TV Review: CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, 8.8 - "Car Periscope"

rating:3.5

Curb Your Enthusiasm tends to have two kinds of episode: those that are more unpredictable and focused on smaller social intricacies, and those that are all-out ridiculous and unrelenting in their decision to render plot points ("The Bare Midriff" springs to mind, with Larry David urinating on a painting of Jesus and later hanging on a woman's love handles from a rooftop). Depending on what you get out of watching the Seinfeld co-creator's antics, most fans probably have a preference when it comes to the show's style. The Larry dies and goes to Heaven sequence in season five's "The End", for instance, gave proof that restraint is definitely necessary in a show that attempts to (as silly as it may get sometimes) emulate some form of reality - Larry David is playing himself, after all. When Larry is up in Heaven conversing with Dustin Hoffman and Sacha Baron Cohen, it's easy to pine for simpler times, when merely going out for dinner spelled disaster for Larry and Cheryl. But done right, both episode types have the potential to become comic gems. "Car Periscope" dances on that ridiculous stage, arms floundering and legs tapping. The result is an episode of funny, absurdly obnoxious television, but there's no escaping the fact that Curb Your Enthusiasm has become a rather heavy-handed show. That's to say, "Car Periscope" comes off as more of a caper, and seems a long way from examining social ethics in the show's early days. There's reasoning behind this episode's heightened television show feel - it's paying a tribute to classic Judge-based TV shows. Why exactly? Not sure. Which show, exactly? That isn't clear, either, but there's an extended car chase sequence and a hunt for a "one-armed man" (The Fugitive?), complete with bustling musical cues and snappy one-liners. Confused? Let's set the groundwork. "Car Periscope" inhabits an amusingly dense plot, the main story of which follows Larry and Jeff (Jeff Garlin) as they visit an inventor named Ira who has just finished the prototype for (you guessed it) a car periscope. Ridiculous as it seems, Larry and Jeff take to the streets with bonafide enthusiasm to find that it's actually kind of useful. They dodge the traffic, and even Susie (Susie Essman) is impressed. Meanwhile, Larry finds himself at odds with an acquaintance, Henry, during a party. Henry's father was once a famous TV Judge, now in his eighties and suffering with dementia. Larry decides to pay him a visit and walks in on a Scrabble game between the Judge and a one-armed man. After some banter about the arm from Larry (his point about losing the arm when cuddling in bed rings especially true), trouble emerges when Henry thinks Larry has been cheating at Scrabble and the one-armed man disappears. "Car Periscope" also sees Larry opening up a new Curb observation: you can trust a man based on how attractive his wife is. The less attractive the wife, the more you can trust the man. That's dignity, after all. Ira's wife isn't very attractive, which, for Larry and Jeff, seals the deal when it comes to investing in the periscope. This little observation pops up throughout the episode, and brings Larry into a physical confrontation with a fiery woman who just wanted to hold his popcorn. Wanda Sykes also makes a return to the show and steals Larry's personal trainer, and Larry proves he's an idea man, but most definitely not an inventor. In the sense that "Car Periscope" can be admired for tying up each story with a satisfying conclusion (here's an episode that doesn't leave any threads hanging), there's a real feeling of inauthenticity lingering on some of the character reactions here. It's been said before, but it doesn't hurt to say it again: Curb Your Enthusiasm isn't a subtle show, but you believe in the way characters turn on Larry because the world he's crafted gives them reason to be rude, obnoxious and egotistical. That's all they know. The difference is, in earlier seasons, characters were given time to build up their hatred for Larry, and to let it seep under their skin. Whether it came out in a frenzy of profanity or a physical attack, you saw it coming - either Larry had pushed his luck, or that character had been ready to blow. When Ira turns on Larry in a matter of seconds at the movie theatre in "Car Periscope" (despite the fact that he needs Larry's investment), it emerges from nowhere. We know it's just driving the plot. The character aspect is lost. I know, I know: Curb is a self-serving machine. Each reaction pushes the show closer to the finish until the circle is complete. Always knowing that never mattered. But there was once a time when you were able to forget it was happening.