What I’m Watching: Curb Your Enthusiasm

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 8, Episode 4 “The Smiley Face” (B+)

This episode was nothing if not brilliantly constructed. The chain of events from start to finish seemed very carefully thought out, and I was quite impressed with the progression. To have Dr. Rivkin get separated from the funeral party so that everyone would have a chance to talk about how long he keep his patients waiting and to have Jeff console Antoinette’s mother at just the moment that Susie walked in because, thanks to Larry and Jeff’s lie, she thought he was having an affair was superb. The episode’s ending high-pitched “No!” from Heidi followed by Larry’s fearful expression was a terrific send-off as well. I was thrilled to see Rebecca Creskoff from “Hung” as Heidi, and even if she wasn’t as aggressive as usual, she got a perfect revenge on Larry by selectively putting sun block on his head to give him a permanent smiley face there. Two other familiar faces popped up in this episode, the fantastic Patrick Fischler from “Mad Men” as the overeager hugger Stu and Lauren Bowles, currently appearing as witch Holly on “True Blood,” as his wife Miriam. The deathbed value was uncomfortable at times, as is the course for this show, and Larry’s problem with texting emoticons and lending money were expected but still amusing. What proved absolutely hilarious was Larry giving up a cabinet and then finding his stuff scrunched into one cabinet, before making the situation worse and getting himself locked out of Dog’s Private Kitchen altogether. Only on this show.