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Written by Madeline Boden
The season finale of Curb lays out all the changes that Larry has undergone in the last ten episodes of this season. The Hollywood based curmudgeon has relocated to New York City in the wake of his divorce and now he’s back on the prowl for a woman that can temper his… unique personality. But for Larry David, no matter the location or the lady, some things will always stay the same. This episode touches on what life changes middle-aged Larry has made in such a short space of time, and also the constants that we have to come to love/hate (in pure Marmite form) him for.
The episode opens with Larry sitting in his dinner date’s living room, pleasantly passing the time away by drawing Hitler moustaches on ads in a coffee table magazine. Confronted by a sweet-toned eight-year-old (a fantastic characterisation of the media-saturated tween) about the “fabulous lines” of the swastika, we see Curb’s best foot forward: hilarious, off-the-cuff improvising. David, writer as well as star of the show, is known to write about two to three pages of script for the show before he lets his actors ad lib the rest. This B-Plot is surprisingly sweet for all its awkward pondering on “pre-gay” adolescents and doesn’t overstep its mark as much as the main storyline of the episode does.
Michael J Fox makes an appearance as Larry’s upstairs neighbour, in his current persona of saint and crusader of Parkinson’s Disease. David, however, never afraid to confront a social norm, questions whether Fox uses his disease as a get-out-of-jail-free card after a series of mishaps, all seemingly directed against Larry. The first few jabs at Fox’s disease land well. Fox is in on the gags and they’re a refreshing look at a man that seems to have become a martyr for chronic illness over the last few years.
However, as Larry’s paranoia sets it, the jokes become less and less funny and more a cheap trick preaching to the converted. Yes, Larry, you make things awkward. Yes, they’re all out to get you. But come on, “was that shaking his head or a Parkinson shake?” isn’t going to catch on anytime soon. In a moment of frustration as Larry confronts him, Fox declares, “Your life would be fascinating if it wasn’t so f***ing tragic.” Fox successfully spits out with the flourish of a “Parkinson shake” what this entire show has been about. Luckily for David, we’re still fascinated.
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