View source for The Finale (Seinfeld)

{{Infobox television episode
| series       = [[wikipedia:Seinfeld|Seinfeld]]
| image        =
| caption      = 
| season       = 9
| episode      = 23/24
| airdate      = {{Start date|1998|05|14}}
| length       = 56 minutes
| production   = 923/924
| writer       = [[wikipedia:Larry David|Larry David]]
| director     = [[wikipedia:Andy Ackerman|Andy Ackerman]]
| guests       =
* [[wikipedia:Wayne Knight|Wayne Knight]] as [[wikipedia:Newman (Seinfeld)|Newman]]
* [[wikipedia:Stanley Anderson|Stanley Anderson]] as Judge Arthur Vandelay
* [[wikipedia:Philip Baker Hall|Philip Baker Hall]] as Lt. Joe Bookman
* [[wikipedia:Estelle Harris|Estelle Harris]] as [[wikipedia:Estelle Costanza|Estelle Costanza]]
* [[wikipedia:Jerry Stiller|Jerry Stiller]] as [[wikipedia:Frank Costanza|Frank Costanza]]
* [[wikipedia:Phil Morris (actor)|Phil Morris]] as [[wikipedia:Jackie Chiles|Jackie Chiles]]
* [[wikipedia:John Pinette|John Pinette]] as Howie
* [[wikipedia:James Rebhorn|James Rebhorn]] as District Attorney Hoyt
* [[wikipedia:Peter Riegert|Peter Riegert]] as [[wikipedia:NBC|NBC]] President James Kimbrough
| season_article = Seinfeld (season 9)
| episode_list = List of Seinfeld episodes
| prev = [[wikipedia:The Chronicle (Seinfeld)|The Chronicle Part 2]]
}}
"'''The Finale'''" is an episode of the American television [[wikipedia:sitcom|sitcom]] ''[[wikipedia:Seinfeld|Seinfeld]]''. As the two-part [[wikipedia:series finale|series finale]], it comprises the 179th and 180th episodes of the show and the 23rd and 24th episodes of the ninth season.<ref name="tvguide">{{cite web |title=Seinfeld Season 9 Episodes |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/seinfeld/episodes-season-9/1000137994/ |website=[[wikipedia:TV Guide|TV Guide]] |access-date=December 14, 2021}}</ref> It aired on [[wikipedia:NBC|NBC]] on May 14, 1998, to an [[wikipedia:List of most watched television episodes|audience of 76 million viewers]]. Its initial running time was 1 hour and 15 minutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=924|title=The Finale, Part 2 episode |website=Seinfeld.com |publisher=Sony Pictures|access-date=2008-06-30|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925165743/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=924|archive-date=2008-09-25}}</ref>

In this episode, [[wikipedia:Jerry Seinfeld (character)|Jerry]] and [[wikipedia:George Costanza|George]]'s ''Jerry'' pilot is finally picked up as a series by [[wikipedia:NBC|NBC]]. However, when their private plane is forced to land in a small town in Massachusetts, Jerry, George, and their friends [[wikipedia:Elaine Benes|Elaine]] and [[wikipedia:Cosmo Kramer|Kramer]] unknowingly violate a local [[wikipedia:duty to rescue|duty to rescue]] law (referred to as a [[wikipedia:Good Samaritan law|Good Samaritan law]] in the episode's dialogue) and are put on trial. Co-creator [[wikipedia:Larry David|Larry David]], who departed from the series after the [[wikipedia:Seinfeld (season 7)|seventh season]], returned to write the script for this last episode.

==Plot==
Elizabeth Clark calls [[wikipedia:Jerry Seinfeld (character)|Jerry]] and [[wikipedia:George Costanza|George]] from the office of [[wikipedia:NBC|NBC]] President James Kimbrough, offering a deal to produce their pilot ''Jerry'' as a series. Jerry and George will be moving to California to begin work. Jerry is given use of NBC's private jet and he, George, [[wikipedia:Elaine Benes|Elaine]], and [[wikipedia:Cosmo Kramer|Kramer]] decide to go to [[wikipedia:Paris|Paris]] for "one last hurrah". Elaine calls her friend Jill. First, she can't get any reception with her cell phone on the street. Then, Jerry calls her with news of the pilot pickup and Elaine hangs up on Jill to take the call.

On the plane, Kramer desperately tries to get the water out of his ears from a trip to the beach by jumping up and down. He stumbles into the cockpit, causing the pilots to lose control. They make an emergency landing in the town of Latham, [[wikipedia:Massachusetts|Massachusetts]]. While waiting for the airplane to be repaired, they witness an overweight man named Howie getting carjacked at gunpoint. They make fat jokes while Kramer films the theft on his camcorder. Howie tells an officer nearby, who arrests the group on a [[wikipedia:duty to rescue|duty to rescue]] violation that requires bystanders to help out in such a situation.

Jerry calls on [[wikipedia:Jackie Chiles|Jackie Chiles]] to represent them for the upcoming trial. The prosecution has the eyewitness testimonies of Howie and the responding officer and Kramer's camcorder recording as proof of their violation, but because this is the first case implementing this law, [[wikipedia:District Attorney|District Attorney]] Hoyt stacks the case against them as much as possible by summoning numerous [[wikipedia:character witness|character witness]]es. Nearly everyone the defendants have met over the past nine years is brought in to testify to their unethical behavior, both real and assumed, to the point where the judge calls a halt to the testimonies in the simple interest of time.

The jury finds Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer guilty of criminal indifference, and the judge sentences them to a year in prison. While awaiting their prison transport, Kramer finally gets the water out of his ears. Elaine decides to use her one phone call from prison to call Jill, saying that the prison call is the "king of calls". While sitting in their cell, Jerry talks about the placement of buttons on George's shirt (alluding to the first conversation of the first episode). George asks if they had this conversation before and Jerry says he believes so.

Jerry performs standup in the prison cafeteria in front of George, Kramer and the rest of the inmates. Nobody other than Kramer is laughing. As Jerry is being heckled and forceably being taken off the stage he says "Hey, you've been great! See you in the cafeteria!"

==Episode clip==
{{youtube|zPnK0NCn_MQ}}

==Biblical reference==
{{Bible quote|ref=Luke 10:25-37|inline=0}}

==Cast==
"The Finale" featured a massive cast. As usual for ''Seinfeld'', the four regular cast members all appeared:
* [[wikipedia:Jerry Seinfeld|Jerry Seinfeld]] as [[wikipedia:Jerry Seinfeld (character)|himself]]
* [[wikipedia:Jason Alexander|Jason Alexander]] as [[wikipedia:George Costanza|George Costanza]]
* [[wikipedia:Julia Louis-Dreyfus|Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] as [[wikipedia:Elaine Benes|Elaine Benes]]
* [[wikipedia:Michael Richards|Michael Richards]] as [[wikipedia:Cosmo Kramer|Cosmo Kramer]]

The following actors headed up the Latham cast:
* [[wikipedia:Stanley Anderson|Stanley Anderson]] as Judge Arthur Vandelay
* [[wikipedia:John Pinette|John Pinette]] as Howie
* Jeff Johnson as Thief
* [[wikipedia:James Rebhorn|James Rebhorn]] as District Attorney Hoyt
* [[wikipedia:Scott Jaeck|Scott Jaeck]] as Officer Matt Vogel

The ''Seinfeld'' team made an effort to recruit as many guest stars from previous episodes as possible for "The Finale". However, only a handful of them were given significant roles:
* [[wikipedia:Phil Morris (actor)|Phil Morris]] as [[wikipedia:Jackie Chiles|Jackie Chiles]]
* [[wikipedia:Peter Riegert|Peter Riegert]] as [[wikipedia:NBC|NBC]] President James Kimbrough
* [[wikipedia:Wayne Knight|Wayne Knight]] as [[wikipedia:Newman (Seinfeld)|Newman]]
* [[wikipedia:Estelle Harris|Estelle Harris]] as [[wikipedia:Estelle Costanza|Estelle Costanza]]
* [[wikipedia:Jerry Stiller|Jerry Stiller]] as [[wikipedia:Frank Costanza|Frank Costanza]]

The rest were limited to cameo appearances, in many cases simply summarizing the events of the episode they appeared in to the courtroom or watching the trial in silence from the gallery. [[wikipedia:Geraldo Rivera|Geraldo Rivera]], [[wikipedia:Jane Wells|Jane Wells]], and [[wikipedia:Keith Hernandez|Keith Hernandez]] played themselves in the episode.


==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Seinfeld#The Finale|The Finale}}
* {{IMDb episode|0697695}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Finale (Seinfeld), The}}
[[wikipedia:Category:Seinfeld (season 9) episodes|Category:Seinfeld (season 9) episodes]]
[[wikipedia:Category:American television series finales|Category:American television series finales]]
[[wikipedia:Category:1998 American television episodes|Category:1998 American television episodes]]
[[wikipedia:Category:Television episodes written by Larry David|Category:Television episodes written by Larry David]]
[[wikipedia:Category:Seinfeld episodes in multiple parts|Category:Seinfeld episodes in multiple parts]]
[[wikipedia:Category:Clip shows|Category:Clip shows]]