Curb Your Enthusiasm “Shaq”

I am used to people getting angry at Larry, whether deserved or not, on a routine basis.  But for this episode, Larry becomes a pariah for almost the entire city of Los Angeles, and he actually seems to prefer that.

There’s probably a good reason for that.

As the title of the episode suggests, Larry’s outcast status comes about after he does something of consequence to Shaquille O’Neal.  Larry, a noted Knicks fan, gets the use of Jeff’s courtside season tickets and goes to a game with Richard Lewis.  While stretching his legs out, he accidentally trips and injure Shaq, called by many in this episode the greatest player in the history of basketball.

OK, I get that Shaq is the guest star for the episode and all, but I don’t think anyone has ever said that of Shaq before.  I mean, my own students usually argue about whether its Lebron or Kobe, prompting me to toss Michael Jordan into the mix, and I am not a basketball fan.  Now, I won’t know Shaq’s on-the-court skills, and his size and strength generally worked to his advantage in many games, and certainly he was instrumental to the Lakers’ many championships, but to call him the greatest basketball player of all time just seemed a little weird to me.  Were they saying that back in 2001?  They might have been.  I don’t remember.  Was there a point to all this?  Oh, there’s always a point.  I just don’t remember what it is right now.

Anyway, tripping Shaq and knocking him out of action for two weeks makes Larry a pariah, but this is Larry.  He sees the bright side of all this.  Cheryl’s parents are visiting?  Not anymore!  The nonstop calls to Larry make them leave early.  How about the woman who asked Larry to write something funny for a book for her husband’s 40th birthday?  Eh, never mind.  And the guy who wanted a letter of recommendation for an art museum?  He also changes his mind, and I think I know exactly why:  no one would ever think Larry knows much of anything about art anyway.  Larry even says so.  Regardless, Larry likes all that.

And then he notices his luck changed.  Cars don’t splash water on him when they drive through puddles!  He even finds a doctor to look at a weird spot on his back as he heads off to give Seinfeld superfan Shaq a collection of tapes of the show, getting the Lakers doctor who refused to look at Larry’s worrisome spot fired for cheating at Scatagories.  Seriously, who does that?  But the act of making up with Shaq while watching “The Contest” actually doesn’t work for Larry.  Sure, Shaq’s injury wasn’t so bad, but Larry then gets splashed by a passing car, he got a parking ticket on his car, and that helpful doctor was an escaped mental patient.

Apparently, Larry’s life is better when everyone hates him.