In the second-to-last episode of its third season, Seinfeld gets dangerously close to crossing the line in terms of how freaking stupid the show's random subjects can get. Needless to say, no concern is necessary: The Parking Space is as excellent as any other thing ever concocted for the series, and this is only Season Three - the real gems appear in the next one.
It all begins with an offhand remark by Kramer (who else?), who tells Jerry his friend Mike said something about him (Jerry, that is) being a "phony". Then Elaine borrows the comedian's car and comes up with an outrageous story about teenage vandals when it starts making funny noises. And last but not least, the second half of the episode is entirely vehicle-centric, as George and the aforementioned Mike argue about a parking space and the whole neighborhood (including Jerry and - ha ha - Newman) joins in on the conversation to provide their view on parking "etiquette".
Being a licensed driver myself, I know how hard it can be to find an empty spot (especially a legal one) to leave your car in, but even that could have made it hard to believe such a mundane topic could have been the narrative center of a large chunk of a TV episode. As always, the gamble pays off because of what the characters say: things that are believable and delightfully surreal at the same time. Plus, Wayne Knight appears. That's never a bad thing.
It all begins with an offhand remark by Kramer (who else?), who tells Jerry his friend Mike said something about him (Jerry, that is) being a "phony". Then Elaine borrows the comedian's car and comes up with an outrageous story about teenage vandals when it starts making funny noises. And last but not least, the second half of the episode is entirely vehicle-centric, as George and the aforementioned Mike argue about a parking space and the whole neighborhood (including Jerry and - ha ha - Newman) joins in on the conversation to provide their view on parking "etiquette".
Being a licensed driver myself, I know how hard it can be to find an empty spot (especially a legal one) to leave your car in, but even that could have made it hard to believe such a mundane topic could have been the narrative center of a large chunk of a TV episode. As always, the gamble pays off because of what the characters say: things that are believable and delightfully surreal at the same time. Plus, Wayne Knight appears. That's never a bad thing.