Curb Your Enthusiasm - General Discussion

[scrb]

Ah I didn't recognize Elizabeth Perkins.

The thing before the ketchup was that everyone canceled their bottled water orders and asked for tap water, to placate her.

Then she raised the ante and Larry couldn't refrain from commenting.

[hoodooznoodooz]

I guess, for me, I figure her drowning the food in ketchup doesn't affect me. If she told me that I had to eat it, I'd have a big problem with it. I also wouldn't watch her eat that mess. And Larry arguing that restaurants would start using packets to limit how much ketchup guests use seemed silly. Isn't ketchup really inexpensive? Don't get me wrong; I can still see why other people enjoyed the scene. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

Thank you very, very much, Ms. Bluejay, for summarizing those plotlines. 

[ganesh]

It doesn't really affect me per se. I just think it ruins the potatoes. She didn't even taste them first or put the ketchup on the side. You're just ruining the flavor and the texture of the potatoes. Her first pour was really an excessive amount. It's something a kid would do. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

Oh, I agree. And you're absolutely correct-- she didn't even taste them first. I worked at a restaurant in Philadelphia a long time ago; they would not put ketchup on the table because they really wanted to discourage the use of ketchup on these painstakingly prepared entrees. It kind of worked. Not many guests asked us to bring ketchup from the kitchen. 

[ganesh]

It's like how people automatically add salt to their food before tasting it. You're killing the flavors and drowning out any spices used in the food, so you're missing out. 

That's why you have the packets, so it's not overused. The places I go, they bring the ketchup and 'fry sauce' out in little cups. They'll bring more if you want, but everyone will just dip a little in the cup. Honestly, one place, the waffle fries are so good, I think you could be arrested if you drown them in ketchup. 

Between that and the tap water (which no one liked), she seems rather insufferable. I have no idea why Funkhauser is with her. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

I was going to mention the salt thing in my previous post! There are so many other wonderful flavors, herbs and spices--why would anyone want saltiness to be the dominant taste? If the chefs knew, they would cry. 

Now I want waffle fries. 

I guess Larry was right: if there are women out there who will sleep with men Larry's and Funkhauser's ages, they will prioritize that over everything, even nasty water and excessive ketchup. 

[Thrifty]

Somehow, those thick glasses make Lauren Graham more difficult to recognize in this role.

[Mindthinkr]

19 hours ago, ganesh said:

I thought she dropped the fork on purpose because she knew she couldn't eat all that ketchup and wanted to leave. 

Same thought here. She just saw it as the easiest way to extricate herself from having lunch with Larry. Lol...she probably didn't want to get called out on not wanting to eat the fries after they were drowned in ketchup either.  I think all that ketchup would make them soggy and who wants limp fries? 

[Thrifty]

Ketchup on potatoes that are not fried is weird, and I love ketchup.

 

The statement that overusing ketchup will make them switch to packets was silly.  They're not going to do that.  They're at a nice sit down restaurant, not a Burger King.

[ganesh]

How nice was it though? Is having a bottle of ketchup at the table that nice? I would think a nice place wouldn't have it out at all. 

[Thrifty]

11 minutes ago, ganesh said:

How nice was it though? Is having a bottle of ketchup at the table that nice? I would think a nice place wouldn't have it out at all. 

It was "you have waiters" nice.  That's about all that matters.

[ganesh]

But they still had to get in line for the food.

[scrb]

Anyone trying to put on a play now would cater to everything Miranda would demand, to have him star in the production.  So the boss desk thing wasn't that convincing.

Similarly a lot of actors seem eager to appear on CYE now.  This season has more well-known actors guest starring than previous seasons.

This season's episodes also seem to have more plots.  Or are they extended setups for gags, like Mrs. Shapiro's antics leading to them arguing their case before Judge Judy?  

Leave it to Larry to ask his gf to sign an NDA, resulting in them breaking up and her mocking him as Larry Longballs.

[Thrifty]

On 11/21/2017 at 4:21 PM, ganesh said:

But they still had to get in line for the food.

But they still had waiters.  That's my threshold for the point where ketchup packets become inappropriate and you switch to bottles.

[Thrifty]

I knew Larry would break up with Lauren Graham characters sooner or later.  I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.  He's better off not having to deal with her asshole kid.

Mrs. Shapiro started out acting inappropriately and just got worse.  It's strange that a judge ruled in favor of a defendant who stole property.

It is nice of Lin-Manuel Miranda to allow Larry David to contribute to his Fatwa play.

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, Thrifty said:

It's strange that a judge ruled in favor of a defendant who stole property.

Avid Judge Judy and Curb watcher here -- Judge Judy would have never ruled that way. While she behaved normally with the dressing down of irrelevant witness Leon and her obvious disdain for a pain-in-the-ass Plaintiff like Larry, she still would have ruled for Larry since Mrs Shapiro was clearly a thief. Also hysterical that Curb basically presented JJ as some live TV show where Larry got his grievance taped and aired within what seemed like hours of the incident. I couldn't control myself laughing though when Leon started rambling on about what color his skin turned in the Florida sun. This is well within normal behavior of someone appearing on Judy's show.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Mrs. Shapiro was utterly hysterical

[Joimiaroxeu]

L-MM was really funny. He does well at playing humble but self-important.

No Hamilton tickets for a shucker! Especially blackmailing shuckers.

Yikes, Larry was literally all hat, no cattle. The cowboy look would never work for him.

It's always wrong to talk Tahoe to Ted. What happens in Tahoe should stay in Tahoe.

"Larry Longballs." OMG.

The preview for next week was titled "season finale" as opposed to "finale". Dare we hope LD's going to do a tenth season?

Edited November 27, 2017 by Joimiaroxeu

[cpcathy]

Funny episode! Lin Manuel! In joke, Lin's wife is obviously not America Ferrera, but his real wife Vanessa and America are often mistaken for each other. I laughed out loud when she came on screen.

Mrs. Shapiro was very funny, but the situation of her continuing to come into the house really irritated me.

Sidenote: I was lucky enough to see Ted at a panel discussion last week, he got the biggest ovation and he's so very handsome in person.

[Thrifty]

I loved Larry's angry reaction to Mrs. Shapiro.  "This isn't a college dorm where you can come back years later and catch up on old times!" 

 

What is the proper etiquette of visiting an old home like that?  My parents sold the house I grew up in nearly 10 years ago.  I still have dreams about visiting the place, and I'm always super curious about it.  The new owner converted it to a duplex which he rents out to college students.

[Blakeston]

3 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

Avid Judge Judy and Curb watcher here -- Judge Judy would have never ruled that way. While she behaved normally with the dressing down of irrelevant witness Leon and her obvious disdain for a pain-in-the-ass Plaintiff like Larry, she still would have ruled for Larry since Mrs Shapiro was clearly a thief.

I haven't watched Judge Judy in a long time. But it seemed to me that she would often side with whoever treated her more respectfully, regardless of whether they were in the right. (I can't say I ever saw her take the side of a thief, though.)

I didn't think this one was particularly funny. It was also too long. And Larry and Lin racing down the hall of an office building, and then physically fighting to get somewhere first, felt like a rehash of his interaction with Marisa Jaret Winokur (the woman he held the elevator for, who got the doctor's appointment before him.)

Also, I really, really didn't need to see Jeff and Susie's sex faces.

[Mindthinkr]

Mrs Shapiro was funny but I didn't believe that she lived in that house for fifty years and raised her children in it. It looks too new and modern. 

[calpurnia99]

On 11/20/2017 at 11:15 PM, hoodooznoodooz said:

I was going to mention the salt thing in my previous post! There are so many other wonderful flavors, herbs and spices--why would anyone want saltiness to be the dominant taste? If the chefs knew, they would cry. 

Now I want waffle fries. 

I guess Larry was right: if there are women out there who will sleep with men Larry's and Funkhauser's ages, they will prioritize that over everything, even nasty water and excessive ketchup. 

People develop a tolerance. For one person who sprinkles a tiny bit of salt and someone who pours a lot of salt, it tastes exactly the same.  The more you use, the more you need for the same flavor. It's awful. I saw my mother in law dump a whole load of salt on top of McDonald's French Fries! Needless to say she had high blood pressure. 

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

It was also too long.

Thank you, forty five minutes is way too long for a sitcom.

 

2 hours ago, Thrifty said:

What is the proper etiquette of visiting an old home like that? 

Don't steal the ficus!

[ganesh]

7 hours ago, Thrifty said:

But they still had waiters.  That's my threshold for the point where ketchup packets become inappropriate and you switch to bottles.

They aren't really waiters if they're only serving water and drinks. 

[Thrifty]

21 minutes ago, ganesh said:

They aren't really waiters if they're only serving water and drinks. 

I think you're right.  They're like the table staff at Golden Corral now that you mention that.  They're more like bus boys.  Why the Hell can't I get my own drinks at Golden Corral?  Do you have any idea how much that slows me down?

Edited November 27, 2017 by Thrifty

[Pike Ludwell]

For such a cantankerous, feisty guy, Larry is such a pushover. He said no to Mrs. Shapiro initially, then he backed down and let her in. He said no to the handyman last week, about owing him a favor, then he backed down and let the kids use the pool. In season 8 he said no to Mocha Joe but then let him push him into doing a favor that was way out of Larry's way and messed up a date with Cheryl. Larry needs to learn how to say no and stick with it!

[DiabLOL]

26 minutes ago, riverclown said:

For such a cantankerous, feisty guy, Larry is such a pushover. He said no to Mrs. Shapiro initially, then he backed down and let her in. He said no to the handyman last week, about owing him a favor, then he backed down and let the kids use the pool. In season 8 he said no to Mocha Joe but then let him push him into doing a favor that was way out of Larry's way and messed up a date with Cheryl. Larry needs to learn how to say no and stick with it!

Agree! That's what makes him so funny to me. He can really do whatever he wants but puts up with really ridiculous stuff. Remember, when he was still married to Cheryl how he kept giving in to her pushy family at Christmas time even though he's Jewish and they treated him like crap!

[Winston Wolfe]

3 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Also, I really, really didn't need to see Jeff and Susie's sex faces

They didn't seem to be too different from their regular faces, lol.  Difficult to imagine Susie Greene as someone who would even like, or want to have sex.

[ganesh]

Why didn't Larry just take the Shucker with him to the play? He got two tickets from Lin-Manuel.

10 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

Avid Judge Judy and Curb watcher here -- Judge Judy would have never ruled that way.

This was a little too wacky for me. There was no dispute that the woman trespassed and stole the plant. Judge Judy should have ordered her to give up her key. Although I liked the callback to the tap water. I know Larry sometimes can't get out of his own way, but when it's every single time it bugs. 

Whether the plant was dying or not wasn't the issue. I would have rather Larry went on a rant about that and then maybe Judge Judy sides with him because the pirate wall paper is tacky. 

Does everyone have to like Hamilton though? Maybe Larry just didn't like it. 

9 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

It's always wrong to talk Tahoe to Ted.

Larry and Cheryl had to be prepared in advance with the way they were talking. I can't imagine they improved that and played it straight without dying. 

I don't think Ted was ready for Larry's "why don't you quit acting?" He stopped for a second and Larry looked pleased that he got him.

Susie is cheating on Jeff too! Maybe they've both been stepping out for years and just don't care as long as it's discreet.

I liked more of the individual scenes than the episode as a whole. 

[Mindthinkr]

31 minutes ago, ganesh said:

Why didn't Larry just take the Shucker with him to the play? He got two tickets from Lin-Manuel.

That would be too easy. I thought that someone (director maybe) dropped the ball as when Larry went to his seat there was only one seat available. 

[mjc570]

I think the season as a whole has been much better than the recent ones, I really do look forward to these episodes.  For some reason, all the shucker puns (shuck and awe, especially) just cracked me up.  I like the way the on-going stuff (Fatwa, tap water) has been integrated into the episode.  Ilikd the whole L-MM/Larry dominance thing, including the staring.  I think one of the reasons I like this season is sthat the actors seem to be really enjoying themselves.

Speaking of actors - who was the shucker?  He seemed familiar.

[Mindthinkr]

1 minute ago, mjc570 said:

I think the season as a whole has been much better than the recent ones, I really do look forward to these episodes.  For some reason, all the shucker puns (shuck and awe, especially) just cracked me up.  I like the way the on-going stuff (Fatwa, tap water) has been integrated into the episode.  Ilikd the whole L-MM/Larry dominance thing, including the staring.  I think one of the reasons I like this season is sthat the actors seem to be really enjoying themselves.

Speaking of actors - who was the shucker?  He seemed familiar.

Steven Weber

He was on the show Wings

Edited November 28, 2017 by Mindthinkr
Added what show he was in

[mjc570]

Just now, Mindthinkr said:

Steven Weber

Thanks!  I should have known him, he's a favorite.

[scrb]

Why Longballs?

Why not Larry Saggy Balls?

[howiveaddict]

9 hours ago, Thrifty said:

I loved Larry's angry reaction to Mrs. Shapiro.  "This isn't a college dorm where you can come back years later and catch up on old times!" 

 

What is the proper etiquette of visiting an old home like that?  My parents sold the house I grew up in nearly 10 years ago.  I still have dreams about visiting the place, and I'm always super curious about it.  The new owner converted it to a duplex which he rents out to college students.

So if you went back to visit your old home, you would kind of be visiting a college dorm.

 

Love that Larry did two cardinal sins on Judge Judy.  One he had a cough drop.  She hates people having gum, candy. Then he drank the water.  The first rule of Judge judy is never drink the water.  It really makes her mad.  It seems like Larry has watched enough JJ to know these things.

[Mindthinkr]

4 minutes ago, scrb said:

Why Longballs?

Why not Larry Saggy Balls?

Personally I find Larry Longballs a catchier phrase. 

[Irlandesa]

1 minute ago, mjc570 said:

Thanks!  I should have known him, he's a favorite.

I thought his wordless reaction shots to hearing Larry fell asleep in Hamilton were so hilarious.

40 minutes ago, ganesh said:

Does everyone have to like Hamilton though? Maybe Larry just didn't like it.

That would probably be a different argument.  But it is typical in this show and Seinfeld that you do not disrespect certain pieces of work.  (Like making out during Schindler's List. ) 

17 hours ago, scrb said:

Anyone trying to put on a play now would cater to everything Miranda would demand, to have him star in the production.  So the boss desk thing wasn't that convincing.

Sure.  Everyone except for Larry. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

11 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

The preview for next week was titled "season finale" as opposed to "finale". Dare we hope LD's going to do a tenth season?

I am the one who asked for this topic to be created here and I made the huge deal about waiting 6 years for a hiatus to end.  I mean, I'd love to hope, but that 6 year wait really killed all of my hoping for this show.  I don't even like to bother getting my hopes up.

However, I would like to say, I am soooooooo happy LD decided to do this season and I've been really, really happy with it.

Some critics have been putting it down but I can't even remotely agree with them.  I laugh so much at this show and this season has rekindled my love for it.  Now I have all the seasons on DVD or Blu Ray.  I just love it.  It's in my top 5-10 favourite shows of all time.

Edited November 28, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

53 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Sure.  Everyone except for Larry. 

Right.  I think there's a precedence.

For example, Season 4.  Larry showed great reverence for Mel Brooks as apparently Mel is his hero.

But Ben Stiller?  David Schwimmer?  PFfffft.  Larry refused to sing "Happy Birthday" to Ben (he hates the birthday song) and he refused to sit in the front of Ben's car when Ben didn't like feeling like he was chauffeuring Larry around.  Larry pissed Ben off so much that he quit The Producers.

I think Larry shows reverence for certain heroes and people but not necessarily popular people that everyone likes.  Look at his run-ins with Ricky Gervais and Michael J. Fox last year!

[ganesh]

2 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Personally I find Larry Longballs a catchier phrase. 

Is also a call back to a while ago when Leon called Larry that. 

Larry did have a point about Bridget blabbing too much. Her being so upset said more about her. I liked them together though. 

[Thrifty]

9 hours ago, scrb said:

Why Longballs?

Why not Larry Saggy Balls?

Leon coined the term, so it would only be appropriate to use "Longballs".  Plus it's alliterative.

[Thrifty]

I would hate to run in Larry's social circle.  Parties are not a fun thing to do.  They are a perpetual obligation.  Because if someone invites you to a party, it means two things.  First that you have to go, whether you want to or not.  They would be offended if you didn't, and all the rest of the circle would side against you whether they agreed or not.  Remember the "Porno Gil" episode?  Why did they go to that party?

 

Secondly, it means, as we saw with Cheryl's party, that you are now likewise indebted to go through the time and effort to throw a reciprocal party for them.

[Mean Machine]

1 hour ago, Thrifty said:

I would hate to run in Larry's social circle.  Parties are not a fun thing to do.  They are a perpetual obligation.  Because if someone invites you to a party, it means two things.  First that you have to go, whether you want to or not.  They would be offended if you didn't, and all the rest of the circle would side against you whether they agreed or not.  Remember the "Porno Gil" episode?  Why did they go to that party?

 

Secondly, it means, as we saw with Cheryl's party, that you are now likewise indebted to go through the time and effort to throw a reciprocal party for them.

"Everybody's gotta get together.  The whole world's gotta get together."

Larry ended up at Porno Gil's party because he mistakenly called him by accident, Gil invited him to the party, and for some reason Larry reluctantly accepted the invite.  

[Thrifty]

10 minutes ago, Mean Machine said:

Larry ended up at Porno Gil's party because he mistakenly called him by accident, Gil invited him to the party, and for some reason Larry reluctantly accepted the invite.  

I remember that much.  It's the last part that perplexes me so much.  Did Larry even know Porno Gil at all? 

[AAEBoiler]

On 11/27/2017 at 3:09 AM, scrb said:

Similarly a lot of actors seem eager to appear on CYE now.

However, for a show that uses actors sometimes playing "themselves" (e.g. Ted Danson, Richard Lewis, etc.) , having Steven Weber as the shucker really took me out of the episode as he was too recognizable. Sure, Lauren Graham is recognizable too but those glasses really make her seem a different person. I guess it's the "Clark Kent - Superman" effect.

[scrb]

Bridget would tell her friends that she dated LD, the co creator of Seinfeld, not by some sexual reference.

[ganesh]

"You're dating Larry David?" "Yeah, I call him Larry Longballs. Let me tell you why." Since Bridget clearly had no problem talking about all her exes in front of the entire dinner party, she's not suddenly going to hold back because Larry created a big tv show. 

[MaggieG]

19 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

They didn't seem to be too different from their regular faces, lol.  Difficult to imagine Susie Greene as someone who would even like, or want to have sex.

Unless it's with cowboy Steven Weber!