(Season 2, Episodes 1-2)
I’m patiently awaiting the day when Ted Danson and Marty Funkhouser (Bob Einstein) join Richard Lewis as semi-regulars on Curb Your Enthusiasm … Lewis is just so annoying. And as inexplicable as the show is in general, his appearances usually make absolutely no sense with the flow of the story. I think he’s better off just staying home.
2.1 “The Car Salesman”
Not that there need be a linear progression to this series, but I was a bit lost on the new house plot that season two opened with. There was no explanation, no reason given for the change of address. You’d think someone would have at least mentioned something about why Cheryl and Larry were not only moving, but had already vacated their own house and moved into a hotel while they looked … that usually means “offer we couldn’t refuse” or natural disaster.
Anyway, I knew it was coming at some point, but it was fun to see the beginning of a Jason Alexander plot. Obviously he and Larry don’t end up working together again, but that doesn’t mean that the situation isn’t ripe with potential, especially when Larry David’s the guy scripting it.
The car salesman thing was just weird. Why in the world would Larry be intrigued by working on a car lot? At the same time, what possible reason could Cheryl have for being so anti the prospect? Has Larry not made enough money to go into a commission-based business that he likely sucks at, based on its people-person emphasis? As long as it’s getting him out of the house, or in this case the hotel room, what does it matter what he’s doing with his time?
Overall, a very weird entre to season two.
2.2 “Thor”
I wasn’t surprised that Jeff and Susie (temporarily) split, although I expected that it would be her leaving him for cheating on her. I didn’t expect, nor do I want to even think about, the potential sexual blackmail that Susie can hang over Jeff’s head.
But it did connect funnily to Cheryl thinking that Larry had a butt fetish, especially after he made some dumb comment when seeing Wanda Sykes jogging by his car. Do the Seinfeld alum have some weird affinity for the unfunny comic? She was also a regular on The New Adventures of Old Christine for a couple of seasons….
I loved how Cheryl’s brief complaint about AAA’s politics led Larry to arrive at a meeting with Jason Alexander super late, after attempting to change his own tire. His and Jason’s argument over where to hold their next meeting, with Jason arguing that, as it was a replacement meeting it should be in the same place — “Let’s finish what we started” — was great, and I’ll bet mostly ad-libbed.
The Thor story was boring, but again, it was mainly a vehicle for the tire and meeting scenes. And I did appreciate watching Larry tell the wrestler’s kids that “Daddy’s a big fake.” I thought they were going to punch him, or put him in a half nelson, or something.
And I can say that, after getting my feet wet on season one, I saw the “out of nowhere” moment coming from a mile away — as soon as Jeff’s mother unintentionally displayed her butt to Larry in the car, I knew there was a picture citation coming in the mail. But it was still funny watching Cheryl open the envelope up!
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jul 23, 2010 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
