The Bubble Boy (Seinfeld)

"The Bubble Boy" is the 47th episode of the American sitcom Seinfeld, as well as the nickname of Donald Sanger, one of the characters in the episode. It is the seventh episode of the fourth season. The episode was directed by Tom Cherones and written by Larry David and Larry Charles. It aired on October 7, 1992. American journalists had in the past covered "bubble boys" who lived in quarantine due to an immune deficiency. The coverage often played for sympathy, ignoring anything about the subject other than his medical condition. In contrast, the bubble boy in this episode (voiced by Jon Hayman) is rude, selfish, and impossible to sympathize with. He is never seen fully on-screen, except for a pair of gloves that he uses to reach through the barrier; when he is shown exiting the house on a stretcher, he is partially covered by paramedics. The Bubble Boy also appears in the final episode of the series. He tells the court the story of what happened and George yells "it was Moops!"

Plot

Jerry, George, Elaine, and George's girlfriend Susan plan to travel upstate to Susan's family's lakeside cabin. In the coffee shop, Elaine and Jerry meet a kindly father (Brian Doyle-Murray) who describes the sad life of his young son Donald who lives in a "plastic bubble" (a plastic divider which creates a germ-free sterile environment). Because Donald is a fan of Jerry's, Jerry is forced by Elaine to visit Donald on the way to the cabin to cheer him up. However, Jerry gets lost and George and Susan arrive before him. While waiting for Jerry to arrive, they play Trivial Pursuit with the "bubble boy."

The Trivial Pursuit game ends prematurely when George disputes the answer to the question: "Who invaded Spain in the 8th century?" Donald answers "the Moors," but — due to a misprint or deliberate copyright trap — the question card says that the answer is "the Moops." George refuses to give Donald credit, causing Donald to attack him. As Susan tries to defend George, she punctures and depressurizes the bubble, inadvertently causing George to be accused of trying to kill him, since he was the one struggling with Donald.

While this is happening, Jerry and Elaine decide to exit the highway and go to a diner. It turns out that a waitress (O-Lan Jones) is a fan of Jerry's as well. She asks for an autographed picture of Jerry, who was mispronounced as "Gary Seinfield." Jerry does not like what he writes, so he asks for it back. The waitress refuses, and it escalates to the point of the waitress attacking Jerry in the same manner Donald attacked George. However, this is interrupted by a man who announces that Donald was attacked by a "bald man from the city" (George), who claims that Donald tried to kill him, and that his house is right down the street from the cafe. Jerry and Elaine meet up with George and Susan at the house before being chased away by the residents of the town.

Meanwhile, Kramer and Naomi (Jerry's girlfriend, played by Jessica Lundy) attempt to rendezvous with Jerry, Elaine, George, and Susan at Susan's family's country home. Kramer carelessly leaves his lit cigar near some newspapers, which causes a fire that destroys Susan's family's cabin. The other four travelers arrive shortly after the firefighters.^[1]

Eponymous computer virus

On November 10, 1999, a computer virus named "BubbleBoy" was discovered, apparently named after this episode. This was the first malware of its kind, having been actually able to activate itself (via an embedded Visual Basic script) upon the recipient opening the e-mail contents, as opposed to running an attachment. As such, in spite of not actually being dangerous, the virus changed the concept of antivirus technology.^[2]

References

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