylines that make for a better show, key features that were seriously lacking in the first two seasons, especially the pilot episode.


Volume 2 : Season 3
Disk 1 : Season 3 (1991) - Episodes 1-5
Disk 2 : Season 3 (1991) - Episodes 6-10
Disk 3 : Season 3 (1992) - Episodes 11-16
Disk 4 : Season 3 (1992) - Episodes 17-22

Special Features
- Bloopers and outtakes
- Exclusive Jerry Seinfeld stand-up material
- Kramer vs Kramer (a look at the real Kenny Kramer)
- Yada yada yada (audio commentary)
- In the vault (deleted scenes)
- Inside looks (interviews with the actors and creators)
- Introductions (in-depth overviews of a particular episode)
- Notes about nothing (informative subtitled text)
- NBC promos and exclusive photos