Heidi Swedberg as Susan Ross Janeane Garofalo as Jeannie Stephen Root as Mr. Lager Victor Raider-Wexler as Doctor John Riggi as Teller Sue Goodman as Clerk Julie Claire as Waitress Fred Goehner as Delivery Guy " The Invitations " is the 24th and final episode of the seventh season of Seinfeld and the 134th overall episode. [ 1 ] It originally aired on NBC on May 16, 1996, [ 1 ] and was the last episode written by co-creator Larry David before he left the writing staff at the end of this season (returning only to write the series finale in 1998). This episode was directed by Andy Ackerman . As the season finale , "The Invitations" resolves the season 7 story arc of George 's engagement to Susan . With the wedding day drawing near, George still does not want to marry Susan, and his friends collaborate with him in a last desperate bid to end the engagement. Meanwhile, Jerry becomes engaged as well when he falls in love with a woman who shares all his interests and personal quirks. The black comedy of the engagement story arc's resolution was controversial. In 2005, TV Guide ranked the episode #8 as part of its "Top 100 Most Unexpected Moments in TV History". [ 2 ] George and Susan go shopping for wedding invitations and George insists on buying the cheapest brand in the store. They run into Kramer , who misremembers Susan's name, prompting Susan to decide he can no longer be an usher at the wedding. She also declines Elaine's demand to be an usher, not wanting any female ushers. Kramer visits a bank which offers anyone $100 if they are not greeted with a "hello". Upon being greeted with "hey" instead of "hello", he demands $100. After consulting with the other employees, all of whom use various non-hello greetings, the manager compromises by giving Kramer $20. Jerry absentmindedly walks in front of a car and is saved by a woman named Jeannie Steinman, who is just like him. He falls in love, and after dating for a while, proposes marriage to her. Almost immediately after her acceptance, Jerry no longer thinks Jeannie is his type, and regrets the proposal. George admits that he does not want to marry Susan but is unwilling to go through the fight which will ensue if he calls the wedding off. Angry at Susan for not allowing them to be ushers, Elaine suggests George smoke (since Susan hates smoking) and Kramer suggests he offend her by asking she sign a prenuptial agreement , both of which backfire because the smoking makes George sick and Susan unreservedly agrees to sign the prenuptial agreement. Disregarding George's suggestion to use glue for the wedding invitations since the adhesive in the envelopes takes a lot of moisture to work, Susan keeps licking envelopes until she passes out. George returns to his apartment, finds that Susan has collapsed, and takes her to the hospital. After the examination, a doctor informs George that Susan is dead from licking the envelopes, since the adhesive is toxic. George, Jerry, and Elaine seem puzzled by their own lack of emotional response to her death. The tables have turned since Jerry is now unhappily engaged and George, with the death of Susan, is not. George calls Marisa Tomei and tells her his fiancée has died. He reveals that the funeral is the next day and then attempts to ask her on a date for the upcoming weekend, but she hangs up on him before he can finish his sentence. The episode's writer, Seinfeld co-creator Larry David , originally came up with George's plan to move to China for the season two episode " The Ex-Girlfriend ". It was cut from that episode prior to broadcast, so he repurposed the material for "The Invitations". [ 3 ] Yankees owner George Steinbrenner , long portrayed on Seinfeld by the voice of Larry David, filmed scenes for a guest appearance in this episode, but footage for the episode ran well over its allotted 23 minutes, so his scenes were all cut for time. [ 4 ] Other cuts made to fit the episode within its time slot include some sequences from the Jerry and Jeannie montage, Jerry and Jeannie's conversation after making out, and Jeannie joking that she is only marrying Jerry to get her green card . [ 3 ] The cast reading for the episode was on March 31, 1996. Filming commenced on April 1, and the majority of the scenes were filmed before a live studio audience on April 3. [ 3 ] This episode was temporarily pulled from syndication in the wake of the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States in October. [ 5 ] The episode returned to syndication in the summer of 2002. This is the last episode to feature Larry David as executive producer. He returned to write the two-part finale , and voiced the character of George Steinbrenner for three episodes of Season 8. On June 3, 2015, Jason Alexander said during an interview on The Howard Stern Show that Swedberg's character had been killed off due to incompatibility with the other stars' comedic rhythm on the show, and the decision was made to cut Swedberg after Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus acted alongside her. [ 6 ] The following day, Alexander apologized on Twitter for his comments, explaining that his words were ill-chosen and misconstrued, and that the decision to kill Susan had nothing to do with Swedberg. He added that Swedberg had more than once offered to adapt her acting to any suggestions he might have, and he had declined, and that while he always felt the rhythm between the two of them was off, show creators David and Seinfeld and the show's fans clearly felt the chemistry between them was just what it should be. [ 7 ] The episode's ending received a very mixed public reaction. [ 8 ] Heidi Swedberg , who played Susan, has stated she had no problem with her character's death, explaining in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that "A lot of the show's humor is based on the fact that the main characters are not nice people. They admit to things the rest of us think about but don't like to admit." [ 8 ] For months after the episode's broadcast, fans recognizing her on the street expressed frustration and resentment regarding her character's fate. Similarly, Jason Alexander claims that fans of George's character turned on him only once, and that was over Susan’s death. [ 4 ] Alexander later said, "On that set, funny was the ruler, and it was unquestionably funny. Wrong and rude and dangerous—but funny." [ 4 ] In December 2005, the episode was listed at number eight as part of the "Top 100 Most Unexpected Moments in TV History" by TV Guide and TV Land . [ 9 ] 1 2 "Seinfeld Season 7 Episodes" . TV Guide . Retrieved December 10, 2021 . ↑ "Top 100 Most Unexpected Moments in TV History". TV Guide . December 5–11, 2005. p. 16. 1 2 3 Seinfeld Season 7: Notes about Nothing - "The Invitations" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment . 2006. 1 2 3 Seinfeld: Volume 6 - The Complete 7th Season . Inside Look. "The Invitations" ↑ "Anthrax fears kill Seinfeld episode" . Broadcasting & Cable. October 30, 2001 . Retrieved February 23, 2020 . ↑ Eggertsen, Chris (June 3, 2015). "Jason Alexander reveals why Susan was killed off on 'Seinfeld' " . Uproxx . Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. ↑ Hibberd, James (June 4, 2015). "Jason Alexander Apologizes to Seinfeld Co-Star" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 25, 2020 . 1 2 Hajari, Nisid (June 7, 1996). "Latest TV Trend: Death" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 24, 2020 . ↑ "TV Guide and TV Land Join Forces To Count Down The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments" . PR Newswire . December 1, 2005. Archived from the original on August 30, 2006 . Retrieved March 7, 2021 . "The Invitations" at IMDb " The Seinfeld Chronicles " " The Stake Out " " The Robbery " " Male Unbonding " " The Stock Tip " " The Ex-Girlfriend " " The Pony Remark " " The Phone Message " " The Apartment " " The Revenge " " The Heart Attack " " The Baby Shower " " The Chinese Restaurant " " The Library " " The Parking Garage " " The Nose Job " " The Stranded " " The Alternate Side " " The Red Dot " " The Pez Dispenser " " The Suicide " " The Boyfriend "† " The Good Samaritan " " The Parking Space " " The Bubble Boy " " The Cheever Letters " " The Contest " " The Airport " " The Old Man " " The Implant " " The Junior Mint " " The Smelly Car " " The Handicap Spot " " The Puffy Shirt " " The Glasses " " The Sniffing Accountant " " The Lip Reader " " The Non-Fat Yogurt " " The Masseuse " " The Cigar Store Indian " " The Conversion " " The Dinner Party "

" The Marine Biologist " " The Stand In " " The Raincoats "† " The Hamptons " " The Opposite " " The Chaperone " " The Big Salad " " The Pledge Drive " " The Chinese Woman " " The Gymnast " " The Mom & Pop Store " " The Secretary " " The Label Maker " " The Scofflaw " " The Highlights of 100 "† " The Kiss Hello " " The Doorman " " The Fusilli Jerry " " The Diplomat's Club " " The Face Painter " " The Understudy " " The Engagement " " The Postponement " " The Maestro " " The Hot Tub " " The Soup Nazi " " The Secret Code " " The Pool Guy " " The Cadillac "† " The Shower Head " " The Friar's Club " " The Wig Master " " The Calzone " " The Bottle Deposit "† " The Wait Out " " The Invitations " " The Foundation " " The Soul Mate " " The Bizarro Jerry " " The Little Kicks " " The Package " " The Fatigues " " The Chicken Roaster " " The Abstinence " " The Andrea Doria " " The Little Jerry " " The Comeback " " The Van Buren Boys " " The Pothole " " The English Patient " " The Yada Yada " " The Millennium " " The Muffin Tops " " The Summer of George " " The Butter Shave " " The Serenity Now " " The Junk Mail " " The Merv Griffin Show " " The Betrayal " " The Apology " " The Dealership " " The Reverse Peephole " " The Cartoon " " The Strongbox " " The Burning " " The Bookstore " " The Frogger " " The Puerto Rican Day " " The Chronicle "† " The Finale "† Seinfeld season 7 episodes 1996 American television episodes Television episodes written by Larry David Use American English from January 2025 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Use mdy dates from January 2025 Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Television episode articles with short description for single episodes