What I’m Watching: Curb Your Enthusiasm

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 9, Episode 9 “The Shucker” (B-)

Sometimes this show isn’t quite as funny as it wants to be. That’s not to suggest that this episode was bad, but rather that some of its elements didn’t work all that well. Larry going on Judge Judy was a particularly excessive instance, and you’d think that he would bother to change the locks or let go of the plant that he’s neglected for many years. The story of the shucker was also a bit of a dud, though Steven Weber is always great in whatever he does. The uncontrolled infidelity that exists on this show is mind-boggling to me, as we knew recently that Jeff was sleeping with his realtor and Susie was only into the cowboy hat because she was having an affair with the shucker. I thought that Bridget was gone after last episode, but it appears that it took one of the episode’s funnier elements, the relationship nondisclosure contract, to get her to leave the bedroom at night and storm out, presumably not to return again. Fatwa the Musical seems to be on track now that Lin-Manuel Miranda is involved, but Larry falling asleep next to America Ferrera’s Mrs. Miranda after attending the show instead of his shucker so that the fact that he fell asleep the first time wouldn’t be outed might have ruined all that. Miranda competing with Larry for the boss’ chair was mildly amusing, but I think that this episode could have been better. This show often scores, but not isn’t always a slam dunk when it casts real people as themselves.