The Barber

"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. It was written by Andy Robin and directed by Tom Cherones.

Plot[]

While interviewing George for a job, Mr. Tuttle is cut off mid-sentence by a telephone call, and sends George away without knowing whether he has been hired or not. George is afraid to call and ask because Tuttle told George that one of the things that make George such an attractive hire is that he can "understand everything immediately". George decides the best course of action is to just show up, assuming that he has been hired, while Tuttle is out of town. Thus, even if George was not hired, he will be "ensconced" in the company by the time Tuttle returns.

Elaine asks Jerry to get a haircut in order to look nice for an upcoming bachelor auction. Kramer says that Jerry's normal barber, Enzo is not working that day and recommends that Jerry see Enzo's nephew, Gino. Kramer tells Jerry that he will get a better haircut from Gino. To Jerry's surprise, Enzo interrupts his day off to give his most loyal customer a haircut, which turns out to be terrible. Kramer arranges a clandestine haircut in Gino's apartment to fix the problem. Enzo turns up unexpectedly, forcing Jerry to hide in the closet. Enzo finds a familiar-looking hair on the floor. 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 culminates in a fight with Gino in Jerry's apartment. Gino and Enzo catch Edward Scissorhands on the television and stop to watch it.

George, who has absolutely no idea of what his duties are at his new place of work, is handed the "Pensky file" to work on. George does nothing for a week. When Mr. Pensky comes to inquire about the progress of his file, he says he would like George to work at his company, but is interrupted mid-sentence, leaving George to once again draw his own conclusions. Tuttle arrives and confirms that George was hired, but is incensed when he finds George has made no progress on the Pensky file. George quits, thinking Pensky has a space for him. When he visits Mr. Pensky, it turns out that the entire board of the company has been indicted and the company can't hire anyone.

Because Gino never fixed Jerry's hair, Kramer is sent to the bachelor auction in his place. Jerry finds Newman in the barber shop, grabs an electric shaver, and forcibly shaves his head. Newman tells Kramer via telephone that he won't be able to go out for a while. This scene is 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.

Quotes[]

Enzo: "Hey, who's The Barber, eh? You tell-a the joke, I cut-a the hair."

George: "So, uh... I still haven't heard about that job."
Jerry: "Yeah, that's a tough one. What are you going to do about that?"
George: "Well, I have an idea."
Jerry: "Yeah?"
George: "I show up."
Jerry: "What do you mean, you show up?"
George: "I. Show. Up. I pretend I have the job. The guy's on vacation. If I have the job, it's fine. If I don't have the job, by the time he comes back, I'm ensconced."
Jerry: "Mmm. Not bad."
George: "What's the worst thing that could happen?"
Jerry: "Well, you could be embarrassed and humiliated in front of a large group of people and have to walk out in shame with your tail between your legs."
George: "Yeah. So?"
Jerry: "Yeah, I see what you mean. I forgot who I was dealing with for a second."

Season Five Episodes