The Barber (Seinfeld)

"**The Barber**"
"The Barber"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5; Episode 8
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Andy Robin
Production code	508
Original air date	November 11, 1993
Guest appearances
	Wayne Knight as Newman; Antony Ponzini as Enzo; David Ciminello as Gino; Michael Fairman as Mr. Pensky; Jack Shearer as Mr. Tuttle; Ken Myles as Mike; Peggy Etra as Clarisse; Dave Richardson as Customer;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Non-Fat Yogurt"	Next →; "The Masseuse"
	List of episodes

"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.^[1] The episode deals with Jerry's struggle to get a good haircut without offending his usual barber, who is bad at cutting hair. Meanwhile, George begins showing up to work at a company which he is not sure has actually hired him.

Plot

At a job interview, George's interviewer, Mr. Tuttle, is cut off mid-sentence by a telephone call, and sends George away without saying whether he has been hired. Tuttle told George that one of the things that make George such an attractive hire is that he can "understand everything immediately", so George is afraid to call and ask for clarification. He decides to just show up, assuming that he has been hired, while Tuttle is out of town. This way, even if he 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. Jerry's regular barber, Enzo, is bad at cutting hair and Jerry only continues to use him out of loyalty. Kramer recommends that Jerry see Enzo's nephew Gino on Enzo's day off. Enzo shows up in the shop and, delighted to see Jerry, insists on giving him a haircut even though it is his day off. Enzo tries something new, which turns out to be worse than his usual cut. Kramer arranges a clandestine haircut in Gino's apartment to fix the problem. Enzo turns up unexpectedly, forcing Jerry to hide in the closet after Gino has made only a single snip. Enzo finds Jerry's hair on the floor. He bribes Newman to get a sample of Jerry's hair to compare with. The hairs match. Enzo swears revenge, and confronts Gino and Jerry in Jerry's apartment. However, they catch Edward Scissorhands on the television and stop to watch it. Jerry realizes that the hair sample Enzo used must have been obtained by Newman during his suspicious visit to the apartment.

George, who has no idea what his duties are at his new place of work, is handed the "Pensky file" to work on. George loafs at work for a week. When Mr. Pensky comes to inquire about the progress of his file, he tells George he would like him to work at his company, but is interrupted mid-sentence, leaving George to once again draw his own conclusions. Tuttle returns from vacation. He confirms that George was indeed hired, but is incensed when he learns he has made no progress on the Pensky file. George quits, thinking Pensky has a space for him. However, Pensky explains that he was in the middle of saying that the entire board of the company has been indicted and the company cannot hire anyone.

Because Jerry is self-conscious about his awful haircut, Kramer is sent to the bachelor auction in his place. Unconvinced of Kramer's appeal, Elaine starts the bidding for him at $5. Jerry finds Newman in the barber shop, menacingly approaching him with an electric razor. Later in a telephone exchange with Kramer, it is revealed that Newman has been shaved bald.

Music

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

References

^ "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 December 2021.

External links

"The Barber" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 December 2021.

[1]

v t e 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 Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode