The Shower Head

"**The Shower Head**"
"The Shower Head"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 7; Episode 16
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Written by	Peter Mehlman & Marjorie Gross
Production code	715
Original air date	February 15, 1996
Running time	21 minutes
Guest appearances
	Wayne Knight as Newman; Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza; Estelle Harris as Estelle Costanza; Barney Martin as Morty Seinfeld; Liz Sheridan as Helen Seinfeld; Len Lesser as Uncle Leo; Jay Leno as himself; John O'Hurley as Peterman; Ron West as Dr. Strugatz; Tim DeZarn as Salesman; Michelle Bonilla as Waitress;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Cadillac"	Next →; "The Doll"
	Seinfeld season 7
	List of episodes

"The Shower Head" is the 126th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the sixteenth episode for the seventh season.^[1] It aired on February 15, 1996.^[1] It had 32.3 million US viewers.^[2] This episode focuses on Jerry and George's struggles to get their respective parents to move out of New York. Meanwhile, the tenants of Jerry's apartment building are made miserable by the new low-flow showerheads, and Elaine takes a drug test for work which comes back positive for opium.

Plot

Jerry's apartment building has new low-flow showerheads installed. Unable to even wash shampoo out of their hair with the new heads, Jerry, Kramer, and Newman look for other options. Newman passes along a tip for black market Yugoslavian showerheads. Kramer picks a high-pressure showerhead used for elephants, which forces him out of the tub when he uses it.

Feeling unprepared to move into Del Boca Vista, Jerry's parents stay at Uncle Leo's New York apartment, while Leo moves in with his new girlfriend, Lydia. Jerry gets annoyed by his parents calling him regularly, since they are now in his local calling area. He encourages Uncle Leo to break up with Lydia so that he will have to move back into his own apartment and evict Jerry's parents. When Jerry tells George that his parents are moving to Del Boca Vista, George is inspired to try to convince his parents to move to Del Boca Vista. Morty and Helen run into George's parents. To discourage them from going to Del Boca Vista, Morty claims there are no available condos there.

On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jerry tells Jay Leno about Uncle Leo and how he blames all his misfortunes on antisemitism. Leo and Lydia watch the show, and Lydia laughs at Jerry's story, causing Leo to call her antisemitic and break up with her. As Jerry hoped, this pushes his parents to go back to Florida. However, the Costanzas decide to move to Del Boca Vista to spite Morty's attempt to keep them away. Unwilling to share the complex with the Costanzas, Morty and Helen move into Jerry's apartment.

Elaine takes a urine test in order to go on a work trip to Kenya with her boss, J. Peterman. She tests positive for opium. Elaine insists she has never taken drugs, but when a frantic Kramer shows up at her office begging her to let him use her normal-pressure shower, Peterman mistakes him for a drug addict and fires Elaine. Elaine realizes that the test is picking up the poppy seeds in her favorite muffins. She persuades Peterman to let her take the test again, but a half-hour before the test she realizes that a piece of chicken she ate at Jerry's apartment had poppy seeds on it. She asks Helen for her urine sample and passes it off as her own. It tests negative for drugs, but shows she has the metabolism of an elderly woman; Elaine thus gets her job back but still cannot go to Kenya.

Jerry convinces Leo to reconcile with Lydia, so that his parents can go back to Leo's apartment. However, when low-flow showerheads are installed in Leo's apartment building, the Seinfelds cannot stand to remain there. The Costanzas end up not going, because they cannot bear being away from George, leaving the Seinfelds free to leave for Florida.

Production

Low-flow showerheads being installed in Jerry's apartment was one of the first story ideas episode co-writer Peter Mehlman submitted for Seinfeld, back in 1991.^[3] A scene showing Jerry trying out his own new high-pressure showerhead, a companion to the end scene with Kramer, was filmed but deleted before broadcast.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Seinfeld Season 7 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
^ DeRosa, Robin (1996-02-21). "Powerhouse Thursday propels NBC". USA Today. Gannett Company. p. D3.
^ ^a ^b Seinfeld Season 7: Notes about Nothing - "The Shower Head" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2006.

External links

"The Shower Head" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 7 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2021.

[2] DeRosa, Robin (1996-02-21). "Powerhouse Thursday propels NBC". USA Today. Gannett Company. p. D3.

[NaN-3] Seinfeld Season 7: Notes about Nothing - "The Shower Head" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2006.

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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