The Barber (Seinfeld)

"The Barber" is the 72nd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It is the eighth episode of the fifth season, and first aired on November 11, 1993.

Plot

The episode begins with George at a job interview. His future employer, Mr. Tuttle, is cut off mid-sentence by an important telephone call, and sends George away without knowing whether he has been hired or not. Mr. Tuttle told George that one of the things that make George such an attractive hire is that he can "understand everything immediately", so this leaves a puzzling situation. In Jerry's words: "If you call and ask if you have the job, you might lose the job." But if George doesn't call, he might have been hired and he will never know. George decides that the best course of action is to not call at all and to just "show up", pretending that he has been hired and start "work", all while Mr. Tuttle is out of town. The thought behind this was that if George has the job, then everything will be fine; and if George was not hired, then by the time Tuttle returns, he will be "ensconced" in the company and hopefully not be fired.

Elaine asks Jerry to get a haircut in order to look nice for an upcoming bachelor auction. Kramer says that Jerry's regular barber, Enzo (played by Antony Ponzini) is not working that day and recommends that Jerry see Enzo's nephew, Gino (David Ciminello). Kramer tells Jerry that he will get a better haircut from Gino. To Jerry's surprise, Enzo shows up out of the blue to give his most loyal customer a forced haircut, which turns out to be terrible, as now he looks like a 5 year-old child (according to George). Kramer arranges a clandestine haircut in Gino's apartment to fix the problem. Enzo again turns up unexpectedly, forcing Jerry to hide in the closet, but the damage is done: Enzo finds a familiar-looking hair on the floor. Incensed, he bribes Newman to get a sample of Jerry's hair in order to compare the two. After finding out that they match, Enzo swears revenge on Jerry, which ultimately culminates in a fight with Gino in Jerry's apartment.

When Gino and Enzo are fighting in Jerry's apartment, they catch Edward Scissorhands on the television and stop to watch it, though all that's seen is the back of the TV with the sound of scissors clipping fast and Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville overture playing in the background.

Meanwhile, George, who has absolutely no idea of what his duties are at his new place of work, is handed the "Penske File" and ordered to work on it. George manages to do nothing for a week. When Mr. Penske comes to inquire about the progress of his file, he begins to make George an offer for a job at his company, but is again interrupted mid-sentence, leaving George to once again draw his own conclusions. When Mr. Tuttle arrives from a week's vacation, he reprimands but does not fire George. Instead, George quits, thinking Mr. Penske has a space for him, much to the disbelief of Mr. Tuttle. When he visits Mr. Penske, it turns out that the entire board of the company has been indicted and the company can't hire anyone.

In Jerry's apartment, Gino and Enzo sob as they continue to watch Edward Scissorhands, and Enzo forgets his revenge on Jerry. Because Gino never fixed Jerry's hair, Kramer is sent to the bachelor auction in his place. In the end, Jerry finds Newman in the barber shop and grabs an electric shaver. After the Castle Rock Entertainment logo appears, there is a short scene in which Kramer asks Newman via telephone, "So when you gonna be able to go out?" The screen then shows a bald Newman replying, "Not for a while." This scene is only rarely shown in syndication.

Music

Throughout this episode, the familiar Seinfeld slap-bass incidental music is replaced with selections from Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville overture.

Seinfeld episodes Season 1 "The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip" Season 2 "The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy" Season 3 "The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend" "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys" Season 4 "The Trip" "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot" Season 5 "The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats" "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite" Season 6 "The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100" "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy" Season 7 "The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac" "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit" "The Wait Out" "The Invitations" Season 8 "The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George" Season 9 "The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strong Box" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle" "The Finale" Indicates two-part episode