This week we roll out the red carpet for Larry and co. for his first NYC episode. We also get chance to see what happens when you put comic geniuses in close proximity to one another. For those who’ve spent their sleepless nights for the week leading up to this episode wondering whether New York City would have enough to offer Larry in the way menial annoyances, last night’s half hour went a long way towards soothing our anxiety. Larry David, who spent his formative years in Sheepshead Bay, has now been marinated in the Los Angeles, non-confrontational way of life. This week, thanks to a feud with Ricky Gervais and a waiter, Larry slowly got back some of his Brooklyn roots.
Putting two truly talented comics in the same room is like putting schoolyard bullies in a schoolyard. Think of it this way: Growing up, Larry and Ricky were both the kids on the playground cracking jokes during recess, only Ricky was wearing knickers and Larry probably some kind of polyester situation. For a better understanding of the kind of psyche we’re talking about here, this video performed by comic wunderkind Bo Burnham gives excellent context.
Do you really think that Ricky didn’t know that it was inappropriate to order a $300 bottle of wine on Larry’s tab? Of course he did! If The Office and Seinfeld both suddenly materialized as walking, breathing human beings they’d be Larry and Ricky, and of course, Ricky would have something to prove. Hence, “Seinfeld was a very funny show, I love broad comedy.” He takes a step further by making him pay for his theater ticket and eventually stealing his girl!
But, in the end, our hero wins in a big way. In fact, this was probably one of the most victorious episodes in the Leib’s history. First, the laces on his Simples (there’s something laugh out loud funny about the fact that Larry wears nothing but Simple shoes) are too long causing him to inadvertently rescue a stewardess from a drunk, then he gets to do enact one of the gratifying feats of heroism the human brain could possibly concoct. Is there a man in the world who, when holding a baguette or loaf of Italian bread, does not want to immediately whack someone with it? Larry, like a Conan the Barbarian of Carbohydrates saved his damsel in distress and the girl he met on the airplane, from a mugger with nothing but a loaf Italian bread. Like a G-D damn Maccabee that guy!
Before we go, I must call bullshit real quick. I dare any Jewcy reader to actually attempt to take their food off the line at a New York restaurant. I guarantee immediate disaster far worse than simply loosing your tidbits. Second, Veniero’s (which is not near the Times Square subway station, or any subway for that matter) has delicious, soft bread. It’s simply too soft to function as a weapon. Glad to have you back, Lar.