Who Won Curb: “Foisted!”

Who’s up, who’s down, and who reigned supreme?

Curb Your Enthusiasm made a triumphant return last night, picking up right where it left off and leaving little question about what we could expect from the show. From Larry to Ted Danson, the show did a great job of organically reintroducing many of its main characters, all of them 6 years older and none of them any different.

Curb was as hilarious, painful, whimsical, and cringeworthy as ever. That being said, some of the characters made it out of the episode in much better shape than others. Each week, we here at TGYN will sort through what happened and show you who’s up, who’s down, and who we think won the episode.

Losers

Larry

Larry was in mid-season form. He offended someone he didn’t know, only to be immediately dropped into an awkward situation with them and a close associate. He overpaid for a haircut. He broke up an engagement. He created an international incident and, in doing so, ruined the prospects for his next creative project.

On the bright side, Larry was able to move on from an assistant he was trying to get rid of. In a shocking move, he successfully foisted Susie! But, since he was destined for failure in this episode, even that brief success ended with him getting punched in the face.

Jeff

Jeff started the episode with such momentum. He got a nice haircut, that he didn’t overpay for, in the comfort of his office. His client turned in a script that was garnering attention from everyone in the industry, sure to be a success. Susie wasn’t furious with him which, for Jeff, is a huge positive.

And then, the tides turned. Leon, serving as Larry’s new assistant, dropped the ball on communicating some key information, and it was all downhill from there. Larry’s project is dead in the water and while the FBI assured Jeff that he isn’t at risk of a Fatwa by association, he certainly isn’t in a good place.

Susie

She ended the episode with a bang, but that doesn’t make up for what she had to go through to get there. Her new ventures are leaving her overworked, and her high level of fatigue let Larry get the best of her. The assistant she hoped would propel her to success and give her some of her life back instead did more harm than good. The upside for Susie is that she won’t stop with a punch to the face, she’ll be looking for an opportunity to really get back at Larry. TGYN predicts she won’t be down for very long.

Winners

Cheryl

Her fundraiser looked like a huge success, with glitz, glamor, and an impressive guest list. She deadpanned at Larry’s attempts to make light of her cause, and thanks to Jeff she didn’t have to deal with him for very long at all.

She was also seen laughing and enjoying Ted Danson’s company. Which brings us to our next winner.

Ted Danson

Oh, Ted and Mary have separated, have they? But they’re better friends than they’ve ever been before, he says, and he honestly doesn’t seem to be that broken up about the divorce? In fact, in Cheryl’s company, he seems to be quite content, even more so once Larry is called away to chat with Jeff. Hmmmmmm. How interesting.

I’m no relationship expert, but I’d keep an eye on Ted and Cheryl. My guess is that their passion for charitable causes isn’t the only thing they’ll be sharing this season.

(A bed. They’ll be sharing a bed.)

Episode Champ

Leon

Sure, he may have forgotten to tell Larry not to imitate the Ayatollah, but virtually everything else went right for Leon. When Larry came to him with a complaint he not only gave him some relevant advice, but when Larry subsequently followed that advice it ultimately resulted in Leon getting a job. Being employed might not be that crucial — being Larry’s assistant will probably be more of a hassle than Leon wants to deal with — but while it may not have been Panda Express, that Jimmy Kimmel crudité platter looked mighty tasty. For that reason, Leon wins week one.