Larry's actions make me squirm. He is the master of petty confrontations. He is lacking in social graces and overthinks everything. He and his wife go bowling with Ted Danson and Mary Steenbergen and set up a date for a Paul Simon concert. Because he expects others to make the first move, he makes himself miserable. There are a couple of great scenes involving shows that were given to the wrong person at the bowling alley and a show salesman at an upscale clothing store. One knows in watching this show that there is an overriding tension. I parcel them out.
3 Reviews
Cheating without physical contact...
Graggoz22 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Larry get the wrong shoes back after bowling. The Shoes he lost he really likes. Not knowing whether he will ever get them back, he order some new ones, but as they are not in at the moment, they have to order them to the shoe store.
Larry eventually get his original shoes back though after he confronts the person who obviously deliberately took the wrong shoes. That confrontation feels a bit weird though.
As if that was not enough, Larry is getting trouble when he know doesn't need the shoe the store has ordered for him and then accidentally run into the guy on the street who ordered the shoes for him. Although somewhat over-acted, that scene is great fun to watch.
This episode also touched on an interesting topic, namely what is allowed and not allowed to do with you and your wife's common friends, in this case Larry and their common friends Mary and Ted. It's almost like Larry is asking Cheryl for permission to "cheat without any physical contact" and offer Cheryl green light to do the same as an exchange. Great fun stuff!
During a lunch with Mary and Mary's mother, Larry accidentally drinks from Mary's mother's water glass. When being informed that it was her glass, Larry act out as he was very disgusted by this in an obviously embarrassing manner.
The dilemma when they are waiting for the call about the concert and Larry starting to assume the reason they are ditching them is due to his inappropriate incident with Mary's mother and Larry trying to see if he can avoid mentioning this to Cheryl is a superb scene. Calling to ask or waiting to see is such a classic social dilemma everyone who watches can identify themselves with.
Also Larry do the classical social mistake of over-estimating how clumsy and inappropriate his own clumsy actions are regarded by others and as it turns out, the reason Mary and Ted never called, was simply because the concert was not until Sunday. We have all been there, done that I guess ;)
On a side-note, when Larry is back to return the so-called half jacket/half shirt, he meets Mary's mother and Mary. Having the possibility to make a big embarrassing scene there for Larry when the shop employee could have insisted that he was there to give it back to the store right in front Mary, It's brilliant and vital to the show however that they choose not to take advantage of every possible way of making an embarrassing scenes like that, as it will maintain the concept of a plausible reality.
So all in all, a great episode, although maybe not as fun as the s01e01, this one barely have any annoying flaws to it. Hope they keep up the good work.
Larry eventually get his original shoes back though after he confronts the person who obviously deliberately took the wrong shoes. That confrontation feels a bit weird though.
As if that was not enough, Larry is getting trouble when he know doesn't need the shoe the store has ordered for him and then accidentally run into the guy on the street who ordered the shoes for him. Although somewhat over-acted, that scene is great fun to watch.
This episode also touched on an interesting topic, namely what is allowed and not allowed to do with you and your wife's common friends, in this case Larry and their common friends Mary and Ted. It's almost like Larry is asking Cheryl for permission to "cheat without any physical contact" and offer Cheryl green light to do the same as an exchange. Great fun stuff!
During a lunch with Mary and Mary's mother, Larry accidentally drinks from Mary's mother's water glass. When being informed that it was her glass, Larry act out as he was very disgusted by this in an obviously embarrassing manner.
The dilemma when they are waiting for the call about the concert and Larry starting to assume the reason they are ditching them is due to his inappropriate incident with Mary's mother and Larry trying to see if he can avoid mentioning this to Cheryl is a superb scene. Calling to ask or waiting to see is such a classic social dilemma everyone who watches can identify themselves with.
Also Larry do the classical social mistake of over-estimating how clumsy and inappropriate his own clumsy actions are regarded by others and as it turns out, the reason Mary and Ted never called, was simply because the concert was not until Sunday. We have all been there, done that I guess ;)
On a side-note, when Larry is back to return the so-called half jacket/half shirt, he meets Mary's mother and Mary. Having the possibility to make a big embarrassing scene there for Larry when the shop employee could have insisted that he was there to give it back to the store right in front Mary, It's brilliant and vital to the show however that they choose not to take advantage of every possible way of making an embarrassing scenes like that, as it will maintain the concept of a plausible reality.
So all in all, a great episode, although maybe not as fun as the s01e01, this one barely have any annoying flaws to it. Hope they keep up the good work.
Larry & Cheryl & Ted & Mary
AlsExGal7 April 2024
Larry and Cheryl go bowling with Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. They have a great time with the exception of the attendant having given Larry's shoes to somebody else - and the weird thing is that they put them on and left!
Later Larry is talking about what a great person Mary is, and Cheryl says she wouldn't be bothered with Larry and Mary becoming friends, although Larry at first wonders about this since society frowns on people who are married to others being friends. This leads to Larry spending the day shopping with Mary and her mother which looks like it is going swimmingly until Larry commits a social faux pas. When Ted and Mary don't call regarding what was supposed to be them all going to see Paul Simon in concert, Larry wonders if what he did is the reason they are being snubbed, and wonders if he should tell Cheryl about what happened.
As becomes a thing in this series, Larry rubs a salesperson the wrong way and then they retaliate as in giving bad customer service as if they own the place. I know this is just a half hour comedy show, but in the real world if someone with Larry David's clout goes up against a minimum wage employee with an attitude, Larry David is going to win and the minimum wage employee is going to lose and likely be out on the street. Still, fun stuff.
Later Larry is talking about what a great person Mary is, and Cheryl says she wouldn't be bothered with Larry and Mary becoming friends, although Larry at first wonders about this since society frowns on people who are married to others being friends. This leads to Larry spending the day shopping with Mary and her mother which looks like it is going swimmingly until Larry commits a social faux pas. When Ted and Mary don't call regarding what was supposed to be them all going to see Paul Simon in concert, Larry wonders if what he did is the reason they are being snubbed, and wonders if he should tell Cheryl about what happened.
As becomes a thing in this series, Larry rubs a salesperson the wrong way and then they retaliate as in giving bad customer service as if they own the place. I know this is just a half hour comedy show, but in the real world if someone with Larry David's clout goes up against a minimum wage employee with an attitude, Larry David is going to win and the minimum wage employee is going to lose and likely be out on the street. Still, fun stuff.
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