Woody Harrelson drops by a thorny Curb Your Enthusiasm

Season 11 of Curb Your Enthusiasm has been, if not quite pulling its comedic punches, then giving the sense that it’s reserving its energy for something. The heavily improvised show has felt even more loosely connected than usual, despite sticking with the blackmail plot introduced in the premiere episode, “The Five-Foot Fence.”

Obviously, plotting isn’t a priority on a show like Curb, but when the non sequiturs come across as shrugs and the guest appearances are just solid, then all we can do is look at how the broader story. The blackmail storyline only sorta works because of Keyla Monterosso Mejia’s commitment to being one of the most off-putting characters on a show absolutely packed with them. With Young Larry moving in fits and starts—Maria Sofia seems to be the only confirmed cast member* so far—it remains hard to see how everything is coming together.

“The Watermelon” doesn’t exactly answer that question, but it does have one helluva payoff. It’s one of the thorniest episodes we’ve seen in a while (and that includes seasons nine and 10), and all the better for it. Larry is his usual unaccountable self, showing tolerance for a Klansman (The Outsider’s Marc Menchaca as Klansman Joe) while questioning the “moral compass” of an optometrist who leaves a bit of food on the floor.

Perhaps “tolerance” isn’t the right word. Larry’s treating Klansman Joe the way he would treat anyone whose clothes he’d accidentally spilled coffee on… even if those clothes are a centuries-old symbol of white supremacy and still worn while stoking hatred (in this case, at a nearby rally). I’m sure it helps that Joe wasn’t ranting or attacking anyone at the moment they met; Larry is the kind of person who judges others by how they treat him, not people in general. And while the Klansman seemed aggressive to me, the fact that he wasn’t in the middle of burning a cross probably made it that much easier for Larry to live up to his own rules of etiquette and offer to get the guy’s robe cleaned.

Larry tries to make a point with his handling of the Klan robe situation; he tells the rightly appalled dry cleaner (David Weisenberg) that they shouldn’t resort to the same prejudice as the bigots. Of course, this point is undermined by the fact that Larry is one of the most judgmental people to ever exist. Larry sees Freddy’s new optometrist girlfriend Heidi (Kaley Cuoco) as “entitled” because she dropped a piece of Pirate’s Booty at work and chose not to pick it up. Freddy and Susie share his feelings, but is that really enough to write someone off? Why not set an example for Heidi, the way Larry encourages the dry cleaner to do for Klansman Joe?

The answer is, of course, moot because none of this is reasonable, but it does open up an interesting discussion on practicing what you preach, especially when the circumstances are less than ideal. Not that that’s the real objective here. Larry often finds himself having to back up or eat his words; part of the fun of watching the show is waiting for those chickens to come home to roost. No good deed (or even intent) goes unpunished on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Favors snowball all the time, just as they do in “The Watermelon.” Lies told to save face or someone’s feelings almost always create bigger problems than they solve. So what’s the point of being nice to anyone?

As much as that jibes with Larry’s general philosophy, he is, as we’ve discussed a few times this season, generally prepared to fulfill a favor, however grudgingly he might agree to it. And so he goes golfing with Jeff, Freddy, and Rabbi Friedman (Jeffrey Markle), the latter of whom has really impressed Susie. She makes a beautiful tapestry inspired by the Tree Of Life for temple, which even Larry admits is gorgeous. He and Susie trade favors, though his request is, naturally, much more onerous than hers (though, again, that might be up for debate with Larry).

Curb has broken down the particulars of favors before, but Larry and Susie’s exchange about the Klan robe is one of the funniest moments of the show. (Maybe I’ll make a clip in the morning to insert here.) The way the light goes from Susie’s face as she understands just what’s being asked of her—how could Larry misuse her gifts this way! She does get the last laugh, as Klansman Joe gets his ass kicked at one of his big hate rallies when his fellow bigots assume the Star Of David that Susie stitched on to his Klan robe means he’s Jewish.

All of this, and I haven’t even gotten to Woody Harrelson’s role in “The Watermelon.” He plays a fictionalized version of himself who gets on his soapbox in acceptance speeches, and needs to know that Larry doesn’t deserve to be “cream-shamed” in order to play the role of Uncle Mo* in Young Larry. It’s not one of Curb’s more outsize guest appearances, and things go pretty much as you’d expect: Woody sides with “Teddy” (as in, Ted Danson) about what a jerk Larry is. But the cream-shaming talk is fun, as is Woody’s brief tour of Larry’s “farm,” which is actually Klansman Joe’s.

By episode’s end, Larry realizes he might have been been better off judging a Klansman by his robe, spilled coffee or not. The ending of “The Watermelon” is fairly predictable, aside from Larry managing to play the heck out of the shofar, because this is the only way that Larry learns—by having horrible things directly happen to him. If it’s a commentary on the persistence of the “well, [some person] never did [some awful thing] to me!” mentality, it’s a good one.

Stray observations

• Kaley Cuoco wasn’t given much to do as Heidi, but her delivery of “there are no ties in optometry” was great.
• The real problem at Heidi’s optometry office wasn’t the Pirate’s Booty on the floor, but the misunderstanding of pupil dilation. You’re always asked if you want to get your pupils dilated because it affects your vision for hours. Yet, they subject Larry to two pupil dilations! And the second time, the other eye doctor tells him that the effects will wear off in half an hour, and then preps him to take the eye exam, which is not why you get your pupils dilated! (Can you tell that detached retinas and other eye problems run in my family?)
• Last week, I wrote that Ted Danson had been cast as Uncle Mo. But I rewatched the episode today, and his name was just one that the Hulu executive tossed at Larry and Jeff during their meeting.
• First Ted, now Woody—can a George Wendt or John Ratzenberger audition for the role of Uncle Mo be far behind?
• I was sure that Larry’s smaller actions, like not bothering to fold up money to insert into the Jewish National Fund and never having attended temple much, were going to be taken into account along with his sudden acquaintance with a Klansman. But maybe that’s coming down the pipeline. Tonight’s episode did include a shot of the pool, which is still fence-less, after all.
• Dry cleaner: “I thought you said he’s a decent Klansman.” Larry: “Yes, but he’s still a Klansman!”
• Herring is good, actually. And Jessie is a great name for a cow, especially if the calf is called “Jessie’s Girl” (regardless of sex).
• Seriously, Susie Essman deserves an Emmy nomination for that kitchen scene. Her disgust, combined with her own commitment to fulfilling favors, is just so palpable, even though she doesn’t lose her shit the way she normally might.
• Susie and Jeff divorce watch: Is his indifferent “All right, fine” after she says he’d make her “very happy” by taking Rabbi Friedman to the fancy golf club another sign that Jeff is ready to contemplate divorce again, even though he knows what that would mean?