# Curb Your Enthusiasm 11/15/09 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728 "2009-11-16T02:42:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/1 "2009-11-16T02:42:49Z")
Holy shit! I laughed my ass off through the entire ep. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/2 "2009-11-16T02:44:58Z")
Great episode! I laughed my ass off when Leon knocked on Michael Richards’ door. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/3 "2009-11-16T04:19:17Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > Great episode! I laughed my ass off when Leon knocked on Michael Richards’ door. Yeah, I didn’t think Richards would agree to bringing that up again, but it was very funny. That cast fell right back into the old rhythms, for sure, and the hostility between Alexander and David is hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/4 "2009-11-16T05:37:10Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Yeah, I didn’t think Richards would agree to bringing that up again, but it was very funny. I think at the very end he was taking the chance to try to explain himself again (“If only there were a name that I could call you that would make you feel as bad as you made me feel!”) So I think it was a bit self-serving. But I agree it was very funny, which is the most important thing. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/5 "2009-11-16T05:40:03Z")
Good stuff. I was amazed at how they tranported me back in time, and they all had that Seinfeld rhythm we all know and love. And I loved Leon the Jew with Groats! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/6 "2009-11-16T05:47:33Z")
I thought it was hilarious that Leon said his Nation of Islam clothes were “the whitest shit I own.” Also liked seeing Michael Richards scared shitless when Leon showed up at his door. It was kind of fascinating to watch the script reading and show rehearsals since it was it was so close to being a real _Seinfeld_ episode. I would imagine that the real table reads for the show were probably pretty close to being exactly like that. I liked seeing some of the secondary _Seinfeld_ characters like Newman and Kenny Bania being represented too, though I would have liked to see Frank Costanza and Puddy as well. ETA the iToilet app sounds like a great idea. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/7 "2009-11-16T16:25:20Z")
The whole iToilet gag was one of the funniest bits. I also liked how they intertwined CYE plotlines into the new Seinfeld reunion script. I haven’t laughed as much at a sitcom episode in years. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/8 "2009-11-16T20:09:00Z")
Good episode and a great setup for next week’s finale. I don’t know if anyone noticed that portions of the “Seinfeld” reunion script were old CYE plots – hiring a hooker to use the fast lane, giving a doll a haircut, etc. A lot of fun scenes, but the read-through was fascinating to watch, with Bania and George’s mom having lines. But the laugh-out-loud moment was when Michael Richards opened the door and saw Leon standing there. Then they topped that with the scene in the lot outside the studio! Too funny! ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/9 "2009-11-17T03:14:41Z")
Some aspects of this episode were very good and funny - all of the _Seinfeld_ stuff, seeing Bania, Newman, and Funkhouser interacting with Jerry. The kid texting subplot was stupid. What kind of moron gives a 9 year old Larry David’s number? And thinks it’s appropriate to have a child texting a grown man? Don’t get me started on the wanton use of “pussy” to refer to a girl’s genitalia. Even Larry wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole (double entendre unintended). ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/10 "2009-11-17T06:58:46Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I liked seeing some of the secondary _Seinfeld_ characters like Newman and Kenny Bania being represented too, though I would have liked to see Frank Costanza and Puddy as well. Don’t forget Crazy Joe Davola… ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/11 "2009-11-17T10:31:44Z")
Seinfeld episodes were inspired by Larry David experiences. The reunion episode is inspired by CYE Larry David experiences which are presumably inspired by real Larry David experiences. All very meta. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Happy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Mr\_Happy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Happy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/12 "2009-11-17T15:00:54Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > I think at the very end he was taking the chance to try to explain himself again (“If only there were a name that I could call you that would make you feel as bad as you made me feel!”) So I think it was a bit self-serving. > > But I agree it was very funny, which is the most important thing. Try and explain himself? It was clearly a reference to the fact that Michael Richards has used the word “nigger” so much in the past. It wasn’t self-serving, it was self-depricating. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/13 "2009-11-17T15:30:58Z")
> [@Mr\_Happy](#): > > Try and explain himself? > It was clearly a reference to the fact that Michael Richards has used the word “nigger” so much in the past. > It wasn’t self-serving, it was self-depricating. I don’t know. I took it (that scene) as him sayiing “I’m not really a racist! I just said that to outrage you! It’s not how I really feel!” All of which may be true, of course, but it struck me as more of Michael Richards trying to explain what he did back in 2006 (or whenever it was) and try to put it into a context that doesn’t make him seem as hateful as people might think he is. Which is self-serving. Still funny though. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/14 "2009-11-17T15:34:23Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > I don’t know. I took it (that scene) as him sayiing “I’m not really a racist! I just said that to outrage you! It’s not how I really feel!” > > All of which may be true, of course, but it struck me as more of Michael Richards trying to explain what he did back in 2006 (or whenever it was) and try to put it into a context that doesn’t make him seem as hateful as people might think he is. Which is self-serving. > > Still funny though. I don’t see that at all. It was simply a reference to his previous use of the word “nigger.” It was completely making fun of himself. And was very funny. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/15 "2009-11-17T16:20:18Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Some aspects of this episode were very good and funny - all of the _Seinfeld_ stuff, seeing Bania, Newman, and Funkhouser interacting with Jerry. The kid texting subplot was stupid. What kind of moron gives a 9 year old Larry David’s number? And thinks it’s appropriate to have a child texting a grown man? Don’t get me started on the wanton use of “pussy” to refer to a girl’s genitalia. Even Larry wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole (double entendre unintended). Of all the characters on CYE, Funkhouser is my least favorite. I would go so far as to say that I detest both the character and the actor. The joke he related to Seinfeld in this episode was beyond tasteless and offensive, and was completely irrelevant to the story line. While the nine-year-old subplot was also somewhat offensive, it was also amusing. I have to wonder if Jerry was aware of that bit of dialog coming at him. The look on his face of complete confusion and bafflement was very real, and one of the funnier moments of the ep. ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/16 "2009-11-17T18:58:11Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I have to wonder if Jerry was aware of that bit of dialog coming at him. The look on his face of complete confusion and bafflement was very real, and one of the funnier moments of the ep. HBO had a special before this season started about CYE, and they said that most of the dialog is improvised, which is how they get such great genuine reactions sometimes. So Jerry probably wasn’t aware of it. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/17 "2009-11-17T19:05:14Z")
Didn’t he say something like, “I’m surprised, I didn’t expect it to be that revolting,” in a way that sounded pretty genuine. From what I know of how the show works, LD gives actors outlines for how scenes should go, but does not write direct dialogue. I wouldn’t be surprised if his instructions to Bob Einstein were along the lines of, “Marty tells Jerry a joke,” and Einstein decided to run with something unexpectedly off-color (especially in how the punchline was delivered) just to get a better reaction out of Jerry. Marty Funkhauser is supposed to be an annoying character, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/18 "2009-11-17T22:05:16Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Marty Funkhauser is supposed to be an annoying character, by the way. In a cast of annoying characters, he succeeds beyond all expectations. The reaction from Jerry I was talking about, however, was when LD asks the mother about the little girl’s rash. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Happy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Mr\_Happy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Happy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/19 "2009-11-18T01:44:07Z")
Anyone else kinda not like a lot of the Seinfeld dialogue? Lots of it seemed too topical and I dont remember Seinfeld being like that at all. Maybe I’m wrong and just have a bad memory but did they ever do anything similar to the “George/Bernie Madoff” dialogue? ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728/20 "2009-11-18T04:21:50Z")
> [@Mr\_Happy](#): > > Anyone else kinda not like a lot of the Seinfeld dialogue? > Lots of it seemed too topical and I dont remember Seinfeld being like that at all. > > Maybe I’m wrong and just have a bad memory but did they ever do anything similar to the “George/Bernie Madoff” dialogue? The take-off on the O.J. Simpson white Bronco chase comes to mind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curb-your-enthusiasm-11-15-09/517728.md?page=2)