Though it remains one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, it's easy to forget how much Seinfeld changed from its first season. Those early episodes felt like the show was still working out its own unique feel while giving a glimpse of the brilliance that was to come.
However, the very short first season of Seinfeld also sets the stage for some moments that are to come later. Some of the characters talk about things they want, whether it be in relationships, professional lives, or just weird desires. Loyal fans of the show might recognize some of these early desires, big and small, that come true throughout the rest of the series.
The Button Conversation
The entire series begins quite appropriately with a very mundane yet insightful conversation. Jerry and George are sitting in their favorite café (which looks quite different to later seasons) and they discuss the placement of a certain button.
George is totally uninterested in the conversation, but Jerry loves talking about this kind of thing. In the finale, as the four friends sit in the jail cell, Jerry finally gets to continue this same conversation he started nine seasons earlier.
George's Fake Architect Dream
In the second episode, "The Stakeout," Jerry and George go to an office building in the hopes of running into a woman Jerry met at a party. They concoct an elaborate lie with fake names and fake reasons for them being in the building. Getting caught up in the lie, George wants to pretend to be an architect even though there is no reason for such a lie.
This becomes a lie that George obsesses over throughout the series. Whenever he is given the opportunity to lie about who he actually is, he always chooses architect as his fake job.
Art Vandelay
Jerry and George's stakeout scheme actually establishes a number of details that are called back upon over the course of the series. One of those is the name Art Vandelay. When thinking of a fake name for the friend they are visiting, George comes up with Art Corvelay before changing it to Vandelay in a panic.
This is another thing George comes back to many times in his lies. He famously uses the name Vandelay Industries as the fake business he interviewed at and the name Art Vandelay becomes his alias whether he needs to pretend he's someone else.
The Importer-Exporter Lie
There is one final example of something brought up during the clumsy stakeout that would come back later. When trying to decide what their fake friend Art Vandelay does for a living, George suggests he is an importer but Jerry thinks it is odd he is not also an exporter.
Many seasons later, George is trying to concoct a lie with Elaine to tell George's fiancé, George invents Elaine's boyfriend who is an exporter. Once again, Elaine thinks it's strange he only focuses on the one but George gets his way this time.
Phase Two Of Relationship
Amazingly the stakeout tactic works and Jerry begins dating the girl, Vanessa. The relationship gets serious enough that Jerry asks her to go away with him for the weekend. Vanessa is worried that might be moving too fast, but Jerry is excited that it will bring the relationship into "phase two."
As Jerry explains it, phase two means extra toothbrushes, increased phone calls, and walking around naked. All of these things come true for Jerry in other relationships and in every instance, they lead to the end of that relationship.
Moving Apartments
In the episode "The Robbery", Jerry decides to move following a break-in at his apartment. This is good news for Elaine as well since she wants to escape her current living situation as she lives with an annoying roommate.
The new apartment eventually falls through meaning and Jerry stays in his same apartment for the entire series. However, Elaine does eventually get her own place and escape her roommate who failed to ever become a memorable part of the show.
Elaine Dating Normal Guy
The first season doesn't give much insight into Elaine's dating life, but there was one boyfriend who is mentioned though never seen. As with every relationship in the show, there is something wrong with this one and it is that the man is obsessed with his cats leaving Elaine to wish she could just meet a normal guy.
Later on in the series, Elaine does actually meet a normal guy and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him. But Elaine is uncomfortable with such a normal guy and eventually breaks up with him because he fails to use an exclamation point in a note.
Getting Out Of New York City
George Constanza is as big of a sad-sack character in the first season as he is in the rest of the series. He always finds something to complain about, even if he is unwilling to do anything to change things. This includes the moment where he proclaims that he needs to get out of the city in order to be happy.
While he does venture outside of the city on several occasions in the series, he really gets his chance to escape to a better life when NBC agrees to send George, Jerry, and their friends on a trip. Ironically, this ends with them all getting thrown in prison.
Jerry And Elaine Talk About Relationships
When Elaine is first introduced in the second episode of the series, it is quickly established that she and Jerry dated and are now trying to be friends. But the episode shows that there is still awkwardness at this point and the two hope that they will one day be able to discuss their sex lives honestly with each other.
Despite falling back into a sexual relationship in season two, Jerry and Elaine do fulfill their desire to be more open with each other. By the end of the series, they discuss this stuff without any hesitation.
Kramer's Pizza Restaurant
Kramer is immediately established as a wild character as soon as he comes on screen in the first episode. Within his first few appearances, he introduces his first of many business ideas – a restaurant where the customers make their own pizza.
While George insists the idea of people throwing their own pizzas into giant ovens is too dangerous, Kramer insists it is a good idea. Eventually, it becomes a short-lived reality when someone agrees to make the restaurant with him.