Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm has long been one of my favorite shows. It is unhinged and deadpan and definitely not for the faint of heart. However, it is deadpan humor in everyday relatable experiences that makes me laugh so much, particularly once Leon joined the cast. Larry David says the things that I’m thinking and does not bat an eye at the fall out. This show has repeatedly taken my days from not so great to pretty pretty pretty good. While this show has nothing to do with duchesses or dragons; Larry David is royalty and the writing is fire. In honor of the final season starting last week, I want to reminisce and celebrate my top 10 favorite episodes that make me laugh no matter how many times I watch them.
S 10, E 8: Elizabeth, Margaret and Larry
It was hard to pick a number 1, but every aspect of the storyline in this episode is perfect. Jon Hamm is shadowing Larry for a movie that he is going to star in that’s based on Larry David. Slowly but surely, Jon becomes a clone of Larry and it’s hilarious. Larry hooks up with and starts dating Cheryl’s sister and when she has a skiing accident across the country- Larry swears to her that he’ll rush to be by her side and take the next flight!….. with an open first class seat. And the icing on the cake of this episode is Larry doesn’t like Richard Lewis’s girlfriend and doesn’t want her to come to dinner with them, so he tells Lewis to make up an excuse as to why. Lewis decides the best excuse is that Larry has a bleeding rectum and wanted to talk to Lewis about it and would be embarassed if anyone else was there. Cut to Lewis and his girlfriend having a dinner party and Lewis’s girlfriend doesn’t want Larry sitting on her white chairs.
S9, E6: The Accidental Text on Purpose
The episode opens with Larry stuck in the middle seat on a plane between a man coughing and a woman claiming she has a medical condition that causes her to have to pee a lot and she clips her nails on the flight. We’ve all been stuck between two people who don’t respect everyone else’s personal space but Larry actually expresses that feeling out loud and it’s great. Then, Larry is at a dinner party hosted by Funkhouser and his new girlfriend who does not have filtered water. Which of course, Larry can’t stay quiet about (why does he keep getting invited to dinner parties?!). Some of the best lines about the water are:
“ a goldfish would commit suicide in this water”- Richard Lewis
“this water tastes like sticking a straw into a frog’s ass”- Funkhouser
Needless to say, Funkhouser’s girlfriend was pissed that Larry insulted her tap water at dinner and was upset that Funkhouser didn’t defend her. So, Larry suggests the accidental text on purpose where you “accidentally” text the wrong person telling someone off so that you don’t actually have a confrontation but the person you texted thinks you did and it’s a win win. Only, Susie knows better and ruins it for the guys.
S7, E2: Vehicular Fellatio
This is one of the most unhinged episodes. Loretta seemed to be the best match for Larry out of everyone he has ever dated but of course he doesn’t appreciate that and is desperate to end the relationship. Only he feels that he can’t because she was just diagnosed with cancer. So, he’s looking for divine intervention to sabotage the relationship in a way that he doesn’t have to be the one to break up with her- and then! Dr. Phil is on! With a cancer specialist! Who preaches that if her patients’ partners are obnoxious, impatient, immature or unsupportive she’ll counsel them to leave that partner. So, Larry makes an appointment for Loretta with this doctor and puts on a show of being super obnoxious to get the doctor to tell Loretta to break up with him. It’s a more extreme version of a universal feeling of being in a relationship with someone that you don’t want to be with anymore but don’t want the confrontation of ending it.
S10, E10: The Spite Store
This is pettiness at its finest. Larry has cold coffee at Mocha Joe’s and so opens his own coffee shop out of spite. It all bites him in the ass in the most satisfying and hilarious way possible.
S11,E4: The Watermelon
Curb isn’t typically the show that goes any deeper than common social situations. But this episode says a lot without being preachy.
S6, E2: The Anonymous Donor
Larry donates money to a museum wing and there’s a party in his honor. Only, there’s an anonymous donor who also donated a wing that everyone is fascinated with. Only the donor is Ted Danson and he’s told everyone that… so it’s not actually anonymous!!
S10, E1: Happy New Year
This is where the spite store petty battle starts. When Larry dips his nose in the cup of coffee and goes off on Mocha Joe, its one of the best rants in the series.
S3, E8: Man Fights Tiny Woman
The best part of this episode is when Larry tells Seth Rogen how he’s an every man and Rogen tells him he’s actually just insane.
S2, E7: The Doll
This episode is so silly in the best way. Larry is at a dinner party (come on people, learn!) and a child of the hosts asks Larry to cut her doll’s hair because she is curious about what her doll would look like with short hair. After Larry does it, she gets upset and doesn’t like the new look. Cut to Larry and Jeff stealing Jeff’s daughter’s doll and taking her head off to make things right. The headless doll hijinx are priceless.
S4,E10: Opening Night
This was a unique season where we see Larry’s talents outside of comedy. The best part of the episode is when the show acutally goes well to the chagrin of Mel and his wife who are tired of doing the show and cast Larry so the show would fail. Which is a nod to the plot of The Producers.
If you can handle being uncomfortable and enjoy deadpan, you don’t want to miss this show.
