'Enthusiasm' Curbed

Ya know, when I wrote about the "Seinfeld" arc on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" being a reprieve from the former's recent syndication shuffle, I didn't know I'd also need the Season 7 subplot as a diversion from "Curb" itself.

Last night's "The Hot Towel" was, even by my usually fawning standards, an almost unwatchable, 30-minute patchwork of Larry being abruptly and needlessly bullying to Ted Danson, Christian Slater and guest star Phillip Baker Hall. It was as if he was trying to emphasize how unchecked the Larry persona  had become in Cheryl's absence, before re-invigorating the real storyline of the season, which is pursuing his fictional ex by casting her in a "Seinfeld" reunion.

And that, as a device, may have been more forgivable had this occasionally inspired season not already been littered with creepily crass middle-aged sexuality (Susie pleasing Jeff in "Vehicular Fellatio," Jeff audibly moaning and groaning mid-intercourse with a mentally challenged Catherine O'Hara in the premiere, et al), uniquely (even for "Curb") unprompted neurotic outbursts (his shenanigans with Loretta's physician come to mind) and other incidents that are indicating perhaps, like Cheryl, we need a little less Larry.

Which, again, may well be the point. But the problem is that what I (nay, we) always loved about "Curb" is watching him inflict misery and indignation on his uber-wealthy, semi-fictional Hollywood peers and neighbors, not putting us through it as well in some kind of virtual Larry reality experiment.

Here's to hoping next week, and the ensuing handful of episodes thereafter, are re-focused on the things that always made both the real-life and fictional Larry David great: Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer, and now, Cheryl.