The Busboy
- Episode aired Jun 26, 1991
- TV-PG
- 23m
George tries to apologize to a busboy after one of his comments got him fired, but he only makes things worse. Elaine tries to get one of her male friends out of her house.George tries to apologize to a busboy after one of his comments got him fired, but he only makes things worse. Elaine tries to get one of her male friends out of her house.George tries to apologize to a busboy after one of his comments got him fired, but he only makes things worse. Elaine tries to get one of her male friends out of her house.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the only episode which does not include a story for Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld). The supporting cast appreciated Seinfeld's generosity in writing story lines for them, but Castle Rock executive Glenn Padnick told Seinfeld that he was being too generous and should always include his character in a story line.
- GoofsWhen Antonio (David Labiosa) the busboy enters Jerry's (Jerry Seinfeld) apartment, the number on Jerry's door is 3A, not the normal 5A.
- Quotes
Elaine Benes: I never knew I could drive like that. I was going faster than I've ever gone before, and yet, it all seemed to be happening in slow motion. I was seeing three and four moves ahead, weaving in and out of lanes like an Olympic skier on a gold metal run. I knew I was challenging the very laws of physics. At Queens Boulevard, I took the shoulder. At Jewel Avenue, I used the median. I had it. I was there... and then... I hit the Van Wyck. They say no one's ever beaten the Van Wyck, but gentlemen, I tell you this - I came as close as anyone ever has. And if it hadn't been for that five-car pile-up on Rockaway Boulevard, that numbskull would be on a plane for Seattle right now instead of looking for a parking space downstairs.
- Alternate versionsIn the Spanish dubbed version, the dialog between Kramer and the busboy in which he asks how do you say a word in Spanish was overdubbed with this dialog: George: "He is a friend of mine" Kramer: "Do you have any friends?" Busboy: "Yes." Kramer: "Have you ever been told that you have a great personality?"
- ConnectionsFeatured in Seinfeld: Highlights of a Hundred (1995)
- SoundtracksSeinfeld Theme Song
Written by Jonathan Wolff
By observation what I mean is that the plots are better. They are a little less simple as they mostly have several threads all worked together and complimenting each other – OK some "threads" are so small they are practically one-liners but generally there is more going on than one thing. The best example is the one in the Chinese restaurant, the central "plot" is simple but each of the characters has their own set of worries or moments of social awkwardness that add layers of comedy to the proceedings. Like many sitcoms now, this allows for plenty of episodes that start out with something simple but are exaggerated into something more complex and comic as a result, indeed it is hard to imagine that Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia would exist had Seinfeld not laid the foundations all those years ago.
Having said that though one of the problems with looking back is that it is very hard to look at it as fresh. Because the approach and the format has been used in other shows such as Sunny and Curb, it is all too easy to watch this show with those in mind. In doing this one forgets that Seinfeld broke the sitcom mould for the time and to a point it does feel now like it is actually a "traditional" sitcom whereas at the time it was anything but. This not only plays out in the style of the show but also in the humour as it is perhaps not as cruel nor as sharp as some of its descendants would be. This is an unfair complaint but it deserves at least a mention, because not everything dates well and in a way Seinfeld's influence has caused itself to date in a way that is evident in this season.
Otherwise though the season is very funny and justifies the longer run by being an improvement on the first season in terms of plots and laughs but also in the performances. Seinfeld himself is as steady a hand as he was in the first season and there isn't a lot of difference there (but then nor does there really need to be). Elaine is better used thanks to the varying of the plots and provision of threads specifically for the other characters and Louis-Dreyfus does a good job here. Her "normal" performance is rather dominated by two exaggerated comic turns that both find their feet a little more in this season. First is Alexander's George "Larry David" Costanza – a wonderfully bitter little man full of anger at the world and also at himself for the way he fails to do all that he wants to do. Alexander hits it perfectly as he starts restrained and builds. Richards' Kramer, on the other hand, is never anywhere other than crazy and he delivers it real well – the hair and the clothes help him but he is a great bit of energy to throw into the odd scene in each episode.
Overall season 2 builds on the firm base of the first very short season. The plots are better with more variety and the greater involvement of the four characters seems to improve them as part of the show and as performances. Time has dulled its edge a little but it is still a very funny and very clever twist on the sitcom that continues to influence today.
- bob the moo
- Feb 14, 2010