[This story contains major spoilers from the series finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm, “No Lessons Learned.”]
And, that’s a wrap on Larry David‘s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
The sequence finale of the Emmy-winning HBO improv comedy kicked off with a giant circle again to how the ultimate season started, with the ensemble heading to Atlanta to help Larry David (performed by sequence creator-star David) in his trial.
For a refresher: Season 12 opened with Larry getting arrested for violating a 2021 voting legislation in Georgia when he gave Leon Black’s (JB Smoove) Auntie Rae (performed by Ellia English) a glass of water whereas she was ready in line to vote. Larry didn’t know concerning the legislation, however he grew to become a liberal hero anyway, with the likes of Stacey Abrams, Bruce Springsteen and Sienna Miller changing into his adoring new followers.
An unlucky difficulty with a substitute garden jockey, nonetheless, led to Larry pleading not responsible to obstructing the election course of within the state of Georgia — which is punishable by as much as one yr in jail and a nice of $10,000 — and going forward with the trial, an occasion that has loomed over all the season.
Larry’s act of being a very good samaritan prompted comparisons to the sequence finale of Seinfeld and hypothesis that Curb’s ending may deal with the sequence finale of the traditional comedy that left starring foursome Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards in a jail cell after they have been deemed by the legislation to be dangerous samaritans. The ending was divisive. And Curb‘s collaborating duo of David and govt producer Jeff Schaffer appeared in on the reception, as this season was plagued by references to how David ended that beloved comedy.
One key storyline within the sequence finale is that Leon is binge-watching Seinfeld for the primary time ever when the Curb crew lands in Atlanta for Larry’s trial. Jury choice is underway and the decide decides to sequester the jurors as a result of flurry of media scrutiny across the high-profile trial.
Ted Danson (performed by himself) makes use of the chance to guide protests towards the Election Integrity Act (which is an actual legislation in Georgia), and Richard Lewis (performed by the late comic) is rekindling a former romance with a dishonest lady (performed by visitor star Allison Janney) who inadvertently flipped off Larry and Leon on the freeway.
The visitor forged roster continues to unspool, as a who’s-who of ghosts from Larry’s Curb previous pour into the courtroom to hang-out his verdict prospects. Larry and his lawyer (performed by Sanaa Lathan) additionally face a formidable opponent on the opposite facet of the courtroom with the prosecutor (performed by Greg Kinnear), in addition to the decide on the bench (performed by Dean Norris).
Susie Greene (performed by Susie Essman) dropped the primary trace of how the decision may go when she referred to as Larry out for by no means studying a lesson in his life. “It’s as much as the jury to resolve what sort of man Larry David is,” newscasters announce of the headline-making trial.
The laundry listing of Larry’s offenders is, in the long run, too giant to disregard — because the jury is knowledgeable of a few of his worst behaviors, like stealing footwear from the Holocaust museum, “maliciously” giving Bruce Springsteen COVID, hugging a 9-year-old (after putting a water bottle in his pants) and giving her 21 years of remedy, utilizing the N-word, stealing from a number of lifeless folks, bribing a metropolis councilperson, hiring a prostitute so he might drive within the carpool lane and pretending to be an incest survivor named Todd.
“I can’t tolerate corruption from Trump, Putin or Larry David,” declares season 11 visitor star, whistleblower Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (enjoying himself).
The trial has confirmed Larry to be a “petty, conniving and admittedly spiteful man,” the newscasters sum up earlier than Larry is handed down a responsible verdict and sentenced to at least one yr in jail.
However simply as viewers assume Curb could go away Larry rotting in a jail cell, complaining concerning the trivia of each day life in acquainted Seinfeld vogue, Atlanta customer and extremely anticipated visitor star Jerry Seinfeld is available in to avoid wasting the day.
Due to a fortuitous encounter at a close-by restaurant, Jerry was capable of out one of many jurors for breaking the sequestering rule. A mistrial is said and Larry’s sentence has been thrown out.
“Larry,” Jerry bellows, “is a free man!”
“You don’t wanna find yourself like this. No one desires to see it. Belief me,” says Jerry in an enormous wink to Seinfeld.
Because the pair stroll out of the jail cell collectively, they muse about issues that might have been.
“Oh my God, that is how we must always’ve ended the finale,” says Larry.
“Oh my God you’re proper, how did we not consider that?” asks Jerry.
“Ahhh,” they are saying in unison, as they throw their palms up.
The episode, directed by Schaffer, then ends with the ensemble arguing over placing the shade up or down on their airplane again to Los Angeles. “Go fuck your self, Larry. Return to fucking jail, Larry!” Susie screams in one of many final discernible strains of the sequence.
When speaking about Larry’s destiny in latest weeks, Schaffer had hinted to The Hollywood Reporter that Larry wouldn’t be punished — equating his scenario to that of former President Donald Trump, who was as soon as once more invoked this week with a resurfaced shot of Larry’s Trump-like mugshot.
“The previous felon-in-chief is meant to be on trial now 4 instances over, and none of them are taking place! TV Larry ought to be envious at how [former President Donald] Trump is delaying all these items. So, who is aware of what’s going to occur on Curb?” Schaffer had lately stated.
Now, Schaffer presents this to THR, in a little bit of uncommon Curb reflection:
“What I like concerning the finale is that it touches on one thing greater than the present. We regularly blur the road between actual Larry and TV Larry, however right here there is no such thing as a line in any respect: Each Larrys have by no means realized a lesson — and thank the Gods for it.”
Head right here for extra from Schaffer as he unpacks the sequence finale — titled “No Classes Realized” — with THR. Curb Your Enthusiasm is streaming on Max.
