For 25 years, Larry David has boldly, repeatedly gone where no one else would dare. His fictionalised alter ego has besmirched the honour of an unsuccessful kamikaze pilot who survived the second world war until the man’s son tried to kill himself (“He grazed the ship!?! … Did he say: ‘Jesus, this kamikaze business might not be for me?’”). He has hosted a dinner party featuring a contestant on the reality show Survivor having an explosive row about hardship with an actual Holocaust survivor (Survivor contestant: “I couldn’t even work out!”). At one point, despite his social circle’s protests, he even ended up befriending a sex offender. It has been outrageously funny, so toe-curlingly awkward that it’s borderline painful, but never less than utterly unique, spellbindingly watchable TV.
And this weekend, it comes to an end. After a quarter of a century spent portraying the most amusing curmudgeon in TV history, David is ready to retire Larry once and for all with Curb Your Enthusiasm’s finale. It comes off the back of one of the show’s funniest seasons ever – in which David has variously tried to buy a racist statue off a Black employee after accidentally breaking someone else’s ornament (“I just have to replace it!” “So you already have one?”). Or knocked Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur clean off his feet by driving a golf ball into his back, then flashed his testicles to escape the consequences. Will we see Larry doing jail time in the finale for having unwittingly violated a law about bringing water to voters waiting in line? We’ll have to wait and see – but it’s sure to be funny.
