10 Things You Only Notice Rewatching Seinfeld
4. No Elaine In The Pilot Episode
When mustering nostalgic thoughts of Seinfeld, what exactly comes to mind naturally?
The countless laughs that were had watching the show? The numerous catchphrases that are still revered in mainstream pop culture today? The beloved trio of narcissists at the centre of it?
Trio? You mean quartet?
We would mean quartet if we weren't referring to the initial outing titled "The Seinfeld Chronicles" in which only Jerry, George and Cosmo Kessler were part of the cast, as the character of the Elaine had not only failed to be indoctrinated into the series, she hadn't even been conjured in the minds of the writing staff yet.
It's hard to believe Seinfeld being as successful as it was without this small ounce of diversity on the cast, but unlike the modern-day counterpart(s) of Elaine Benes, she wasn't only memorable for being a woman amongst men in a time where it was unexplored in mainstream fictional media; it was the reverence imbued by Julia-Louis Dreyfus. As her evocative, raunchy and altogether outstanding performance as Elaine really solidified her character as a necessary cog of the Seinfeld machine.
There's a reason that people tend to skip the first season on rewatch, and it wouldn't be too uncouth to consider this one of the major factors for this reason.