The Butter Shave

Infobox Television episode
Title = The Butter Shave
Series = Seinfeld


Caption = Jerry with a moustache, at the beginning of the episode.
Season = 9
Episode = 157
Airdate = September 25, 1997
Production =
Writer = Alec Berg & Jeff Schaffer & David Mandel
Director = Andy Ackerman
Guests = Chris Parnell & Kristin Davis
Episode list = List of "Seinfeld" episodes
Season list = Infobox Seinfeld season 9 episode list
Prev =
Next =

"The Butter Shave" is the 157th episode of the NBC sitcom "Seinfeld". It is also the first episode of the ninth and final season. It aired on September 25, 1997.

Plot

Over the summer both George and Jerry grow mustaches as a way of taking a vacation from themselves after George's suggestion. They both admit it was a bad idea and Jerry suggests they should have taken real vacations. George quickly thinks a different style of facial hair might be the answer but Jerry tells George that he has to get a job. Not fully recovered from "The Summer of George", George is using a cane to get around. Jerry might have another shot at NBC, through an appearance on an NBC Showcase that might lead to another pilot. He is also annoyed that lame comic Kenny Bania's act is working, only because he is following on Jerry's coattails. As a reference to the success of the many shows that aired between Seinfeld and ER, Jerry refers to Bania as "a time-slot hit."

Back in Jerry's apartment, Kramer arrives in his usual fashion. It appears that Kramer has grown a mustache as well and then quickly exits when he sees that Jerry and George no longer have their facial hair only to return very quickly without the mustache. Bania scores with big laughs and also gets one of Jerry's ex-girlfriends. George learns of a job interview in "Sports," and when Jerry tries to guess which New York professional team, George answers "playground equipment". Elaine is on vacation for a month in Europe with David Puddy. If he is lucky, he will not "come back in a body bag."

Kramer finds butter is better than shaving cream. George is hired for the job at Play Now because of his use of the cane. They think he is handicapped and of course he takes full advantage of the situation after they offer him his own personal bathroom. Kramer's skin feels so good with butter; he takes to spreading it all over his body. Unfortunately he lies out in the sun where he begins to cook. It is a long flight back for Elaine and Puddy, who break up and get back together, only to break up again. Newman, reading the cannibalism-themed story "Alive!", finds the smell of a cooked turkey appealing. In his disturbed state he hallucinates, seeing Kramer's head on the turkey in Monk's, panics and runs out..

Jerry is informed that Bania is going to follow him on the NBC showcase. George sprains his good leg and begins favoring the other leg to which Play Now buys him a motorized cart. Jerry discovers that George is a closet Bania fan. Kramer tries to keep his skin moist but the baked-in smell of cooked meat (along with a jar of oregano and some parmesan cheese accidentally being dumped on him) is too much for Newman, who runs after him, presumably trying to eat him.

George manages to keep up his bluff until he gets into some trouble with old-timers after hitting their motorized carts (four volts), a very slow chase ensues. George's cart begins to die on him so he jumps off and picks up the cart and runs away from the mob only to run into his boss from Play Now. George, now concerned about what will happen to his job, is caught by the mob and one older gentleman hits George with his cane ("Eat hickory!"). Jerry plans to sabotage his own act, surmising that Kenny's act will also bomb, but Kenny gets the last laugh.