Curb Your Enthusiasm - General Discussion

[Cotypubby]

This season has been really lacking in the humor department. I remember earlier seasons that had me in hysterics laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe but I barely even cracked a smile tonight. I don’t know what it is. The writing just isn’t there anymore. Larry’s fights with people don’t seem genuine anymore, they just come across as fake and like Larry is trying to fight with people just to fight with them. Nothing with the actor playing Young Larry was funny, there was no resolution to him being a jerk. And you can see the punchlines coming a mile away. As soon as Larry left the line I knew the joke would be that the candidate lost by one vote (even though Larry is right that his vote isn’t what made him lose since the incumbent would have had +1 as well.)

[Ms Blue Jay]

But if the guy that Larry negotiated with decided to get back in line, then certainly Larry's vote would have helped.  But I assume I'm over-thinking it.

[aghst]

So Larry is going to run a long con on Irma and the city council to rescind that law about fence around the pools just so he doesn't have to cast her in the show?

He's gonna canvass as part of this ruse?  He could easily pay off Maria's father.

He's not especially a cheapskate.  He's grumbled about some expenses here and there but he's spending that cash.

Of course Larry is going to do things the hard way and he will always keep making enemies.  He challenges the widow for abusing widow privileges while now he's going to mock Asa's sexual abuse story.

[MsTree]

Love Tracy Ullman and hope she becomes a regular.

[hoodooznoodooz]

8 minutes ago, MsTree said:

Love Tracy Ullman and hope she becomes a regular.

They work really well together. And in a believable way.

The Substitute Teacher Designer Warehouse

He’s going to eradicate pennies and hand-shaking. Add kisses on the cheek, and sign me up.

 

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I'm a bit lost.  I thought a few episodes back, Larry got out of hiring the guy's daughter for his show.  Suddenly she's back again.  Obviously, I misunderstood something from a few episodes back?  I thought that issue was resolved?

I recognize the Young Larry actor, just don't remember from where.

I think the Hulu guy thought the recording of the actress attacking Cheryl and Ted was hilarious and inspired, so they kept her.

[cambridgeguy]

When Larry hosted SNL a few years ago he was in a sketch (Bern your Enthusiasm) where Bernie pissed off a few people in classic Larry fashion and ended up losing a primary because they switched to Hilary.  Apparently he liked the premise of the sketch.

[sugarbaker design]

This is my kind of episode of CYE, the kind that ends with a mob of angry people chasing Larry.  I'm going to have "I hate people individually, but I love mankind." embroidered on a cushion.

[Simon Boccanegra]

The negative: I think I'm doomed to find this season "off" in a way no previous one has been. The setups themselves (including big multi-episode ones, like the Maria Sofia blackmail dilemma and the ways Larry tries to get out from under it) are rickety, and sometimes scenes just aren't playing to their potential. Larry happening to show up at a house where Cheryl and Susie are having their book club...great! Tell me that scene is coming and I can't wait to see what happens. But the improvisations and humor that followed...not great. 

And often, what does work is just a callback to something that was funny in an earlier episode, such as Larry's "campaign promise" about people no longer being allowed to say Happy New Year after January 7th.  

The positive: Outstanding guest cast in this one. They brought the episode up to being one of the better ones of the season. There was Ullman, of course, but everyone else popped too. The "widow." The big guy who answered the door and was loving everything Larry claimed the candidate stood for. The prop guy and his wife. The young guy in the voting line answering Larry's hypotheticals about having sex with the gorgeous actress and getting $400,000 in the bargain. The older guy with whom Larry struck the deal. Even the extras at Mayhew's campaign HQ at the end were such great faces.  

Re: Jon Rudnitsky, the actor playing Asa/"Young Larry." He was on SNL for a season, and he's done a lot of movies and TV. This isn't his first time on Curb.  He played a waiter in "Namaste" in season 9.

[Phishbulb]

Prop guy reminded me of an older Colin Farrell for some reason.

[sugarbaker design]

6 minutes ago, Phishbulb said:

Prop guy reminded me of an older Colin Farrell for some reason.

The Irish accent didn't hurt!  ☘️

[Ms Blue Jay]

28 minutes ago, Simon Boccanegra said:

Re: Jon Rudnitsky, the actor playing Asa/"Young Larry." He was on SNL for a season, and he's done a lot of movies and TV. This isn't his first time on Curb.  He played a waiter in "Namaste" in season 9.

Thank you

i was thinking David Moscow or somebody who looks like him, lol, but I knew that wasn't it.

6 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

I think the Hulu guy thought the recording of the actress attacking Cheryl and Ted was hilarious and inspired, so they kept her.

LOL.  Thank you.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[LoveLeigh]

And again we get Cheryl shoe horned in and still she is totally unable to finish a sentence and more miserable than ever. 

[Blakeston]

I really hated the whole subplot about Larry trashing the actor for claiming that he was sexually abused.

First of all, "statutory rape is awesome when it happens to a boy" humor has been done to death.

Second, this seemed like a deliberate attempt to mock the real-life young man who was sexually abused by Asia Argento. The details given on the show were extremely similar to the Argento case - in which a conventionally attractive 37-year-old Italian actress slept with a 17-year-old male actor.

And that was genuine sexual abuse. Argento had known the boy since he was seven, and she played a maternal/mentor role in his life - until she pounced on him before he was 18. And then when the truth came out, and she was criticized for her actions, she lied about it, and then tried to publicly smear him.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

32 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

I really hated the whole subplot about Larry trashing the actor for claiming that he was sexually abused.

First of all, "statutory rape is awesome when it happens to a boy" humor has been done to death.

Second, this seemed like a deliberate attempt to mock the real-life young man who was sexually abused by Asia Argento. The details given on the show were extremely similar to the Argento case - in which a conventionally attractive 37-year-old Italian actress slept with a 17-year-old male actor.

And that was genuine sexual abuse. Argento had known the boy since he was seven, and she played a maternal/mentor role in his life - until she pounced on him before he was 18. And then when the truth came out, and she was criticized for her actions, she lied about it, and then tried to publicly smear him.

I didn't want to be the first to say it, because criticism of the show and Larry is not taken well here, but I agree 100%.

Larry is extremely out of touch.  After seeing how Jerry has mocked my generation and younger for our beliefs, I'm sure Larry and Jerry are just extremely proud of this, too.

I started out liking Seinfeld and Curb because there is so much to mock and observe about everyday life.  Dealing with neighbours, exes, family, strangers, annoying customers at a store, annoying SALESPEOPLE at a store, dealing with coworkers, dealing with assistants, etc. etc. etc. there is always so much gold to mine.

Larry is now punching down in all ways possible. "Humour" about fat people, "humour" about people having abortions, "humour" about assault.  It's just so cheap.  Sparkled with endless celebrity cameos.  Maybe Larry thinks to be fresh, he needs to shock and appall people because the everyday observational stuff won't cut it anymore?  I don't know.  It's like he's intentionally trying to anger people and you can tell he doesn't care at all and probably revels in it.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[cpcathy]

16 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I recognize the Young Larry actor, just don't remember from where.

From his one season of SNL?

[LoveLeigh]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Larry is extremely out of touch.  Larry is now punching down in all ways possible. It's like he's intentionally trying to anger people and you can tell he doesn't care at all and probably revels in it.

He thinks because he is LD he can do anything and be adored. He does not think he will ever be criticized and yes, he does not care. He is so out of touch he does not even see himself as an almost 75 year old man. He loosely scripts the show for a guy of about 45. 

No backfire, no backlash, no negative reviews... he is untouchable. 

He has ramped up the Yiddish I noticed: punim, schlepper, zei gezunt and this week mechayeh. You have to read between the lines there. He is creating a show now like his own inside joke. Think about it. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I didn't know Richard Lewis was going to appear! Him and Larry I think are the best combo. "When are you going to die?" was awful, and they're the only people that can pull that off. 

I was surprised Ted Danson is involved with Young Larry since they can't stand one another. 

I don't know who the actor for Young Larry is, but I think he fit in well into the show. 

I liked that Susie and Cheryl didn't buy Larry for second. I don't know if they made up Faulker or not, but Larry seemed to get a huge kick out of it. 

Losing by the one vote was hilarious, but there's no way that wouldn't trigger an automatic recount. 

I have to agree with Larry though about the ex-wife being a 'widow'. That was a good classic bit for the show. 

 

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

13 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

I'm going to have "I hate people individually, but I love mankind." embroidered on a cushion.

That's a nice companion to the scene in Clerks, about who's going to go to a wake:

Dante:  You hate people.

Randall:  But I love gatherings.  Isn't it ironic?

Edited December 7, 2021 by StatisticalOutlier

[Simon Boccanegra]

7 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Second, this seemed like a deliberate attempt to mock the real-life young man who was sexually abused by Asia Argento. The details given on the show were extremely similar to the Argento case - in which a conventionally attractive 37-year-old Italian actress slept with a 17-year-old male actor.

The amount of the settlement too. The settlement Jimmy Bennett received from Argento and Anthony Bourdain was $380,000.

I did assume that that was the real-life correspondence to the story, and that the story was revealing of Larry David's feelings about it. It's one of the rare bits this season that seemed obviously "ripped from the headlines" (all right, headlines of 2018), along with Harrelson's riff on Joaquin Phoenix's Oscar speech.

[Blakeston]

Irma was right not to tap a stranger on the shoulder on someone else's behalf in the middle of a speech. That would have been really awkward. Larry should have just waited until the speech was over and walked over and said hello.

Irma's outfits were ugly, and telling people about her gas bubble was off-putting, but she really wasn't so bad. For someone who was supposed to be the most repellent person ever, she seemed a hell of a lot more pleasant than Susie.

[aghst]

That's the most sedate impression I ever recall Tracy Ullman doing.

Most of them are kind of over the top.

I haven't seen her in anything though in over a decade.

[SHD]

It seems like Larry adores doing scenes with Richard Lewis, but he is so clearly in pain or immobile that I wish they would’ve let him skip this season.

[Simon Boccanegra]

Lewis wasn't going to be in this season at all (recovering from back and shoulder surgeries), but he was well enough to shoot for one day near the end of the production schedule. He was happy about that. He'd already announced on his social media, with regret, that he would have to miss season 11.

That scene with Larry might be all of him this season.

[Ms Blue Jay]

54 minutes ago, SHD said:

It seems like Larry adores doing scenes with Richard Lewis, but he is so clearly in pain or immobile that I wish they would’ve let him skip this season.

I follow him on Twitter and he's so desperate to be on the show.  That's how he makes it seem.  I'm sure he was very happy to be a part of it.

[SHD]

1 minute ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I follow him on Twitter and he's so desperate to be on the show.  That's how he makes it seem.  I'm sure he was very happy to be a part of it.

I have read interviews where he’s said similar things, so I understand that no one was forcing him. I just feel so bad for him after reading what he went through to be in the last season and I just want him to recuperate and get well. He’s been a favorite of mine since the late ‘70’s.

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't think you can beat Larry v Richard Lewis. Jeff and Leon can kind of make Larry break, and Susie and Larry have their own thing going, but those two always try to up each other and it can go off the rails fast. Richard Lewis is the only one that can catch Larry off.  

[aghst]

Thought maybe Richard Lewis had cancer but it’s back problems followed by slipping and shattering his shoulder.

Looks older than his 74 years of age.

Same age as Larry, who looks old but seems fit, able to move well.  Wonder if he still plays golf frequently.

[Simon Boccanegra]

2 hours ago, aghst said:

That's the most sedate impression I ever recall Tracy Ullman doing.

Most of them are kind of over the top.

I haven't seen her in anything though in over a decade.

I've seen Ullman act in a more subdued register, so I wasn't that surprised that I completely bought her as a low-level SoCal pol, even if it isn't what I would expect Larry to use her for. "She's a multi...multi-talented!" (to be read in the voice of Catherine O'Hara as Bam-Bam Funkhouser)

Edited December 7, 2021 by Simon Boccanegra

[Ms Blue Jay]

29 minutes ago, Simon Boccanegra said:

"She's a multi...multi-talented!" (to be read in the voice of Catherine O'Hara as Bam-Bam Funkhouser.) 

Bam Bam:  (screaming) "You know who it is!"
Jeff:  Do you have any idea?
Larry:  No.
Bam Bam:  (suddenly very calm) "Yeah you do."

One of my favourite Curb scenes

Edited December 7, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[hoodooznoodooz]

8 hours ago, aghst said:

Thought maybe Richard Lewis had cancer but it’s back problems followed by slipping and shattering his shoulder.

Looks older than his 74 years of age.

Same age as Larry, who looks old but seems fit, able to move well.  Wonder if he still plays golf frequently.

If they were women, we’d probably wonder if Lara casts Ricki in order to make Lara look younger….

(Larry seems to enjoy Richard immensely. The “When are you going to die?” moment threw me, because it hits a little too close to home. But I am guessing Richard Lewis could not keep a straight face, hence his back to the camera. I myself would not improvise/script such a line when my scene partner/dear friend looks so frail, but what do I know.)

[qtpye]

1 hour ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

If they were women, we’d probably wonder if Lara casts Ricki in order to make Lara look younger….

(Larry seems to enjoy Richard immensely. The “When are you going to die?” moment threw me, because it hits a little too close to home. But I am guessing Richard Lewis could not keep a straight face, hence his back to the camera. I myself would not improvise/script such a line when my scene partner/dear friend looks so frail, but what do I know.)

You are so right.

I remember in Schitt's Creek, everyone hated everything about Chris Elliot and his character. The rest of the characters were nuanced and quirky while Elliot's character was over the top horrible and annoying with no redeemable qualities (yet everyone loved him).

Eugene Levy claimed it was because Chris Elliot was one of the funniest guys he knew. I began to wonder if it was because it made Levy and his character look incredibly good by comparison.

That being said I do think Larry genuinely likes Lewis (as do I...unlike Elliot) and this is just a favor to a friend.

If Larry looks young and healthy by comparison...well, that's just icing on the cake.

 

[Not4Me]

16 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Irma's outfits were ugly, and telling people about her gas bubble was off-putting, but she really wasn't so bad. For someone who was supposed to be the most repellent person ever, she seemed a hell of a lot more pleasant than Susie.

I did enjoy the low-key shade she tossed at  both Susie and Cheryl by saying she doesn’t need a club to read a book. I’d say she’s about as repellent as Larry buy in her own way. A perfect match.

I still think this season has been very underwhelming and Larry seems to be running out ideas, but this was definitely the strongest episode by far.

 

[Joimiaroxeu]

The guy playing Young Larry was out-Larrying Larry on the entitled jerk scale.

It took me while to recognize Tracey Ullman. She was great.

Uh, maybe the Bride of Frankenstein didn't want to be tapped, Leon. And wouldn't that pretty much be necrophilia anyway? NTTAWWT.

I'm with Larry on Faulkner. Talk about sound and fury, signifying...not so much. 🙄

Do they still give pins for voting? I thought most places were switching to stickers.

I was confused, was Larry trying to keep Mayhew from getting elected? Is that why he was going canvassing with the horrible councilwoman?

[Ms Blue Jay]

Without the sexual assault subplot, this episode would be pretty much perfect for me.  I thought Larry's interactions with the characters were pretty funny - Susie at the book club, and DEFINITELY Asa, when Asa was being super pretentious with him.  I didn't like Larry joking about Richard dying either - hit wayyyyyy too close to home.  

2 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

I was confused, was Larry trying to keep Mayhew from getting elected? Is that why he was going canvassing with the horrible councilwoman?

My understanding is that he's specifically buttering up Irma for something in the future.  He found out that Irma can strike down laws, or something?  So my guess was that he's going to get on her good side, even though he finds her totally repellent, so that he can ask her to do something that he needs.  I assumed it had to do with the horrible actor daughter on his show, but I have no idea what.  Maybe he wants to screw with her father's business or something - no idea.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

Without the sexual assault subplot

It was troubling to me too. Like the abortion subplot earlier this season, I didn't know what to make of it. The only people I've seen make that kind of joke about teenaged boys getting sexually assaulted by older (but still "hot") women are men who embrace toxic masculinity.

Seems like Larry's goal this season must be to slaughter all the so-called sacred cows of society.

[opus]

30 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

It took me while to recognize Tracey Ullman. She was great

I was the other way. I immediately wondered if it was her, then had to wait for the credits to confirm.

[hoodooznoodooz]

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

 

My understanding is that he's specifically buttering up Irma for something in the future.  He found out that Irma can strike down laws, or something?  So my guess was that he's going to get on her good side, even though he finds her totally repellent, so that he can ask her to do something that he needs.  I assumed it had to do with the horrible actor daughter on his show, but I have no idea what.  Maybe he wants to screw with her father's business or something - no idea.

I think Larry is hoping he can persuade her to strike the gate/fence around the pool ordinance. But for it to affect issues retroactively…?

[DoctorAtomic]

My first thought was the pool fence too. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I completely missed that whole thing.  Guess I have to watch the ep again.

[nuraman00]

On 11/10/2021 at 1:49 PM, TV Diva Queen said:

I died when Maria Sophia was in the restaurant wiping off the food trays and the one she had in her hand had guacamole all over the bottom, she wiped the top and put it in the clean pile.  

I need to rewatch for this part.  Thanks for pointing it out.

[Not4Me]

I’m a little confused, I thought the Jews for Jesus guy was originally supposed to play young Larry. And what part was Seth Rogan supposed to play in his Netflix show?

[DoctorAtomic]

I think Seth Rogan was only supposed to have a cameo; Jews for Jesus was a family member. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

When did they first introduce Asa? 

[Not4Me]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I think Seth Rogan was only supposed to have a cameo; Jews for Jesus was a family member. 

So Larry’s casting consisted of a douchebag narcissist, a religious zealot, a delusional short order cook, a man who’s sleeping with his ex wife, and Seth Rogan?? Makes sense I guess.

[wendyg]

On 12/6/2021 at 12:30 PM, sugarbaker design said:

This is my kind of episode of CYE, the kind that ends with a mob of angry people chasing Larry.  I'm going to have "I hate people individually, but I love mankind." embroidered on a cushion.

That line was n a Peanuts cartoon many years ago.

[hoodooznoodooz]

9 minutes ago, wendyg said:

That line was n a Peanuts cartoon many years ago.

Which one said it? Thank you.

[Simon Boccanegra]

1 hour ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Which one said it? Thank you.

Linus, with slightly different wording.

[sugarbaker design]

10 hours ago, wendyg said:

That line was n a Peanuts cartoon many years ago.

No offense to Linus, but I like Larry's better.

[nuraman00]

On 11/10/2021 at 1:49 PM, TV Diva Queen said:

I died when Maria Sophia was in the restaurant wiping off the food trays and the one she had in her hand had guacamole all over the bottom, she wiped the top and put it in the clean pile.  

 

Which episode was this from?  And approximately what time into the episode?

 

I browsed through episode 1 again.

 

I did see a brief scene where she was eating chips, while wiping a table.

 

I did not see a part where there was guacamole on the bottom of a tray.

 

Ok, now I see it.  Episode 3, 24 minutes in, when she calls Larry about the jacket.

 

That was a great part in the scene, thanks for pointing that out.

[Ms Blue Jay]

What episode has this pool subplot?  I can't find it in the Irma episode.

Funny how Irma is the most repugnant person that Larry has ever met.  Doesn't exactly help his case that he can stand a woman over 50.

Edited December 13, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay