What I’m Watching: Curb Your Enthusiasm

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 10, Episode 5 “Insufficient Praise” (B+)

This episode was full of major guest stars, all of whom contributed in positive ways. The least memorable was Vince Vaughn, who played Freddy Funkhouser, who main concerns were getting Larry the sex doll and ensuring that his uncle didn’t spend too much time paying for porn on the internet. Isla Fisher, whose international stardom began with her costarring role with Vaughn in “Wedding Crashers,” was Richard Lewis’ latest girlfriend, who got Larry to give her his mother’s mink coat before revealing that she is a professional crier, something that predictably got Larry to suspect that she had conned him. And then there was Clive Owen, who gave a passionate performance in his one-man show but didn’t think that Larry had sufficiently praised him, which was confirmed when Larry went overboard in expressing his affinity for the food Susie was serving. Having Carol come to the show to cry and motivate Owen to greatness was clever, though of course she always has to go and tell people what she does, ruining the initial effectiveness of her work. I didn’t think it was necessary to have Larry look like he was having sex with the doll while trying to deflate it so that his housekeeper and then Cheryl could catch him in the act, but giving it to the horny uncle was a smart way to fix two problems. Larry’s assertion that his coffeehouse guests should only be allowed to pee is entirely absurd, and I look forward to seeing how poorly that goes over if he ever manages to open it, especially with Ted Danson now funding his competition just to get back at him.