The one with the reruns

The sea was angry that day, my friends. That's how George Costanza begins his magnum opus of a monologue in The Marine Biologist, an alltime classic episode of Seinfeld (Netflix).

- RAJA SEN

A show famed for weaving mundane absurdities into lyrical punchlines, this episode-this glorious episode-strikes a different level of comedic alchemy. Elaine's electronic organiser crashes a Russian novelist's mood. Kramer slices golf balls into the ocean. And George, that most improbable of heroes, delivers a blow-by-blow account of rescuing a whale that would make Ernest Hemingway put down his glass to applaud. The joke lands, perfectly and exquisitely, because every storyline dovetails into that final punch. And, dear reader, I have watched that episode hundreds of times. Hundreds. Like a chef with a favourite dish, I return to it not because I've forgotten how it ends, but because I remember every note it hits, and I need to taste it again.

There's a particular pleasure in rewatching. It may seem initially irrational, perhaps, in this golden age of endless streaming content, where every day you hear about at least one new sensation that you are told that you simply must binge right away. I still haven't started the new season of The White Lotus (JioHotstar)—but have been finishing off long days of writing with reruns of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (JioHotstar).