Some say you should pick your battles, but on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David decided long ago to fight all of them. From small children to his fellow elderly and from funerals to courtrooms, no person or place can stop Larry from making a scene. Sometimes he’s clearly in the wrong, as when he steals shoes from a Holocaust museum in season 11 or locks a woman in a wheelchair into a closet so he can cheat on her with another paraplegic woman in season seven. Other times, Larry is mostly correct but probably should have left things alone. Respecting wood is important, for instance, but it’s not worth throwing away your last shot to revive your marriage.
The beauty of Curb Your Enthusiasm is that Larry is usuallyin the right. Most of the time, this just means he’s the victim of an embarrassing misunderstanding, but sometimes he’s right in a bold, admirable way. Sometimes he proves himself not just correct but an unexpected warrior on the right side of history. Here are some of Larry’s most unexpectedly heroic moments — when he behaves honorably not only for self-gain but for the betterment of humanity. We’ve found, despite Larry’s consistent grumpiness, that he has actually grown more heroic as time goes by.
Helping the chef with Tourette’s (season 3, “The Grand Opening”)
Although it’s technically illegal for companies to discriminate against people with Tourette’s in the hiring process, there’s still an unfortunate bias against them in practice. In Curb’s season-three finale’s big-crisis moment, when Chef Bernier (Paul Sand) yells out a string of profanities that threatens to tank Larry’s new restaurant on opening night, it’s easy to see why.
Luckily, Larry comes to his rescue. “Scumsucking motherfucking whore!” he screams, and after a few moments of agonizing silence, other patrons follow his lead. Soon, everyone is cursing in solidarity with the chef, letting his Tourette’s be not a hindrance but a charming, unexpected quirk of the restaurant. It’s a rare heartwarming ending for a Curb episode, one that helps Larry’s business partners avoid losing a ton of money and lets Chef Bernier avoid embarrassment. Sometimes all you need to relieve the tension in the room is for one brave individual to take a risk, and for that, Larry will always be the man for the job.
Refusing to smile for others’ benefit (season 7, “The Hot Towel”)
Is there anything more insulting than someone telling you to smile? To force yourself to pretend to be extra happy just so they don’t get bummed out by the sight of you? It’s an attitude women put up with constantly from men, which is why Larry’s reaction to a gender-swapped version of this scenario is so gratifying. “Hey, mind your business, how about that?” he yells at the unfamiliar woman who tells him to smile, speaking on behalf of generations of women who were patronized before him. As this scene makes clear, Larry is more than just a pretty face. He’s a fierce defender of the idea that no woman (or man!) should shield their emotions for anyone else’s comfort.
Teaching a Girl Scout how to use a tampon (season 8, “The Divorce”)
When a girl gets her period for the first time, the last person she would want to ask for help is Larry David. Nevertheless, he is exactly whom Girl Scout Kyra (Kaitlyn Dever) is forced to rely on. With no women around for assistance, a freshly divorced Larry must guide this poor child through the ins and outs of tampon insertion.
As much as the scene feels like a recipe for disaster, Larry does an admirable job. He may not know exactly what to do, but he has the right spirit; he understands menstruation is a natural bodily function that shouldn’t have any embarrassing or moral connotations. The girl’s father, who demands an apology from Larry for teaching his daughter how to use the tampon, is the guy who’s being a creep about the situation, not Larry. “If her nose is running and she needed a tissue, I would have given her a tissue. Same thing!” Larry says.
Helping Bill Buckner redeem himself (season 8, “Mister Softee”)
After missing an easy ground ball in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, former Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner endured years of death threats and fan grudges exacerbated by a sports media that considered his error a more exciting explanation for the team’s loss than John McNamara’s questionable management. That’s why it’s so cathartic when, 25 years later, Larry reaches out to Buckner and actively defends him against the haters.
Although the Buckner we meet in this episode seems mainly at peace with what happened, it’s still one of the series’ most heartwarming moments when Larry not only befriends him but gives him a chance to redeem himself by catching a baby that’s being thrown from a window during an apartment-building fire. When it comes to the big things in life, Curb argues, you can indeed count on Bill Buckner.
Buying Greg the sewing machine (season 8, “Larry vs. Michael J. Fox”)
The fearmongering around queer people indoctrinating children has been around for centuries, but it has had a resurgence in the past few years. From restrictive state legislation to social-media harassment campaigns, we’ve seen all sorts of loud calls for protecting childhood innocence that are actually about confirming adult prejudices and paranoia. Letting a boy play with a stereotypically girly toy if he wants to isn’t grooming, but many right-wingers certainly disagree.
That’s why it felt extra impressive when, in 2011, Larry gives his new girlfriend’s son a sewing machine for his birthday. “What, are you trying to turn him gay?” the girlfriend (Ana Gasteyer) asks. Susie joins in on the criticism, accusing Larry of being inappropriate for bringing the kid’s sexuality into the gift. But all Larry did was listen to what Greg said about loving fashion and buy him a gift he genuinely (and correctly) believed the kid would enjoy. Larry dismantles the idea that people should deny themselves things they like because of the connotations an intolerant society has thrust upon them. In an episode in which the other characters force their adult ideas of sexuality onto a harmless gift for Greg, Larry is the only one who actually listens to him — and may have started him off on a fulfilling fashion career in the process. Let’s just hope Greg gets better at discerning which symbols are appropriate to stitch into pillow shams.
Giving a sex worker genuinely good advice (season 9, “The Pickle Gambit”)
Although this episode finds Larry in hiding over fears of assassination, he still makes time to help out a sex worker he meets while waiting for a hotel elevator. He gives her well-intentioned business tips for attracting a nicer clientele, and it actually works out, never blowing up in either character’s face. Okay, it does lead to Marty Funkhouser’s nephew being trampled to death in a bull stampede, but surely there’s no way Larry could have anticipated that chain of events.
This is another moment that demonstrates how Larry’s capacity for kindness isn’t limited to those deemed acceptable by polite society. He passes no moral judgment toward sex workers of any kind, especially a smart and earnest one like Paula (Bianca Kajlich) who’s just trying to do her job in this chaotic world.
Honking at a police officer (season 9, “A Disturbance in the Kitchen”)
Public support for more police accountability has grown in recent years, but rarely has the case been made so blatantly (and pettily) as in this episode. Larry honks at an officer who’s clearly on his phone at a red light, and the officer gives him a ticket for it. Larry tries to defend himself by saying he didn’t expect the horn to sound so aggressive, but this is a rare case of his being overly courteous. He has every right to honk as loud as he wants; if the situation were reversed, the officer could have easily done far worse to him.
“Nobody’s above the beep,” Larry says, and he’s not wrong. Texting at a light is against the law for a reason, and a police officer of all people should know not to do it. Tragically, Larry loses this battle (he makes the mistake of trying to “yoo-hoo” the judge), but he deserves credit for trying. He fought the good fight, and at least he is free afterward to continue battling injustice wherever it lurks.
Treating a veteran like a person (season 9, “Thank You for Your Service”)
When Jeff and Susie introduce Larry to their soon-to-be son-in-law, Victor (Chet Hanks), Larry’s the only one in the room not to give him a phony, exaggerated thank-you for his military service. Instead, Larry goes for a genuine “Hey, nice to meet you.” The other characters (even Victor at first) consider this insulting, but it’s the only approach that actually treats Victor like a regular human being. This honest, more personal greeting is what most young veterans actually prefer. They recognize a hollow line when they hear it and would much rather talk with someone who’s more interested in the person behind the uniform. Larry’s the only one in the episode who takes the time to get to know Victor — not just by talking to him normally but inviting him to join in one of his hobbies. Sure, this ends with Victor having a violent PTSD-induced meltdown, but it’s the thought that counts.
Encouraging Leon to enjoy watermelon in public (season 11, “The Watermelon”)
Racism is an insidious thing; it can even make a person feel shame for behavior that shouldbe harmless and unremarkable. This is the case with poor Leon (J.B. Smoove), who can’t eat watermelon in front of white people because of the stereotype that Black people love watermelon. Luckily, Larry’s there to help his friend out, taking him to a nearby grocery store and loudly declaring that it’s fine for anyone to enjoy any food they want, regardless of whatever racial connotations it may have. Just because racists want to make fun of Black people for eating watermelon doesn’t mean Leon needs to give up this delicious fruit, just as Larry shouldn’t let Jewish stereotypes prevent him from eating gefilte fish or herring. Viewers have been trained to expect Larry’s outburst at the grocery store to get him kicked out, or for Larry to be misunderstood as racist himself, but instead, it’s a massive success. The people were long waiting for Larry to deliver this message; they just didn’t realize it until then.
Violating Georgia’s anti-voting laws (season 12, “Atlanta”)
Back in 2021, Georgia passed a law that forbids anyone from providing food or water to people waiting in line to vote, a line they’re often forced to stay in for hours. This earned quite a bit of backlash at the time, but the legislation hasn’t changed. Larry isn’t going to let the Georgia state government off the hook so easily. He hands Auntie Rae a water bottle and quickly finds himself in the middle of a big dramatic trial.
Sure, Larry isn’t aware that he’s breaking the law, but his actions nevertheless start a renewed media focus (both within the show and in real life) on the unfairness of the policy and the many obstacles Georgians have to pass through to make their voices heard at the polls. This ongoing season-12 storyline has proved that even when Larry doesn’t intend to be a hero, he still finds a way. The main characters on Seinfeld go to jail in the end for declining to help out a fellow citizen, but if Larry is imprisoned in the season-12 finale, it’ll be for the exact opposite offense.
By Michael Boyle , 2024-04-03 21:00:07
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