TV Hiatus Recap

My favorite things from the hiatus

In the return of school, I've been keeping busy with my studies, and thus, it has been difficult to review episodes in recent weeks. The summer TV season has ended, and the fall has just begun. I'll catch up on my reviews of this week, and this will serve as my reviews for all the episodes I missed, that being Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage. First, the latter.

Too perfect an ending.

I'm not going to BS here: I was not happy with the ending of Entourage. The final episodes were plagued with an odd listlessness, and resolved storylines that should have ended a long, long time ago. Going into the finale, "The End", I'd hoped there'd be a few surprises in store, but sadly, it was just too rote. It played out exactly as I expected, and that was the most disappointing thing of all. Vince is getting married (to a girl he's known for what, 3 weeks?), and E gets back with Sloan (AGAIN). Ari reconciles with Melissa (she's named now), but we expected that too. The only really good scene was the one where Ari had a revelation while playing the opera music, and the post-credits scene basically promises we'll get a film somewhere. The finale was serviceable, but it feels long overdue, and truthfully, this show should have ended after season 5. Doug Ellin better have an awesome idea for a movie, or Entourage will be doomed to the annals of TV history.

Luckily, Curb Your Enthusiasm's ending was much better, if a little inconclusive. The final stretch of episodes, particularly "Larry vs. Michael J. Fox" were completely gut-busting, and delivered some of the best Curb we've had in years. While season 8 lacked a narrative thread, it made up for it with laugh after laugh, and for once, I really think it should get another season. The fifth, sixth, and seventh season finales all felt more appropriate to end the series than this one, and while it was the best the season had to offer, it doesn't work as the final episode. Let's get a ninth (and final) season, so Curb can go out in hilarious fashion.

And there you have it. I'll have reviews posted for this week in TV in short order, and will have a few other little posts to add too, some Blu-ray stuff, stuff like that. 

My star ratings for the endings of the two shows:

Entourage:

"Motherf*cker" - 2/5 stars

"The Big Bang" - 3/5 stars

"Second to Last" - 3.5/5 stars

"The End" - 2.5/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm:

"Mister Softee" - 4.5/5 stars

"Larry vs. Michael J. Fox" - 5/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Recap

Larry squares off with two returning guest stars in the most recent episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I missed the last couple reviews of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage due to family, as well as complications from Hurricane Irene, so once I watched the episodes on HBO Go, I figured I would just merge the two reviews into one. Both episodes feature returning guest stars, while staying in the recent NYC setting. However, one was clearly better than the other.

As part of the season and as a standalone, "The Bi-Sexual" was probably the worst episode of the season, though I may just be biased due to my dislike of Rosie O'Donnell. One, I do not find her funny. Two, they play up her stereotype to the millionth degree (as done previously in "Denise Handicapped"). And three, the storyline that her and Larry would vie for an attractive woman's affections is just too ridiculous to get behind with all the other problems plaguing this one. The episode was only sporadically funny, with one memorable joke, and that being Leon arriving in New York. To see the sight of him having driven Larry's Prius 3000 miles across America was nothing short of hilarious, as well as his comments about the journey ("I had about 8 motherf*ckers in here"). It is then clear that he plans to sponge off Larry once again. That was funny and well-executed. Some of the baseball metaphors worked OK, but it kind of fails mainly due to the fact that this is a road much traveled, even in shows like South Park and How I Met Your Mother. It was a weak episode, but not a deal-breaker for the season as a whole.

Thankfully, "Car Periscope" was a near-classic, rife with some hilarious stuff. The whole idea of the car periscope invention was priceless, and Larry and Jeff gleefully using it in the car may have been their best scene since reading Mondo Freaks in "The Freak Book". It also featured some good jokes about a man's integrity being based on the attractiveness of his wife, but that joke kind of fizzled in the latter half of the episode. However, the old man with dementia and the mysterious "one-armed man" were near perfect, with some racial epithets and a senior being knocked to the ground culminating in it appearing like Larry was spontaneously attacking the elderly. The main criticism could be argued was that the Wanda Sykes/personal trainer plot never really went nowhere, in the end only leading to another racist joke. However, don't let this detract you, as it still was one of the season's better episodes overall. Two left, with at least one including a guest spot by Michael J. Fox.

"The Bi-Sexual" - 2.5/5 stars
"Car Periscope" - 4/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm - "The Hero" Review

The Man in the Cape + David Brent = SHITSHOW

Curb Your Enthusiasm this week portrayed Larry's arrival and life in New York, and unsurprisingly, it's pretty much the exact same life he had in LA, with all the random minutiae and bullshit with all the random people. And yet, the new setting breathes a little fresh air into a TV series that didn't really need any, but is welcome nonetheless. The absence of most of the supporting cast in the new setting, including Funkhouser, Lewis, and Leon, allows an episode with near-exclusive focus on the show's two main characters, Larry and Jeff. The plane sequence was mildly amusing at first, but quickly turned hilarious when Larry "saved" the stewardess from a drunken airline patron and was applauded emphatically by the people aboard, much like when he argued with Funkhouser in "Palestinian Chicken", and even managed to score a woman out of the deal, though Susie noticed his oversized shoelaces and assumed that was definitely the cause. This led to a funny dinner scene where Susie first split up the couples most likely to undermine him, and then blew the whole thing intentionally when Larry started having a fit. In addition, Larry displayed his penchant to grab his food when he sees it, offending the waiter, who later blew a deal Jeff had with Ricky Gervais (who I'll get to in a minute), as well as his decision to bring bread to a dinner party instead of wine. Due to the depleted supporting cast, much of the episode had him clashing with Susie, and it reached a head when they argued over the aisle seat in Gervais' play, leading to Jeff losing him. As for Gervais himself, he was funnier in action than in words (like that stupid scarf he was wearing), but kind of disappointed me, despite his character's somewhat douche-y nature and his ability to screw Larry out of money and a woman. That led to the conclusion, which may have been just as perfect as the ending to "Vow of Silence", when Larry, seeing Gervais and the woman being mugged, decided to actually be the hero, and used the rock-hard bread that he brought to the dinner party earlier to beat the guy into submission. I laughed hardest at this, and it sealed it as a good, if not classic, episode. In other news, Leon returns next week, and appears to follow Larry to NY to (surprise, surprise) mooch off him again.

"The Hero" - 4/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm - "Vow of Silence" Review

He's not coming, Lewis. Confirmation rescinded. 

So, at long last. It ultimately took them half the season to give us a reason why Larry would go to New York. And in "Vow of Silence", it all unfolded in classic LD fashion, in yet another strong outing for Curb Your Enthusiasm. This was a landmark episode for the series, as it represented two major shifts, one seasonal, one forever. The forever, is, sadly, the death of Oscar, may he be remembered for his encounter with Wandering Bear, as well as for taking a nice munch on Larry's penis. RIP Oscar, you will be missed. Now, on to the rest of the review. As it turns out, Larry's journey to NYC is merely out of spite, brought on by desperately attempting to avoid doing charity work with his former Seinfeld director, portrayed by returning guest star Michael McKean, who may be remembered for his role in "The Bat Mitzvah" from season 6, where he told everyone Larry shoved a gerbil up his ass. In other news, Jeff and Susie will remain in the cast despite the move, as they were going to NY anyway because of Sammie's acceptance to Julliard. What I'm wondering is if this means we've seen the last of Leon. The last few episodes proved that this show can still be extremely funny without him (something they hadn't tried in 3 seasons), but JB Smoove is always wanted back. More screen time from Richard Lewis, as well as fun references to Pinkberry and the vow of silence jokes proves that the social assassin theme is still in full swing. Larry will be in New York now for the remainder of the season, where he will encounter, among others, Ricky Gervais and Michael J. Fox. This looks to be one of the show's best runs yet.

"Vow of Silence" - 4.5/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm - "The Smiley Face" Review

DO NOT FUCK WITH BIG DOG

As I said last week, "Palestinian Chicken" was an all-time classic Curb episode, one where I could ignore the directionless movement that this eighth season is making, and just have fun. This week, I was a bit irritated, because while "The Smiley Face" was fairly funny, it was another episode that made me realize that, now 2/5 in, Curb Your Enthusiasm is currently spinning its wheels. It seems that in the aftermath of Larry's divorce from Cheryl, Mr. David ran out of decent story ideas, and decided to gun this season straight for the laughs, so while the show is still very funny, it lacks a strong story to support it. That said, "The Smiley Face" had plenty of merits. The focus on minutiae such as lying being shown through a high voice, or Larry "crapping where he eats" (Yeah, that chick was DEFINITELY NOT dating him for the money). As for the cabinet subplot involving Big Dog and Larry's old receptionist, Antoinette (seen for the first time since Season 6, way back in 2007), that got some laughs, including some oddly meta shark TV show references from Big Dog. Is it possible that this episode airing at the onset of Shark Week is just a coincidence? As for the character, I wasn't a particularly big fan of Big Dog, due to the fact that he quickly went from being a seemingly rational character to totally insane. Although Larry yelling is almost always funny. Overall, this episode was kind of a shambles, random ideas strung together, feeling similar in structure to Season 7's "The Hot Towel", only even more convoluted (coincidentally, they both were the 4th episode in that respective season). Only difference was, in Season 7, the Seinfeld reunion storyline was in full swing by now, giving each episode a sense of purpose beyond nonsensical topical humor. With almost half of Curb's possibly final season (again) over, I wonder when this season will attempt to even try a season-long arc. They managed to successfully launch Larry and Cheryl's separation storyline with only 4 episodes left in Season 6, so there's still time. We know we're headed to New York eventually, but when and why is more of a mystery. From next week's previews, it's likely that it won't happen for a few more episodes yet.

Oh, and no Leon again this week. But we did get some Richard Lewis.

"The Smiley Face" - 3.5/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm- "Palestinian Chicken" Review

The social assassin is here, contract offender.

Despite my high marks for the first two episodes of this eighth season, something felt a bit off about the both of them. They felt somewhat stagnant, and the plot wasn't going anywhere. And in this one, believe it or not, the plot STILL didn't go anywhere. And it didn't matter one iota, as LD and crew delivered a classic episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, the best since Season 7's "The Table Read". In the previews for the season, the cast and crew stated that the theme was "social assassin", and that became fully realized here, as Larry became a man who people would enlist to point out another person's character flaws or irritating ticks. And it was used for comedic gold here, as Larry told a friend's wife (the woman who played George's potentially pregnant love interest in the Season 3 Seinfeld episode, "The Fix-Up", no less) that saying "lol" was annoying, which, coupled with the woman's affair with another friend (played by Seinfeld alum Larry Miller, who guest starred as the sociopathic Doorman in Season 6), ruined a marriage. This was sprung with Larry's "assassination" of Susie, when he was blackmailed by her daughter Sammie into telling Susie that her "ahh" sound after taking a drink was annoying, which led to a mega-standoff on the golf course. This was coupled with the other plot of the Palestinian chicken restaurant, where Larry and recent born-again Jew Funkhouser raged over Larry's affiliation with the restaurant, as well as Funkhouser's stout Judaism. This led to a hilarious sequence where Larry was being cursed out by the woman he was having sex with, while Funkhouser was listening downstairs. Overall, this episode was hilarious, even without a Leon appearance, and was one of the best Curb episodes in a while

"Palestinian Chicken" - 5/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm - "The Safe House" Review

Richard Lewis has yet another "love of his life".

After the enjoyable but cringe-worthy premiere of the season, I was wondering if Curb Your Enthusiasm was so played out, that it would now have to resort to shock laughs to be funny. Thankfully, this was incorrect, as "The Safe House" managed to be relatively inoffensive, while delivering a hilarious and overall more satisfying episode than "The Divorce" did last week. The welcome return of Richard Lewis as Larry's lovelorn ex-alcoholic friend was as hilarious as always, with his new girlfriend who he is only dating for her ample chest. Lewis had one hilarious line involving Galileo's teloscope, and has always managed to be one of the many unsung heroes of the show. Funkhouser and Jeff were funny as usual, while J.B. Smoove continues to be the comedic lifeblood as Leon. However, despite Larry awkwardness and the amusing tale of his encounter with the women of the safe house, I still feel like this season has yet to find an identity. After the introduction in Season 1, the TV pitches in Season 2, the restaurant in Season 3, the Broadway show in Season 4, Lewis' kidney story in 5 (though that wasn't introduced until the 5th episode, so this may be premature), the adoption of the Blacks and Cheryl's separation from Larry in Season 6, and the Seinfeld reunion last season, Season 8 feels like its spinning its wheels without a connecting vein. Of course, this may not be an immediate concern, as we know Larry is going to New York some time this season, so let's wait and see. In the meantime, "The Safe House" was a very funny episode, and was a clear message that Curb Your Enthusiasm has plenty of laughs left in the tank.

"The Safe House" - 4.5/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm- "The Divorce" Season Premiere Review

He's back. Be VERY afraid.

Damn, Curb Your Enthusiasm has been gone a long time. The last episode, "Seinfeld", aired right before Thanksgiving 2009. It is now just after 4th of July 2011, and after nearly two years, everyone's favorite social assassin is back. Larry David returns with the first episode of this ten-part eighth (and again, possibly final) season, with an episode that's better than most of the previous season. Sure, a few episodes in Season 7 hit the mark (particularly "Vehicular Fellatio" and "The Table Read"), but it also had some of the worst episodes of the series (the overhyped "The Reunion" and "Officer Krupke", along with "The Bare Midriff", which contained a rather offensive joke to those of the Christian faith that may have been funny in context, but just took it a little too far). And the finale, "Seinfeld", did not live up to its potential as the final reunion of David's Seinfeld cast, with an amusing but mind-boggling cliffhanger ending. Luckily, "The Divorce" resolves that issue almost immediately before skipping ahead a year, as Larry is finalizing his divorce from Cheryl. While I'm a fan who thinks that they play off each other better when together than apart, there were at least a few divorce-related jokes that hit the nail on the hammer, particularly Funkhouser's revelation that he also wanted to divorce his life so him and Larry could be "two single dudes", as well as Jeff's wife Susie threatening that if her and Jeff ever got divorced, she would "take his balls" along with everything else. Other jokes that worked included Larry's discovery that his lawyer was not Jewish, only to switch to a Jewish lawyer that not only costs his friend (played by Entourage's Gary Cole) the LA Dodgers, but gives up Larry's house in his divorce, forcing him and Leon (the always hilarious JB Smoove) to relocate. This episode was so good, it's too bad that one joke just nearly ruined it, and that being a Girl Scout (who happened to be the daughter of the Dodgers owner) having her first period in Larry house, and him trying to help her insert a tampon through the bathroom door. This joke, like the Midriff joke, was just ridiculously offensive, and was too creepy to get even the most depraved shock laughs. Luckily, an amusing joke involving a tampon and Larry's face saved face for the original gag, and the Girl Scouts attempting to break down his door was funny. Overall, a solid start to the season, but that one joke was a tad too far.

"The Divorce" - 4/5 stars