(S06E06) "I can't pause toast!" - Leon
Best episode of the season thus far. Hands down. Plus, and I know people have been harping on me in the comments for constantly bringing this up, but Larry finally dropped the morbid themes. I'm not saying previous episodes this season have been bad because of their tone, but when they're similar to this one it's better. Larry's trademark jovial obscene and sexual humor always makes for the best episodes and this one was chock full of it.
To start, we've got to talk about Hal (Tim Meadows) and his deaf wife. First off, her dog does look like a rat and from the second we met Mike The Exterminator, I was just waiting for the moment when he was in the same room as the thing. I was a little bugged by the way Larry "insulted" both of them though. First, Larry offended Hal in a men's bathroom and then did it again to the deaf wife at a department store. I think it bugged me because neither instance felt ambiguous. In each case, it was obvious that Larry wasn't insulting them. For me, those situations usually come off funnier when that ambiguity exists. That's not to say I didn't laugh. Hal thinking that Larry called him a cocksucker while drying his hands was hilarious.
Moving on, I'd like to talk about Cheryl. Early on in the season, myself and some commenters questioned whether or not the potential for an affair between Cheryl and Ted Danson stemmed from Larry's own crumbling marriage which manifested while season six was in production. In this episode, we saw a different side of Cheryl. Granted she was sick, but even for her... this was off. She was overly annoying, needy, whiny, and in a few instances, mean. So I have to wonder if this was just another way for Larry to show how marriage ain't easy. Just a thought.
The ongoing story of Loretta and Leon played a much larger role in this episode too and I appreciated that. They played such an integral role in the season premiere and it was nice to finally get another installment where they mattered. They both had interviews and neither of them got the jobs. Blame Larry. The phone switcheroo was to be expected once they mentioned they had the same cell model, but I could not have prepared myself for the conversation between Leon and Hal. What'd Leon say? Something like, "I'm Barak Obama, president of hittin' that ass!" Comic gold.
Other thoughts:
- Larry's dad is a riot. I loved how the word schmohog came back into play.
- The whole happy ending fiasco was great too and I was hoping we'd see Kathleen York again. I can't believe Larry's dad fell in love with the masseuse though. He wanted to buy her a cappuccino maker!
So... a deaf woman got insulted, a dog got killed, and Larry went on a "date" with an exterminator. Sounds like a pretty typical day in the David household.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-15-2007 @ 2:36PM
Thomas said...
Personally I think the biggest reference to his marriage was the whole thing about the environmentally friendly toilet paper. Larry is no doubt rejoicing that he doesn't have to put up with that anymore as it was mentioned in an article about his wife before they even broke up.
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10-15-2007 @ 10:11AM
Jackie said...
That exterminator was sooooo creepy. I like how he layed the guilt trip to go on a man date with Larry. Even creepier was that it was to a Jr. High School production of Grease.
This was a schlamozzel episode and Larry definitely got the soup spilled on him the whole time.
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10-15-2007 @ 10:21AM
Benoa said...
Ok, warning, negative stuff following :)
I don't know if it's me, but i found this episode even more phony than the others (except maybe the "The Anonymous Donor" which isn't the funniest but at least feels "right")... I can see L.D's writer blueprints all over the place during the episode, and it's painful. It's really frustrating, since I'm a really big fan of the show.
Hate the whole misunderstanding / sign language gag. Come on, too easy. Really too easy and obvious. The phone switch gag outcome was great, but again, the set-up was painful. But, I loved Larry's Dad and his story (hope they'll develop it!)
(don't know if the grammar of my post is ok, I mostly learn it from us tv shows :))
Benoit
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10-15-2007 @ 11:24AM
MacGuffin said...
It was classic CYE, but certainly not the best show of the season so far. That honor would go to SO6E03 - The Ida Funkhouser Roadside Memorial.
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10-15-2007 @ 11:51AM
graigbachman said...
Leon might be the funniest character on TV right now. Everything he says is hilarious.
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10-15-2007 @ 12:54PM
veeelchop said...
the word he uses is "shmo- hawk"
a derivative of mohawk- like the indians
my dad uses this word also.
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10-15-2007 @ 3:17PM
bruce said...
You've got it exactly correct re: the lack of ambiguity in Larry's actions which cause the dispute. That ambiguity has always been the central theme to the show, and the reason the show has declined in quality over the past few seasons, including this one, is that the people with whom Larry is having conflicts are clearly unreasonable. Larry's actions are reasonable and unambiguous, which means when the other person flips out, attacks larry, and demands an apology (standard CYE plot arc), it is not funny, just annoying and frustrating.
Compare the "pants tent" (appearance of an erection in Larry's pants due to the fold in the crotch area) misunderstanding of season 1 with Larry drying his hands, looking forward, and giving a sign language insult to a non-deaf person. It was just idiotic for Hal to have gotten offended. Not funny, and not a clever misunderstanding. Plus, did anyone notice that Larry was using the air dryer when there were paper towels right next to it? That's quite odd for a public restroom, it's usually one or the other. And Larry seems like the type of guy who would shun automatic hand dryers, because they dont work, they take too long, and they're loud (much louder than a flushing toilet which bugged him the last episode). I can see Cheryl using the hand dryer to save paper/trees, but not Larry.
Anyway, I did not like the episode, there just wasn't anything funny about it, other than the rat-dog being stomped on. But that was too predictable. So was the phone-switch when they both commented on how they had the same exact cellphone model.
I'm glad this is the last season of CYE, it should go out now before it really gets bad, like with Seinfeld.
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10-15-2007 @ 1:58PM
Gabe said...
The Exterminator = Chris Farley
I swear to god that I saw Chris Farley (god rest his soul) in that guy, he was hilarious, and I would love to see more of him in the future of the show, I think maybe there should be a termite problem and Larry should hire him and he hangs around a bit too often, sneaking around, smelling underwear, etc. Much better than the worker that spent time in the bathroom and Larry had a little encounter with him. Or when he bought weed from Hugo from LOST.
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10-15-2007 @ 2:55PM
Brandon said...
Hey #7
We thought the same thing about The Exterminator. And we may have something there.
The ending credits had his name listed as Kevin Farley.
Perhaps it is Chris Farley's brother.
Let's hope he can be funny & not go the route of what Jim Belushi became.
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10-15-2007 @ 3:10PM
Evan said...
IMDB says Kevin is, indeed, Chris' younger brother. I couldn't help but think of Chris as the bus driver in "Billy Madison" when watching Kevin as the exterminator. So funny!
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10-15-2007 @ 3:11PM
Jordan said...
Cmon gang...the comments here are WAY to critical. Who cares if theres not enough ambiguity or you know whats going to happen. The show is not a suspense thriller or drama where your on your toes waiting to find out the outcome...the greatness is in the little things you pick up from Larry...facial expressions, tone, crossing the line of the rules everyone else in society follows BUT him. If you watch the show as a critic, getting pissed off if its "too predictable" or seems phony, you are missing the point of what CYE is all about. Its a laugh out load genuis comedy full of rich comics, outrageuos plots that never happen in the socially correct world we live in. I feel bad for you critics who are too hard on the show. Your expectations are simply to high and your missing out on the best half hour of the week.
Long live LD!!
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10-15-2007 @ 5:23PM
SJ said...
You guys didn't mention sick sex!
I couldn't stop laughing when he was rubbing his hands all over Cheryl and she looked at him with disgust.
And another great scene was when Jeff and LD were talking about the masseuse and as Susie comes in suddenly Jeff smoothly transitions into asking her about their "cleaner". LOL! Brilliant episode.
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10-15-2007 @ 5:23PM
JayCaesar said...
when I first saw the exterminator I said oh Sh*t is chris farley the resemblance is uncanny
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10-15-2007 @ 11:21PM
zach Mandell said...
i think it might be chris farley's brother i totally agree i though it definitley reminded me of him. It would be great if someone could help me find out
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10-17-2007 @ 5:30PM
DT Knows Best said...
Guys guys, what kind of TV watchers are you? The man playing the exterminator was indeed Chris Farley's little brother.
The younger fans may remember he was one of the members of the faux MTV Boy Band, N2gether. He's also been featured lately in Hertz car rental commercials.
I guess I'm the only person around here that's heard of him. Shame on you folks for ignoring the career for Chris Farley's less-talented younger brother!
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10-16-2007 @ 3:44PM
Jesse Finley said...
I think people just try to compare every episode of Curb to their favorite episode. Not every episode can be as funny as "The Doll" or "Chet's Shirt". They are all great in their own way.
The show hasn't fallen off at all IMO because I have several friends that just started watching this season and absolutely love the show. People are being way too critical of a brilliant show that is still after 5 1/2 seasons a breath of fresh air on television.
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10-16-2007 @ 9:49PM
bruce said...
Just because it's one of the best things on TV these days doesn't mean it shouldn't be criticized. That only means the general state of the quality of television should be criticized. Crap is still crap, even though some craps are messier and smellier than others.
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10-17-2007 @ 12:10PM
LD said...
How can you take a poll of favorite guest stars from the season and NOT have John McEnroe on there?!?!
"Check out the freaks, Mr. McEnroe."
By the way, this was a great episode. Larry over-pronouncing and acting everything out when he was talking to the deaf woman was hilarious. And Leon's phone call from Hal was brilliant.
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10-21-2007 @ 5:00PM
Alyssa said...
Like you had to wonder if the exterminator was chris farley's brother?! LOL I'm so happy that not only does he look startlingly like him, but he's funny too!
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11-05-2007 @ 10:15AM
rossword said...
When Leon took the phone call from HAL and started his Barack Obama schpiel, who did Leon actually think he was talking to and WHY did he start talking about Obama and hit and Sh *t..???! It was hysterical but... was it supposed to make sense???!
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