Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 2)

Curb Your Enthusiasm had its growing pains, but Season 2 is generally considered to be the point where the show really finds its voice, and I absolutely agree.

Season 2 is the first Curb Your Enthusiasm season to have a central story arc, albeit not one of the better ones. The main premise is that Larry and Jason Alexander (who plays George in Seinfeld) decide to pitch a show about an actor who is only known for a single character no matter what they do, essentially poking fun at the infamous Seinfeld Curse (which has since been broken thanks to Veep). Much of the season has Larry trying out a bunch of channels, and even replacing main leads at one point, but I couldn't help but feel like this storyline was a bit undercooked and ultimately predictable. There were stretches of episodes where Larry's show wasn't even mentioned, and given how Larry only really got a win in a single episode so far (Trick Or Treat), it was pretty obvious that he wouldn't actually be able to successfully pitch his show. Later in Curb, some of these storylines do actually end on a relatively happy note, but that hasn't really started to happen yet. Regardless, the sheer presence of a connective storyline already does a lot to make this season an improvement over its predecessor, it's just that it's not as ambitious and well-thought as in later seasons.

As for the general quality of its episodes, Season 2 of Curb Your Enthusiasm is generally a pretty huge improvement on the first. Where in that season there was only really one episode I'd call great (Beloved Aunt), Season 2 had a bunch of really strong episodes, particularly the season's first three episodes and the one-two punch of The Doll and Shaq. However, this season was also a lot more uneven than the first, as while it had higher high points, it also had lower low points. Right before that aforementioned one-two punch, we got The Thong and The Acupuncturist, easily the two weakest episodes to date. I think this season put a bit more of an emphasis on the cringe comedy, which means that when it works, it can be absolutely hysterical, but when it doesn't, it can lead to episodes that just feel uncomfortable rather than funny. Thankfully, Season 2's standalone episodes were successful more often than they weren't.

This still isn't Curb at its peak, but there were way more top-notch episodes that are worth talking about than in Season 1:

Trick Or Treat: Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes tend to hinge on their pay-offs, and Trick Or Treat has one of the best payoffs ever. While the whole Wagner subplot is funny on its own, Larry using an orchestra to play the song in front of the guy who criticized him for humming in it the first place is so goddamn petty you can't help but love it. Also, the "Bald Asshole is a hate crime" exchange is one of my favorites in the season.

The Doll: The Doll was definitely one of my most fondly remembered episodes of the show, and it holds up incredibly well. While the highlight is definitely best character Susie's hysterical outburst, the whole episode just crosses the line and keeps going, from Larry cutting the doll's hair, to decapitating another doll, to putting the doll head in his pants, to that dark but hysterical final scene.

Shaq: Coming directly after the very dark and uncomfortable The Doll, this was probably one of the most feel-good episodes of the whole show! Larry accidentally tripping Shaquille O'Neil is such a hilarious and surreal premise, and I love how the action causes everyone to want to keep their distance from Larry, which for a fairly antisocial curmudgeon like him, is a dream come true. I also have to say that his reconciliation with Shaq was actually really cute, even if it earns Larry his bad luck back.

Overall, Season 2 of Curb Your Enthusiasm is generally an improvement on the first, with a solid central story arc and way more great episodes. However, this season is also pretty uneven and its main storyline can feel a bit thin and predictable.

4/5 Stars