The Bris

"**The Bris**"
"The Bris"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5; Episode 5
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry Charles
Production code	505
Original air date	October 14, 1993
Guest appearances
	Charles Levin as Mohel; Debra Mooney as Mrs. Sweedler; Tom Alan Robbins as Stan; Jeannie Elias as Myra; John Gegenhuber as Resident; Tia Riebling as Woman; Frank Noon as Patient;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Sniffing Accountant"	Next →; "The Lip Reader"
	Seinfeld season 5
	List of episodes

"The Bris" is the 69th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It is the fifth episode of the fifth season, and first aired on October 14, 1993.^[1] In this episode, Jerry and Elaine become godparents to a friend's baby, but are unenthusiastic about organizing the baby's bris. Kramer tries to stop the baby's circumcision, and to prove he saw a "pig-man" in the hospital. George's car roof gets cratered by a suicidal jumper.

Plot

Everyone goes to the hospital to see Jerry's friend Stan and his wife Myra's newborn baby, as announced in the previous episode. Jerry and Elaine cannot match the couple's enthusiasm, while George is preoccupied with admiring his perfect parking spot out a window and congratulating himself. Kramer gets lost in the hospital, and points an escaped patient to the elevator. He peeks at a strangely grunting patient behind a curtain, and staggers away in horror.

Stan and Myra ask Jerry and Elaine to be the baby's godparents, which obliges them to help organize the baby's bris. Jerry is inspired to do underwhelming impressions of Marlon Brando as Don Corleone. No one believes Kramer's claim that he saw a "half-pig, half-man" mutant. Suddenly, the escaped patient jumps from the hospital roof, landing on George's parked car.

Elaine is confounded by finding and booking a mohel, while Jerry complains that he has to hold the baby for the circumcision. Kramer flaunts a newspaper article about genetic research at a hospital as proof that he has uncovered a government conspiracy to create an army of "pig-men". He also objects to circumcision on principle, while everyone compares notes on what uncircumcised penises look like. George wonders if he would be more desirable in comparison to pig-men.

George incredulously promises to give the pig-man a ride if Kramer breaks him out of the hospital. Kramer, harassing a hapless hospital resident, learns that the patient he saw was discharged. The damage to George's car will cost more than the car is worth to repair, so he glibly tries to hold the hospital responsible. The hospital administrator, assuming this is a shakedown, throws him out.

At the bris, Jerry and Elaine begrudge Stan and Myra for trying to skip a grade in their friendship. Kramer traumatizes Myra trying to guilt her over the circumcision. The mohel, a very high-strung man, panics and admonishes the attendees at the slightest provocation, including the baby's crying, the dangers of the neighborhood, and Elaine putting a glass too close to a table edge. He drops his instruments, and regrets his career choice.

Kramer seizes the baby, but fails to get away. As Jerry holds the baby against his own will and the mohel trembles with agitation, George faints dead away at the tension. Jerry gets his own finger "circumcised" in the chaos, and everyone rides to the hospital crammed under George's cratered car roof. George congratulates himself again for finding easily accessed parking.

At the hospital, Jerry and the mohel go at each other's throats. Stan and Myra, confirming that the circumcision was not botched, side with the mohel. Kramer absconds with the pig-man on his back, but the pig-man turns out to be a diminutive mental patient, who steals George's easily accessible car.

Stan and Myra have Kramer take over for Jerry and Elaine, now appreciating his devotion to the baby. They plead fealty to Kramer—who upstages Jerry's Brando impersonation−as "godfather" as incidental film music plays.

Production

Jason Alexander, who is Jewish, considered the portrayal of the mohel to be offensive and hated the characterization. He argued with Larry David, threatening to boycott the episode if he did not rewrite the character. David softened the portrayal, but Alexander refused to appear in any scenes with the character.^[2] Alexander ultimately does appear in the bris scene with the mohel character and even converses with him before passing out.

References

^ "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
^ Armstrong, Jennifer Keishin (June 6, 2017). Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1476756110.

External links

"The Bris" at IMDb

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

[2] Armstrong, Jennifer Keishin (June 6, 2017). Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1476756110.

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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