"The Dog" frequently finds itself sitting near the bottom of most 'Seinfeld episodes ranked' type lists and has generally earned a reputation as one of the show's worst episodes something I personally do not subscribe to.
Had "The Dog" appeared in the first or even second season, I have a strong feeling that the episode could and would rank among the lesser efforts of the show but here in the very good third season that finally gave 'Seinfeld' both life and an identity as a show very much its own, I think this episode is certainly elevated as a result.
The weakest parts of the episode for me personally are the titular dog that finds itself a resident of Jerry's apartment and the dog owner, a British drunk who for whatever reason does not really seem to fit in the world of 'Seinfeld'. He's not the only character in my opinion who feels a little disconnected from the universe of 'Seinfeld' (there's a lot of characters in later seasons too but especially in the first and second seasons) in my opinion.
This episode is renowned for the awful sound design of the dog barking and while it certainly is not great and is rather grating, it's almost as if writer Larry David is self-aware, especially when Jerry almost bluntly at one point declares whether or not he really thinks of his new co-resident as a dog. It works nicely, whether intentional or not, as an acknowledgement to something otherwise so absurd that it could barely be justified.
Most of the things that surround the dog are very good in my opinion. I adore finally seeing an episode outside of season two's "The Revenge" where George and Elaine actually share screentime on their own. Some find this storyline very much shoehorned into this episode and consider George and Elaine's awkwardness among one another inconsistent as far as continuity goes. To my memory, the only real occasion where they spent time alone up to this point was in the aforementioned "The Revenge" but that was a case where the two were working towards an end goal (George wanting to slip a mickey into his old boss) and in my opinion justifies the storyline here. It feels fairly organic and both Jason Alexander and Julia Louis Dreyfus have a fantastic rapport on-screen. It's so great to see Elaine finally get the screentime she deserves having so often received the shorthand treatment in the first two seasons where she barely ever got any screentime on her own.
The George and Elaine angle is such a fun dynamic to this episode and they play both the friendship angles (humourously, their friendship is found through making fun at their mutual friend Jerry) and the awkwardness of being in one's company so magnificently. I laughed quite hard in the scene in Jerry's apartment where George and Elaine re-tread previous grounds where George attempts to mock Jerry's way of vomiting!
Kramer has a bit of a storyline too where he attempts to break up with a girl, especially after Elaine and Jerry mention how dull she is, and ends up getting back together with her. It's really pushed to the side here but in my opinion that storyline is completely warranted in this episode, if only for Kramer's 'monologue' where he first breaks up with the girl and subsequently begs to be taken back. Michael Richards simply nails the physical humour.
I enjoy "The Dog" quite a bit. There's a lot of great dialogue that is typically 'Seinfeld' in nature. The morality discussion that Jerry and George engage in as their waiting at the movie concession stand is particularly funny and oddly riveting 'Seinfeld' dialogue. Almost everything that surrounds the dog here, in my opinion, is absolutely 'Seinfeld' and I enjoy it for the most part.
Had "The Dog" appeared in the first or even second season, I have a strong feeling that the episode could and would rank among the lesser efforts of the show but here in the very good third season that finally gave 'Seinfeld' both life and an identity as a show very much its own, I think this episode is certainly elevated as a result.
The weakest parts of the episode for me personally are the titular dog that finds itself a resident of Jerry's apartment and the dog owner, a British drunk who for whatever reason does not really seem to fit in the world of 'Seinfeld'. He's not the only character in my opinion who feels a little disconnected from the universe of 'Seinfeld' (there's a lot of characters in later seasons too but especially in the first and second seasons) in my opinion.
This episode is renowned for the awful sound design of the dog barking and while it certainly is not great and is rather grating, it's almost as if writer Larry David is self-aware, especially when Jerry almost bluntly at one point declares whether or not he really thinks of his new co-resident as a dog. It works nicely, whether intentional or not, as an acknowledgement to something otherwise so absurd that it could barely be justified.
Most of the things that surround the dog are very good in my opinion. I adore finally seeing an episode outside of season two's "The Revenge" where George and Elaine actually share screentime on their own. Some find this storyline very much shoehorned into this episode and consider George and Elaine's awkwardness among one another inconsistent as far as continuity goes. To my memory, the only real occasion where they spent time alone up to this point was in the aforementioned "The Revenge" but that was a case where the two were working towards an end goal (George wanting to slip a mickey into his old boss) and in my opinion justifies the storyline here. It feels fairly organic and both Jason Alexander and Julia Louis Dreyfus have a fantastic rapport on-screen. It's so great to see Elaine finally get the screentime she deserves having so often received the shorthand treatment in the first two seasons where she barely ever got any screentime on her own.
The George and Elaine angle is such a fun dynamic to this episode and they play both the friendship angles (humourously, their friendship is found through making fun at their mutual friend Jerry) and the awkwardness of being in one's company so magnificently. I laughed quite hard in the scene in Jerry's apartment where George and Elaine re-tread previous grounds where George attempts to mock Jerry's way of vomiting!
Kramer has a bit of a storyline too where he attempts to break up with a girl, especially after Elaine and Jerry mention how dull she is, and ends up getting back together with her. It's really pushed to the side here but in my opinion that storyline is completely warranted in this episode, if only for Kramer's 'monologue' where he first breaks up with the girl and subsequently begs to be taken back. Michael Richards simply nails the physical humour.
I enjoy "The Dog" quite a bit. There's a lot of great dialogue that is typically 'Seinfeld' in nature. The morality discussion that Jerry and George engage in as their waiting at the movie concession stand is particularly funny and oddly riveting 'Seinfeld' dialogue. Almost everything that surrounds the dog here, in my opinion, is absolutely 'Seinfeld' and I enjoy it for the most part.
