I know I've been criticizing Curb a lot as of late mostly because I know the series can do and has done so much better than the last two seasons. Thankfully, Season 10 is a strong return to form that, barring one particularly weak subplot, ranks as one of my favorite seasons.
Whereas Season 8's story arc was undercooked and Season 9's story arc was a mess, I actually really love Season 10's main storyline. After being disappointed with Mocha Joe's coffee shop (Mocha Joe is a minor character from Season 7), Larry decides to start his own coffee shop right next to his out of nothing but spite. I love everything about this storyline, from the hilarious rivalry between Larry and Mocha Joe, to the fact that the show is finally exploring the fact that Larry is rich and could totally waste exorbitant amounts of money out of spite, to the phenomenal finale that ties up the season in Rube Golbergian fashion. While one could argue Larry making a restaurant has been done already in Season 3, I'd say Season 10 one-ups that storyline by letting Larry be way more involved in how his "spite store" is being built. As a matter of fact, I'll be even more bold as to say this is the second best story arc in the whole series, right behind the Seinfeld reunion.
Season 10 has two other subplots in addition to the spite store, but they're a bit of a mixed bag. I actually liked him trying to win Cheryl back again, the show is much better with her in it. However, there's also the one about Larry repeatedly getting accused of sexually assaulting his assistant and... it's not very good. This was his attempt at commentating on #MeToo, but it's a mixed bag. On one hand, it feels like Larry finally facing the consequences of some of his uncomfortable behavior for the first time in a while, just as I wanted. On the other hand, I couldn't help but feel like Larry's assistant was painted out to be unreasonable and almost hysterical every step in the way, as if she's eager to cry sexual harassment and that the guys are who's really in danger here. And I'm sorry but this doesn't sit well with me at all, I'm usually open to Curb's willingness to offend but the Alice subplot comes off as incredibly tonedeaf, regardless of how much it fits Larry's character. It's a good thing the storyline is pretty much just contained in the first three episodes because this season gets so much better once it's out of the picture.
As for the episodic stuff, Season 10 shows that Curb Your Enthusiasm has still got it even after all this time. Without any fatwas, war reenactments, and paintball games, this season does feel a lot more like the grounded earlier seasons of Curb, while still managing to maintain Season 9's renewed sense of creativity. In particular, there's one episode this season that is so unlike Curb structurally that it's continued to stick with me since I first saw it, and that's not even mentioning the whole Jon Hamm episode, Larry wearing a MAGA hat to get people to keep away, the Susie portrait, and the sex doll. Larry David's characterization still hasn't really improved, but if the spite store arc is any indication, this season has proved it can wring some comedy out of an angry old rich guy picking fights with people.
At its best, Season 10 has a bunch of truly fantastic episodes:
Happy New Year: There's something very aggressive about this season premiere, in a great way. It's as if Larry's saying "I'm back and this time I'm not pulling any punches!". He's snapping selfies sticks, wearing MAGA hats, sleeping with Cheryl, picking a fight with Mocha Joe, it's practically a rampage across Los Angeles and it's a ton of fun to watch.
You're Not Gonna Get Me To Say Anything Bad About Mickey: This was the "unlike Curb" episode that I was talking about, and it's still great. It drops pretty much everything so that the characters can go on a trip to a wedding in Cabo San Lucas. Unlike the trip to New York, this shakeup feels genuinely fresh, and for the first time in a while, actually feels like Larry is going through a near endless streak of bad luck. If you've ever went on a trip and felt like everything that could go wrong did go wrong, this episode should feel very relatable. Oh, and Timothy Olyphant is a guest star so it can't not be a great episode.
Elizabeth, Margaret, And Larry: I tend to not get won over by guest stars but this is a big exception, a solid episode made iconic thanks to Jon Hamm's hysterical and charming performance. The way he slowly becomes more and more like Larry culminating in him getting into the exact same fight with Mocha Joe from the premiere made for such a classic.
The Spite Store: This is easily one of my favorite Curb finales to date, and I'm still in awe of how masterful the payoff is. Every single scene that had to do with the spite store ended up leading to its destruction, all of Larry's crazy hairbrained ideas for the store caused it to burst in flames. But even with such a Rube Golderg-esque ending and a solid cliffhanger to boot, my actual favorite part of the episode was the opening newscast, which explores the impact the spite store had on other actors and really dives into the moral shakiness of the rich Larry using his money to essentially tank a much smaller business while also being absolutely hysterical.
Overall, coming after the last two seasons, Season 10 is a pretty big return to form. It's consistently funny, boasts some of the show's best episodes, and one of the show's strongest story arcs. If it weren't for that uncomfortable Alice subplot, this would be an easy 5/5 Stars.
4/5 Stars
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