On May 14th, the much anticipated final episode of "Seinfeld" was broadcast. Ratings were high, although not as high as special episodes of other popular shows, such as "Dallas" and "MASH." The usual half hour program was expanded into a two hour special, and advertising costs eclipsed those of the Super Bowl.

Most of the program's first hour flashed back on key episodes in the series' history. The reason for this became clear as the real final story unfolded.

Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine find themselves on a private jet bound from New York to Paris. For an absurd reason, the aircraft has to make an emergency landing in mythical Latham, Massachusetts. They are told that some checks have to be performed on the plane, but in a few hours, they can resume their journey.

No sooner does the foursome arrive in town to pass the time, then they get into trouble. Our heros witness a carjacking taking place across the street, and not only do nothing to help the victim, they mock him, while Kramer videotapes the incident. Too bad for the victim, but then too bad for the Seinfeld group!! It seems that they ran afoul of a new forced Good Samaritan law. In standing by doing nothing, they violated the new law, and are put into jail.

Their trial creates an opportunity for many whom the group has wronged in the past to testify on behalf of the prosecution. Even their Johnnie Cochran-like defense attorney can't get them off, and they must all do one year in the slammer.

That the story in Seinfeld's last episode was received with mixed reviews is hardly a surprise. On its face, it is pretty stupid. Flashbacks by the foursome covering some of the old shows with a new spin would have been funnier, and more clever. The old characters could have come back to face the group in a context other than a courtroom.

The fact is, the choice was made to build the whole thing around a "Good Samaritan" concept.

The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) teaches us that a good neighbor can sometimes be a most hated individual. The Jews in New Testament times considered the Samaritans to be very low on the human food chain--lower even than the pagans. But yet, when one of their own was left to die by a robber, it was the Samaritan, rather than the priest or Levite, who helped the victim.

On "Seinfeld," we see an interesting twist to this parable. In effect, the VICTIM becomes the Samaritan, as well. The carjacking victim is a truly repulsive fat guy--not exactly the picture of a damsel in distress. Ultimately, he was only helped after the fact by the State, who also prosecuted the guilty bystanders.

If the final "Seinfeld" aimed to teach us that the vapid selfishness of the group would lead to their downfall, that's great. But something (cynicism and experience) tells me that the show's prime audience--GenXer's with roughly the same value system as our heros--merely found it amusing. Any moral lessons need not apply.