Curb Your Enthusiasm

The other day, I went to a restaurant and listened as the waitress complained, in detail, about red meat. "It's bad for you, and it's bad for the planet."

This seemed so odd and unprofessional, because no one had asked for an opinion--and, also, red meat had a starring role on the menu. Later, the waitress took ages to present me with a check--which was fine, except that she lied about having been delayed by a needy colleague. This was blatant; I had observed her chatting at length with guests at another table (chatting about red meat?) ....It's not the delay; it's the lie that seems so strange to me.

I often have nowhere to go with these feelings, so I'm glad that "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is back. I really think that Larry David writes to entertain himself. Recently, he built an entire script on the problem of "recovery"; if your fragile, obnoxious girlfriend can't handle emotional turmoil for six months, how do you manage? How do you delay the breakup, when she is singing annoying radio jingles at breakfast, everyday? Also, let's say a friendly acquaintance asks to try on your eyeglasses, because the loan will be "zany" and "fun." How do you say no? How do you say, "Never ask me again"--?

I'm grateful Larry David is exploring these themes on television--especially because no one else will. The premiere gets an "A" grade from me.

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