Despite what Leon may think, Larry David definitely 'brought it' Sunday night.
Between the 'pre-date date' with Denise Handicap, saving his BlackBerry over the drowning Sammy, fighting Rosie O'Donnell over a check, refusing to try a piece of pie and insisting that little Kelsey could inherently use chopsticks because she's Chinese, Wendy Wheelchair was one of the funniest episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm that I have ever seen.
The misanthrope never ceases to amaze. LD has a brilliant mind for comedy and is able to take common social situations and monsoon them into disastrously uncomfortable encounters.
And I love to watch the awkwardness unfold.
Let's face it: Larry is inconsiderate, obnoxious, rude and oblivious to others' feelings. But his unorthodox stance on common – and sometimes uncommon – social interactions leads to hilarity week after week.
Regardless of how ridiculous some of the circumstances may be, Curb actually raises some interesting debates.
Are guys who sit down to pee less manly than those who stand? Would you still trust your doctor if you saw her giving vehicular fellatio? Is it acceptable to pick up a hooker in order to be eligible to drive in the HOV lane?
Aside from ‘yes' being the obvious answer to all of these questions, Curb Your Enthusiasm does an excellent job of showing both sides of social extremes.
LD chose to save his BlackBerry over a drowning girl. It was funny to watch him play Brickbreaker instead of watching Sammy swim in the ocean, but underneath the layer of humor he raises a serious question: How attached have we become to our cell phones?
He doesn't stop there.
When we see someone in a wheelchair, we feel obligated to be overtly nice. We hold doors, we smile, we're patient and apparently we comp bottles of champagne and desert, too.
But is this morally right? Are we doing a justice to society or are we ostracizing the handicapped even more by treating them with extra care?
David also touched upon the concept of misrepresentation.
Larry seemed to show some compassion when he and Denise arrived at a restaurant that did not have a handicap accessible ramp. It seemed as though LD was finally displaying a sensitive side – but of course, it was only short-lived.
He carried his pre-date date up to the restaurant doors, grunting and moaning at every step. When they finally sat down to dinner, Larry astutely criticized Denise for acting weird all night. She then admitted that she was disappointed by Larry's baldness. Frankly, his lack of hair surprised her because when he asked her out he was wearing a hat.
The irony, of course, is that when Larry asked Denise to attend the Chee Yun recital, she was sitting down and he didn't realize she was in a wheelchair.
I feel like only Larry David could get himself into such a predicament; however, I wonder what I would do if ever put in that situation.
I mean seriously, how do you 'do your dizzle' with someone in a wheelchair?
Curb poses questions we would never dare to ask ourselves and does so in a humorous manner.
What if one of Kelsey's parents actually was a schizophrenic? Would you have asked Wendy Wheelchair if she knew Denise Handicap? How would you have stored their names in your phones? If two people in wheelchairs were chasing you, would you look for the nearest stairs?
The point is, everyone acts and reacts differently. Some people adhere to social standards and others are oblivious to these norms. No two people share the same etiquette and this leads to awkward situations and dissenting opinions.
Thanks to Curb, every week we get a glance at these improbably, yet hilarious endeavors.
So next time you encounter one of these uncomfortable situations, ask yourself this: What would Larry David do?
When worse comes to worst, you'll at least have a funny story to tell.
E-mail: andrew.wiktor@ubspectrum.com
