Description

All 10 episodes from the sixth season of the award-winning US TV series in which Larry David (of ‘Seinfeld’ fame), has it all – career, happy marriage, friends, beautiful home – but always finds that in spite of his seemingly perfect existence, his day-to-day life can, and generally does, turn into a sequence of misfortunes. In this series, Larry takes in some hurricane refugees, splits up with his girlfriend, and has his bathroom habits brought into question. Episodes comprise: ‘Meet The Blacks’, ‘The Anonymous Donor’, ‘The Ida Funkhauser Roadside Memorial’, ‘The Lefty Call’, ‘The Freak Book’, ‘The Rat Book’, ‘The TiVo Guy’, ‘The N Word’, ‘The Therapists’ and ‘The Bat Mitzvah’. Throughout Curb Your Enthusiasm’s fifth season, HBO’s master of passive-aggression went in search of his roots. In the sixth, Larry returns to his old tricks–to the relief of fans who felt the show was losing its way. As usual, most scenarios revolve around problems unique to neurotic millionaires. Larry’s voice of reason, wife Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), continues to save him from himself (when she can). This time, the 10-episode arc turns to Roots when the Davids take in the Blacks, a family of African-American hurricane evacuees, including Loretta (Vivica A. Fox) and her brother, Leon (an uproariously profane J.B. Smoove). Naturally, “L.D.” offends other groups along the way, like an Asian gentleman (” The Anonymous Donor”), a chemotherapy patient (” The Lefty Call”), a deaf woman (” The Rat Dog”), and tennis-player-turned-comedian John McEnroe, a group unto himself (” The Freak Book”). During the year, Larry also tangles with an X-rated dessert, an unsympathetic senator (Rep. Barbara Boxer as herself), an inebriated chauffeur (Toby Huss), the infinite superiority of Ted Danson, and the usual games of oneupmanship with Jeff Greene (Jeff Garlin), Richard Lewis (himself) and Marty Funkhouser (Bob “Super Dave” Einstein, brother of director Albert Brooks). Since Curb Your Enthusiasm takes its inspiration from David’s real life, the big news arrives when Cheryl, a character based on environmental activist Laurie David, walks out on him. Then their friends pick sides. Thereafter, things really start to go downhill, resulting in some of Larry’s funniest faux pas ever–until R&B vocalist John Legend steps in to save the day. Not literally, but his soulful singing sets the scene for the surprisingly sweet finale.– Kathleen C. Fennessy