The Busboy

"**The Busboy**"
"The Busboy"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 2; Episode 12
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld
Production code	203
Original air date	June 26, 1991
Guest appearances
	David Labiosa as Antonio; Doug Ballard as Eddie; John Del Regno as Manager;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Chinese Restaurant"	Next →; "The Note"
	Seinfeld season 2
	List of episodes

"The Busboy" is the 17th episode of Seinfeld to air, despite being the eighth produced. The episode was the 12th and final episode of the show's second season.^[1] It aired on NBC on June 26, 1991.^[1]

Plot

Jerry, George, and Elaine are at dinner when a menu on an adjacent table catches on fire. George puts it out and explains to the manager that the busboy, Antonio (David Labiosa), left the menu too close to a lit candle. Elaine jokingly declares she is never eating there again. The manager gets in an argument with the busboy and immediately fires him. Elaine and especially George fear their remarks may have caused the firing.

George and Kramer visit Antonio's ramshackle apartment to apologize, much to George's discomfort. Things get only worse when they accidentally leave the door open, allowing Antonio's cat to escape. They also break a lamp. A few days later, Antonio comes to Jerry's apartment to see George, who is terrified that he has come for revenge. Instead, Antonio tells him that there was a gas line explosion at the restaurant that killed five employees, including the busboy hired to replace him. Moreover, his search for his cat was both successful and led him to stumble upon a better-paying job. He thanks George for inadvertently saving his life and getting him a better job.

Elaine has a boyfriend in town staying with her for a week. She quickly grows to hate him and is anxious to put him on a plane back to Seattle. They oversleep and her frantic drive to JFK International Airport is thwarted by a five-car pileup on Rockaway Boulevard. With her boyfriend still with her, he gets into a shouting match and eventually a fistfight in the hallway of Jerry's apartment building with Antonio, resulting in injuries on both sides after they fall down several flights of stairs. The busboy loses his new job, George is forced to take care of the cat, and Elaine's boyfriend is bedridden at her apartment for several more days.

Production

This episode was noted by the supporting cast in an interview used for a DVD set as the first sign that Jerry would be a generous writer, being very good about including the co-stars into simultaneous story lines. Jerry himself does not have a lead role in either of the episode's plots.^{[citation needed]}

Larry David credits this episode as the first time that multiple storylines intertwined.^[2]

This episode was filmed in October 1990, simultaneously with "The Pony Remark" and "The Ex-Girlfriend".^{[citation needed]}

Reception

David Sims of The A.V. Club gave the episode a C+.^[3]

It was ranked fifth on a list of Seinfeld's "Not-so-top episodes", compiled by the New York Daily News, choosing the best and worst five episodes of the series.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b "Seinfeld Season 2 Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
^ "How It Began (6/6)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
^ "Seinfeld: "The Ex-Girlfriend"/"The Pony Remark"/"The Busboy"". 2010-06-17. Archived from the original on 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
^ Vaccaro, Chris (July 8, 2008). "A look back at the best - and worst - Seinfeld episodes". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2009.

External links

"The Busboy" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 2 Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.

[Youtube-2] "How It Began (6/6)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.

[3] "Seinfeld: "The Ex-Girlfriend"/"The Pony Remark"/"The Busboy"". 2010-06-17. Archived from the original on 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2016-12-21.

[4] Vaccaro, Chris (July 8, 2008). "A look back at the best - and worst - Seinfeld episodes". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2009.

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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